USB Cables Still A Ripoff In Some Places

1999–2004October 20, 1999Macs Only!Peripherals
From Dana Baggett, "If one were to buy an iMac at Sears in Brunswick, ME. - a good trick since they have no stock - where would one get a USB cable? Since Sears sells the Epson 740i printer bundled with the iMac and said printer comes with no cable, this is a "real world" question.

Sears sells a black 10' USB Belkin A/B cable @ $24.95. Staples ditto; Staples has a 10' black USB A/A cable also for $24.95. Staples has a Belkin USB 6' black A/B cable for $19.95.

Wal-Mart sells the same Belkin USB 10' black A/B cable for $9.97. Likewise, Wal-Mart has the Belkin black A/A 10' cable for $9.97.

Although Radio Shack's new catalog lists USB Compaq brand USB cables at reasonable prices, they aren't available in its stores yet.

My new all-time favorite vendor, ValueAmerica, sells a 6' iMac color Entrega USB A/B cable for $9.00 delivered (using some earned Value Dollars to offset a $3. handling fee). Guess where I bought my 6' cable." As a follow up Dana adds, "Epson now says that its 740/740i should be connected with a shielded USB cable not longer than 2 meters = ~6 ft. (When the 740 first came out, its manual said 1.8 meters.) None of the retail shelf stock I saw today will meet its specs. But, the unsuspecting will not know until perhaps the printer malfunctions."

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