smartphone connectors

Smartphone connectors have been changing, and, no surprise, not for the better.

The original iPod connector used for iPhone was the best.  Strange for such a big connector, it always mates easily, and never improperly.  It also had lots of specialized connections, such as analog audio and video outputs.  So, following the general industry path of eliminating everything analog, which is entirely driven by the attempt to make users into helpless sheep, it had to go.

The mini-USB connector used on the Samsung Galaxy phone is horrible.  It's hard to tell up from down, so 10 seconds of visual checking are required first.  Then it's very sensitive to rotation, a few degrees off and it won't go in.  And then mini-USB connectors often vary a bit in size, and some are large enough to take some effort for insertion.  That is notably true of a well known and expensive USB retractable cable made for smartphones.  It fits, but just barely, into the Samsung connector.

Apple has some new connector also.  It's obvious to me that the motivation behind this new connector is to drop all things analog for better intellectual monopolies.  I haven't tried it, but it looks like it was designed for more easy insertion than typical mini-USB.