The luxury of short cables
I got myself a now laptop computer, and decided on a specific Model because it had a specific feature that others were missing, namely a DVI connector.
I decided to take that model, even though it came with a number of stupid stickers.
But another thing that I noticed was the totally ugly power-supply that came with plenty of superfluous cable.
Compare this with the very nice construction of the power-supply of my former laptop computer.
As you can see, it comes with two optional plugs, one with a long cable, in case the socket is a little further away, and another lightweight plug, that keeps your bags clean when on the road. Very useful in my opinion.
Fortunatly there are more products that follow that method. Look at that nice portable harddisk with a short cable included.
Considering that it is desigend for mobile usage, it makes sense because on a laptop the usb connectors won’t be far away, so why add a tangling annoying 2 meter cable.
There are of course other products as well, for example the following mouse.
As you can see, it has an extension cord included, which is really a nice touch, it can be plugged into a stationary PC under the desk, as well as a notebook, without being either to short or to long. And I guess this doesn’t make the produkt significantly more expensive as a whole. You only need an additional plug and connector, you cut the cable in two and add them to the open ends. Tada, product improved.
Now compare that to a “traditional” mouse. Hint: they are both plugged into the same USB hub, integrated in my computer screen.
Have fun
-Richard