Could this be the next Kobo Clara HD or Nia iteration?

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by Terisa de morgan

I agree, I have that too (I haven't bought a new ereader in more than a year )

I hope the withdrawal symptoms aren't to bad. Does it help or make them worse to post in this thread?

I have bought two in the last year (a Sage for my wife which I used for a month, and then later a Sage for me). I can probably wait a few days for the Clara 2E rather than head to the shop the moment they are released.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by rcentros

Well, 1) Not everyone who buys an eReader has a USB cable or the right USB cable.

If you are buying something you should make sure you have all the requirements of that thing. Which means a cable if you don't already have one.

And 2) These things wear out.

And the high quality cables I buy take longer to wear out. And, if I already have suitable cables, why should I have to store the cables supplied with the devices? Having one spare is handy. But I have multiple spares as I have them in different places in the house to make it convenient to charge something.

And I have worn out or broken more devices with a USB socket than I have cables.

And 3) They're cheap. Why take a chance on ticking off a customer who doesn't have a cable when one can be included at a nominal price?

Why tick the customer off by supplying something they don't actually need?

Alternatively, why tick of the customer by supplying a cable that is unsuitable for the customer? The cables are all the same length which means I have a tangle of cables on my desk. Maybe they should supply a short cable so ease this. Or a very long cable to make it easier to read while the device is charging. Or don't supply a cable at all so the customer can get what works for them.

I am really happy that the last four phones I bought (one for each of the members of the family as they broke/wore out) did not include a charger. I have so many around the house they get in the way. And I don't use any. I had one of them in the backpack I carry to work and never took the plastic wrapper off it. The chargers I use are ones I bought with multiple sockets. But, I could also plug it into one of the two socket on each side of my bed, or a socket in one of the powerboards, or the socket in my laptop charger, or, heaven forbid, one of the far to many computers in the house.

And 4) Not everyone lives near a store that sells these so, if they don't have one, their reader can quickly turn into a door stop until they can get one shipped.

Which just means they didn't plan properly. There are far to many shops that do have cables, that it means the purchaser has to be fairly remote. See my response to your point 1.

Sorry, supplying a cable with every device is a waste of resources. It should be stopped. And any salesperson in a shop should ask if you need a cable. Or the online store have it as a "Commonly bought with" item. The solution to your "problems" are far to easy to solve.

[John F]

Originally Posted by Uncle Robin

Do you own NO USB-C devices?

If you scroll back a ways, you will see what I have, or you can use the search function on this thread and look at my posts.

Unless that's so, there is no need for another cable,

Do I need another USB-C cable? No. Do I want another one, yes.

I have multiple places I charge from, plus a location where I transfer books from, so having multiple cables is a convience.

Uncle Robin, how many USB-C cables does a person need?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Terisa de morgan

I agree, I have that too (I haven't bought a new ereader in more than a year )

I bought my Libra 2 because I decided I wanted a new Reader.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by rcentros

Well, 1) Not everyone who buys an eReader has a USB cable or the right USB cable. And 2) These things wear out. And 3) They're cheap. Why take a chance on ticking off a customer who doesn't have a cable when one can be included at a nominal price? And 4) Not everyone lives near a store that sells these so, if they don't have one, their reader can quickly turn into a door stop until they can get one shipped.

Agreed. A cable should be included. But don't be like Apple and include a mostly worthless cable. The cable that came with my wife's iPhone 12 was useless. It's USB-C to lightning and at the time, we had no USB-C chargers. Since then we have one USB-C charger and a USB-C port on my laptop.

[koboy]

Originally Posted by John F

how many USB-C cables does a person need?

i have 1 USB-C cable.

best wishes koboy

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by davidfor

If you are buying something you should make sure you have all the requirements of that thing. Which means a cable if you don't already have one.

My assumption is that the necessary cable will be included with the device. And, so far, it always have been. I'm not sure why you're taking the position that this shouldn't be the case.

Originally Posted by davidfor

And the high quality cables I buy take longer to wear out. And, if I already have suitable cables, why should I have to store the cables supplied with the devices? Having one spare is handy. But I have multiple spares as I have them in different places in the house to make it convenient to charge something.

If the cables that come the devices are unwanted, donate them to a thrift shop. I keep them in reserve in case I lose one, or the dog chews one or one wears out. And I give them away to other people who lose their cables.

Originally Posted by davidfor

And I have worn out or broken more devices with a USB socket than I have cables.

That doesn't mean everyone has the same experience. I, personally, have never worn out a USB cable or a USB port. Nor have I lost a cable. But I have given away several USB cables to others who have lost theirs.

Originally Posted by davidfor

Why tick the customer off by supplying something they don't actually need?

I'm guessing that 99.999% of customers would not be "ticked off" by getting a cable included with their device. I think most, like me, would expect the cable to be included in the box with a new device.

Originally Posted by davidfor

Alternatively, why tick of the customer by supplying a cable that is unsuitable for the customer? The cables are all the same length which means I have a tangle of cables on my desk. Maybe they should supply a short cable so ease this. Or a very long cable to make it easier to read while the device is charging. Or don't supply a cable at all so the customer can get what works for them.

Any cable is better than no cable if you need one. If you find the one included unsuitable (for whatever reason) nothing keeps you from buying a suitable one. Honestly I'm having a hard time understanding your position on this.

Originally Posted by davidfor

I am really happy that the last four phones I bought (one for each of the members of the family as they broke/wore out) did not include a charger. I have so many around the house they get in the way. And I don't use any. I had one of them in the backpack I carry to work and never took the plastic wrapper off it. The chargers I use are ones I bought with multiple sockets. But, I could also plug it into one of the two socket on each side of my bed, or a socket in one of the powerboards, or the socket in my laptop charger, or, heaven forbid, one of the far to many computers in the house.

Again, any excess cables or chargers can be donated to thrift shops. There are always people looking for them.

Originally Posted by davidfor

Which just means they didn't plan properly. There are far to many shops that do have cables, that it means the purchaser has to be fairly remote. See my response to your point 1.

Okay. I can see this is an important issue to you. I just don't understand why.

Originally Posted by davidfor

Sorry, supplying a cable with every device is a waste of resources. It should be stopped. And any salesperson in a shop should ask if you need a cable. Or the online store have it as a "Commonly bought with" item. The solution to your "problems" are far to easy to solve.

The device won't work without a cable. Most people expect that "proper planning" is buying the new device and that the necessary cable is included in the package. And, again, excess cables can be donated to thrift shops because these cables do get lost, do get destroyed and do wear out. And many people do like to have multiple cables at various locations, office, home, car, etc.

[mrecom]

Originally Posted by davidfor

With all the arguing about USB cables/ports, I'll be buying the new Clare 2E purely because it has a USB-C port. I'm tired of working out which way the micro USB port goes. The Clara HD is the only frequently plugin that has does not have a USB-C port.

And, hopefully, they won't bother including a cable. I have plenty, and if I need another, I'd prefer to choose one I like.

Heard. And right there with you. All these folks clinging to decade+ old micro-usb and dismissing the benefits of USB-C.... I'm not sure what to say. Progress is inevitable I suppose. Stick with old tech if that is what you fancy.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by mrecom

Heard. And right there with you. All these folks clinging to decade+ old micro-usb and dismissing the benefits of USB-C.... I'm not sure what to say. Progress is inevitable I suppose. Stick with old tech if that is what you fancy.

The three eReaders I bought recently aren't that "old tech." Kobo Clara HD, PocketBook Touch HD 3 and a PocketBook Basic Lux 3. All current models. Am I supposed to dump these and buy a new eReader just because these don't have USB-C ports?

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Agreed. A cable should be included. But don't be like Apple and include a mostly worthless cable. The cable that came with my wife's iPhone 12 was useless. It's USB-C to lightning and at the time, we had no USB-C chargers. Since then we have one USB-C charger and a USB-C port on my laptop.

Originally Posted by rcentros

My assumption is that the necessary cable will be included with the device. And, so far, it always have been. I'm not sure why you're taking the position that this shouldn't be the case.

Why is that you assumption? Just because that is what was done before? And that is partly because at one time all the cables were different and had to be supplied. When USB cables were standardised, this should have stopped.

If the cables that come the devices are unwanted, donate them to a thrift shop. I keep them in reserve in case I lose one, or the dog chews one or one wears out. And I give them away to other people who lose their cables.


That doesn't mean everyone has the same experience. I, personally, have never worn out a USB cable or a USB port. Nor have I lost a cable. But I have given away several USB cables to others who have lost theirs.

And, based on that statement, my experience is less important than yours, and is not typical (before replying, reread it and think what your reaction would be if I had said that to you). But, your experience, never wearing a cable out or losing them, should actually make you more annoyed that the companies keep shoving unneeded cables at you as you clearly will never need new ones. But, you seem to be happy to distribute them as them at presents to all an sundry.

I'm guessing that 99.999% of customers would not be "ticked off" by getting a cable included with their device. I think most, like me, would expect the cable to be included in the box with a new device.


Any cable is better than no cable if you need one. If you find the one included unsuitable (for whatever reason) nothing keeps you from buying a suitable one. Honestly I'm having a hard time understanding your position on this.

And Jon's post demonstrates you are wrong. He was ticked off because a cable was supplied. It also demonstrate "any cable" is not better than no cable. The supplied cable was useless, so it was a waste and annoyed him. He would have been better off if no cable was supplied and he knew he had to get an appropriate one.

Again, any excess cables or chargers can be donated to thrift shops. There are always people looking for them.

There are also people looking for all sorts of things. Should I be making sure I have a surplus of every item so I can give it to them? (And don't bother responding to that as it is just me being snarky.) As to donating them to a thrift shop, are they actually grateful for them? The only one I have been in recently would not have been.

Okay. I can see this is an important issue to you. I just don't understand why.

Honestly, I don't really care. You are the one who took the time to comment on my original simple statement. You made statements that I think are wrong or bad justifications, so I replied. And the thing is that there have been several discussions here about cables. Most of them include complaints about the supplied cables, such as Jon's above or because they thought the cable was cheap, or it was just not needed. When I examine the arguments made and my experiences, my conclusion is that including cables is a practice that can be stopped.

The device won't work without a cable. Most people expect that "proper planning" is buying the new device and that the necessary cable is included in the package. And, again, excess cables can be donated to thrift shops because these cables do get lost, do get destroyed and do wear out. And many people do like to have multiple cables at various locations, office, home, car, etc.

You are correct that the device won't work without a cable. But, I am willing to bet that the percentage of people who buy these devices that do not have a suitable cable is fairly small. And proper planning is to never assume something. Proper planning is to make sure you have everything that you need. Which means that when buying something, you check if something else is needed and buy it.

And one last thing, removing the cable won't just mean I don't have a surplus of these things around the house. It will also reduce and simplify the packaging of the thing I actually want to buy. That will save costs for the manufacturer, reduce transport costs, reduces warehousing needs and reduce waste.

[meeera]

Originally Posted by davidfor

You are correct that the device won't work without a cable. But, I am willing to bet that the percentage of people who buy these devices that do not have a suitable cable is fairly small.

IDK about everyone else but I definitely did need the supplied cable when I bought my Libra 2 - it's my first USB-C peripheral. I'm guessing that will eventually change when USB-C becomes the standard in my country, but I don't know when or if that will happen.

Even if it weren't my first one, when I give an old Kobo away I give away the cable with it. So there's no surplus here.

I do generally expect that a power cable for any electrical item I buy will be supplied, since the item won't work without it. Maybe that makes me spoiled or whatever, but if I got my new toaster delivered then had to go to the store to buy a separate power cable for it I'd be a bit grumpy.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by meeera

IDK about everyone else but I definitely did need the supplied cable when I bought my Libra 2 - it's my first USB-C peripheral. I'm guessing that will eventually change when USB-C becomes the standard in my country, but I don't know when or if that will happen.

But, this is timing. My point is as much about choice, me choosing a cable that suits me and not wasting what was supplied.

Even if it weren't my first one, when I give an old Kobo away I give away the cable with it. So there's no surplus here.

And if I was giving a device away, I would ask if they needed a cable. Though maybe I'd take advantage of being able to dispose of one of the many spares.

I do generally expect that a power cable for any electrical item I buy will be supplied, since the item won't work without it. Maybe that makes me spoiled or whatever, but if I got my new toaster delivered then had to go to the store to buy a separate power cable for it I'd be a bit grumpy.

Bad example. The toaster will have a fixed cable. As do all the other kitchen appliances I have, though they I haven't needed. A TV, Blueray player or something like that would be better examples. And yes, I would expect the power cable to be supplied. But, I also expect these to be plugged in all the time, so I need one cable per device. But, the only USB powered device I have that is plugged in full time is the wireless charger my wife uses. I only need enough USB cables to make it convenient to charge or connect the devices in the house. And as the cables supplied are all roughly the same length, they aren't necessarily fit for my use.

[David Munch]

Originally Posted by DrChiper

I have never understood why ereader devices did not use wireless (inductive) charging in the first place and allowing bluetooth / wifi for file exchange. In that manner the devices could be really "sealed" and made water/dust proof.

It is less efficient than wired charging, and more expensive to implement. Also, people already have cables laying around, making the eReader cheaper to produce.

It is not a technical problem that hinters making a water/dustproof reader, including ports - Only costs - Likely meaning that manufacturers believe, also likely right, that it is only a niche number of consumers who would pay for such a thing.

[meeera]

Originally Posted by davidfor

And if I was giving a device away, I would ask if they needed a cable. Though maybe I'd take advantage of being able to dispose of one of the many spares.

I've had very hit and miss experiences trying to get random microUSB cables to work for data on a Kobo, but maybe your experiences are different. (And hopefully USB-C will solve that?)

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by meeera

I've had very hit and miss experiences trying to get random microUSB cables to work for data on a Kobo, but maybe your experiences are different. (And hopefully USB-C will solve that?)

None of my Kobo devices have been sensitive to the cables. The only problematic one is the Glo HD which does not like my laptop. It will connect, but, when files are copied over the cable, it disconnects. It works perfectly with an older laptop I have, so it has to be something about the port. I have tried all the cables with it, and it doesn't help. It did work with this laptop when I first got the laptop, but sometime after getting the Clara HD it stopped working. I don't know if it was a firmware change or something on the laptop.