Actually, PEZ originally made mints - the name comes from the German word for peppermint. Long before they made the plastic dispensers, they were sold in tins, similar to an Altoids tin but smaller. Maybe never in the US, but in their home country of Austria, and elsewhere in Europe.
Type B? But but but... Anton says it's Type A or C right there in the title. Anton Shill-ov and his massive lack of understanding of tech strike again.
There is neither a type-A or a type-C port on this drive. I was like 'Why the hell would they put a type-A port on the drive? Or why would they build-in a cable with two ends?'
Shipping with both micro-b-to-A and micro-b-to-C cables is nice, but not exactly newsworthy...
It's 2020 for crying out loud, Micro-B needs to die a slow, painful death. Why anyone would get this over a slightly larger, but much faster Samsung T5 is anyone's guess, specially since you don't have to worry about mystery NAND of the week with Samsung.
It is newsworthy in this case as they are using that horrible USB 3.0 MicroUSB connector that was very short-lived and only showed up on a single phone (that I know of, the Samsung Note 5, I think).
I think we've all forgotten just how *shitty* the USB type-C cable market remains.
1) USB 3.0-qualified type-C cables are rare.
2) USB 3.0-qualified type-C cables are expensive.
$6.50 for 3 ft micro-B vs $10.50 for 3 ft type-C. That's a 60% price hike for literally switching just micro-B to type-C.
Volume is likewise massively discounting micro-B.
10 x 3 feet USB 3.0 micro-B cables = $15.10 10 x 3 feet USB 3.0 type-C cables = $104.90
Nobody on God's green earth is going to pay ~594% more for type-C. You might be asking: "Why did you use the 10-pack for micro-B, but the 1-pack for type-C?" And that's exactly my point: volume pricing is heavily favoring micro-B that you can't even find a 10-pack USB 3.0 type-C.
Because you would be eating the higher cost of the type C cable. By the way, a USB 3 type A to C cable from Belkin costs $35!!! And I had no luck finding anything cheaper. These higher costs are not simply absorbed by buffalo, they would be reflected in the final cost of the drive.
AFAIK true USB type C cables are much harder to manufacture because they use many more internal conductors that need to be separated by hand and the connector itself is quite finicky to properly solder. By contrast cheapu micro-b connectors are mostly automated by now.
Ugh, someone must have found a cache of USB 3.0 MicroUSB connectors and sold them off for uber-cheap. There's absolutely no reason they should be using that abomination on anything new! A Type-C port would have been better in every possible way.
At least they included a MicroUSB-to-A and a MicroUSB-to-C cable. It's very rare to find a USB 3.0 MicroUSB cable of any kind out there, and a lot of people will end up using this thing at USB 2.x speeds with just a regular MicroUSB cable they have lying around.
Pufff... What's the purpose of this? There are much more resistant Micro SD cards which are much smaller and much lighter (which increases especially their drop down resistance) of same capacity.
We’ve updated our terms. By continuing to use the site and/or by logging into your account, you agree to the Site’s updated Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
24 Comments
Back to Article
James5mith - Friday, March 6, 2020 - link
"(dimensions and weight akin to those of a box of PEZ mints)"PEZ makes mints now? All I remember is the chalky candy that was inside the plastic dispensers. And that came in a paper wrapper.
rrinker - Friday, March 6, 2020 - link
Actually, PEZ originally made mints - the name comes from the German word for peppermint. Long before they made the plastic dispensers, they were sold in tins, similar to an Altoids tin but smaller. Maybe never in the US, but in their home country of Austria, and elsewhere in Europe.phoenix_rizzen - Friday, March 6, 2020 - link
Altoids would be a better reference, as they still come in the little tins around that size.Or Anacin if you're feeling especially ancient. ;)
shabby - Friday, March 6, 2020 - link
Let's bring back the mini USB and USB b while we're at it...phoenix_rizzen - Friday, March 6, 2020 - link
USB Type-B isn't going anywhere for awhile still. It'll be the standard connector for external drive caddies and printers for many years to come.close - Monday, March 9, 2020 - link
Type B? But but but... Anton says it's Type A or C right there in the title. Anton Shill-ov and his massive lack of understanding of tech strike again.Spunjji - Thursday, March 12, 2020 - link
The USB Type-C or Type-A cable connects to the device via Type-B. You can see it in the pictures.Maybe think about what you say before saying it.
HStewart - Monday, March 9, 2020 - link
This unit is already old fashion, with USB4 coming out - just use adapters for the old stuff.Araemo - Friday, March 6, 2020 - link
There is neither a type-A or a type-C port on this drive. I was like 'Why the hell would they put a type-A port on the drive? Or why would they build-in a cable with two ends?'Shipping with both micro-b-to-A and micro-b-to-C cables is nice, but not exactly newsworthy...
fazalmajid - Friday, March 6, 2020 - link
It's 2020 for crying out loud, Micro-B needs to die a slow, painful death. Why anyone would get this over a slightly larger, but much faster Samsung T5 is anyone's guess, specially since you don't have to worry about mystery NAND of the week with Samsung.Eric_WVGG - Sunday, March 8, 2020 - link
It is dying a slow painful death. It needs to die a swift, clean death.phoenix_rizzen - Friday, March 6, 2020 - link
It is newsworthy in this case as they are using that horrible USB 3.0 MicroUSB connector that was very short-lived and only showed up on a single phone (that I know of, the Samsung Note 5, I think).Guspaz - Friday, March 6, 2020 - link
It was found on all USB 3.0 2.5" external hard drives, though. Unfortunately. There was no alternative.ikjadoon - Sunday, March 8, 2020 - link
I think we've all forgotten just how *shitty* the USB type-C cable market remains.1) USB 3.0-qualified type-C cables are rare.
2) USB 3.0-qualified type-C cables are expensive.
$6.50 for 3 ft micro-B vs $10.50 for 3 ft type-C. That's a 60% price hike for literally switching just micro-B to type-C.
Volume is likewise massively discounting micro-B.
10 x 3 feet USB 3.0 micro-B cables = $15.10
10 x 3 feet USB 3.0 type-C cables = $104.90
Nobody on God's green earth is going to pay ~594% more for type-C. You might be asking: "Why did you use the 10-pack for micro-B, but the 1-pack for type-C?" And that's exactly my point: volume pricing is heavily favoring micro-B that you can't even find a 10-pack USB 3.0 type-C.
Source:
https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-USB-3-0-Cable-...
https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Type-C-Adapter...
P.S. Can we also note the shitty design decision to drop blue-accented USB-A connectors with type-C adapters?
meacupla - Sunday, March 8, 2020 - link
But why would volume pricing matter if Buffalo would have provided a 3ft 3.1 A to C cable for you?TheinsanegamerN - Monday, March 9, 2020 - link
Because you would be eating the higher cost of the type C cable. By the way, a USB 3 type A to C cable from Belkin costs $35!!! And I had no luck finding anything cheaper. These higher costs are not simply absorbed by buffalo, they would be reflected in the final cost of the drive.valinor89 - Monday, March 9, 2020 - link
AFAIK true USB type C cables are much harder to manufacture because they use many more internal conductors that need to be separated by hand and the connector itself is quite finicky to properly solder. By contrast cheapu micro-b connectors are mostly automated by now.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1Tmtd51clI
phoenix_rizzen - Friday, March 6, 2020 - link
Ugh, someone must have found a cache of USB 3.0 MicroUSB connectors and sold them off for uber-cheap. There's absolutely no reason they should be using that abomination on anything new! A Type-C port would have been better in every possible way.At least they included a MicroUSB-to-A and a MicroUSB-to-C cable. It's very rare to find a USB 3.0 MicroUSB cable of any kind out there, and a lot of people will end up using this thing at USB 2.x speeds with just a regular MicroUSB cable they have lying around.
rocky12345 - Friday, March 6, 2020 - link
I like the drive to bad it is not USB type C on the drive itself. At least form the picture it is not USB type C.ambhaiji - Friday, March 6, 2020 - link
Ok sure cool a rugged ssd with a dogshit connector, I CAN WORK WITH THATZolaIII - Friday, March 6, 2020 - link
Pufff... What's the purpose of this? There are much more resistant Micro SD cards which are much smaller and much lighter (which increases especially their drop down resistance) of same capacity.PeachNCream - Saturday, March 7, 2020 - link
Cool idea with the WORST POSSIBLE interface connector! What were they thinking?meacupla - Saturday, March 7, 2020 - link
Hey, Buffalo, it's 2020.Please embrace the USB-C female connector.
xpclient - Wednesday, March 11, 2020 - link
Since they made the drive so compact and lightweight, they should have eliminated the cable and make it attach directly like a flash drive.