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by vacri 4683 days ago
Speaking of up/down and Apple, I saw today that Apple's ethernet ports are upside-down. They're supposed to have the contacts at the top, to avoid collection of dust when the port is not in use.
2 comments

Interesting, I didn't know that! I've always liked the pins-down configuration on my Macbook since in order to release the connector, the clip is on top (that is, I don't have to lift the laptop/etc in order to remove the cable). Connector orientation stuff is fascinating (my favorite being the upside-down configuration of power outlets in new buildings, apparently so that if a plug is partially pulled out, a straight metal object falling atop won't sit on live pins).
I bet that's so the user won't need to lift the laptop to get their finger under the connector to depress the latching tab.
Possibly, though I should note that the one I saw it on was an iMac, plenty of space all around.
Sure, but once you've chosen to orient it a certain way for a large class of devices, you had better be consistent, especially if one needs to remove it without being able to see it. The last thing you want is users complaining about how their MacBook Pro is one way and their iMac is another.