This just about sums up the digital revolution, doesn’t it? We use USB ports to charge things that we might never have imagined charging just a few years before. Heck, it wasn’t so long ago that we would have been puzzled at the idea of plugging a cell phone into USB.
Stupid or not, I stayed at a hotel in Portland that had two USB ports built into the lamp on each side of the bed. No more crawling under desks and nightstands for outlets. Very convenient. Until the standards change.
And then I shared the joke using a machine charged with a USB that lets me talk to people all over the world instantly. 🙂
I had an encounter like this a few years ago. I would have written it down, but I had to wait for my pen to charge and I forgot.
USB charging is absolutely marvelous. No so long ago, every cell phone and other mobile device (iPods) had its own power source and proprietary connector. It was a real pain, particularly for travelers who had to carry everything with them.
Standardization like that also makes accessories far more versatile. The same extra battery that can charge my iPhone can also charge my iPad and epaper Kindle. USB-C takes that standardization still further. It’s USB with enough charging capacity to handle laptops as well as cell phones.
Long term that is even more marvelous. It gives our pricey digital devices a longer lifespan. I still use tools I bought just after I went off to college in the late 1960s. Why? Because standards like that for Philips head screws haven’t changed. My digital stuff won’t have that half-century lifespan, but it will last a lot longer. For someone who is as frugal as me, that’s good.
I only wish those who designed all but the most recent USB connectors had understood the importance of making connectors that don’t fit in just one direction. I waste a lot of time trying first one way and then the other.
–Mike