I was reorganizing my desks and found two different triple-ended USB cables. I don't know their origin or purpose. I have never seen triple-ended USB cables before. What are they used for?
USB Cables – Understanding Triple-Ended USB Cables
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Related Solutions
The U means universal indeed, but some manufacturers (such as Apple) choose to provide their own proprietary USB cables -- which are not interchangeable -- while others provide generic USB cables which are interchangeable.
All standard USB connectors by pinout.
In picture form: micro USB on the left, then mini USB, then regular full-size B and A USB.
Shielded plugs have a metal jacket and look like this:
Installation instructions are found at the link above.
Also, see this question.
Best Answer
The lower cable is most likely for an external (2.5") hard drive. Often these used to require more than the USB-provided 2.5W, so two ports were used to get 5 Watts, even though this violates the USB standard in most cases, it still works.
About the triple USB A-plug cable on top - the only idea would be that a manufacturer would save money and equipped their device with a A- instead of a B-receptable which is normally used for devices. And it's crazy and dangerous.