Backwards compatibility is a big issue for PC users who do not want to have to constantly upgrade everything from connectors to add-in cards every time they do a small upgrade.  That compatibility comes with a cost, many devices which should have been allowed to die long ago still live on.  It is possible that one such abomination may be going away in the near future, the trapezoidal USB plug that only connects in one orientation.  The USB Type-C connector will be square, similar in size to the current USB 2.0 Micro-B plug found on non-fruit based cellphones and most importantly it will not have a specific orientation required to connect.  Hopefully Slashdot isn't discussing something too good to be true.

"Extreme bandwidth is nice, intelligent power management is cool… but folks should be spilling into the streets in thankful praise that the next generation miniature USB connector will fit either way. All told — just how many intricate miracle devices have been scrapped in their prime — because a tiny USB port was mangled? For millennia untold chimpanzees and people have been poking termite mounds with round sticks. I for one am glad to see round stick technology make its way into consumer electronics. Death to the trapezoid, bring back the rectangle!"

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