I’m guessing thermaltake did the same, hiding some pins behind a sticker because that’s cheaper than creating a whole new version of an existing product.
Also, this reminds me of a common CPU manufacturing practice; most CPUs from a generation are the exact same, except that the ones with flaws in them will have that part of the CPU disabled / severed and the unit sold as a slower and cheaper model.
HP (and printer manufacturers generally) have long led the way in enshittification.
> Also, this reminds me of a common CPU manufacturing practice; most CPUs from a generation are the exact same, except that the ones with flaws in them will have that part of the CPU disabled / severed and the unit sold as a slower and cheaper model.
Happens in the oscilloscope market all the time, create one unit per "family" of products and keep locking features away until you have created every model between the bells and whistles and the budget models (Obv its hard to "software lock" extra channels :-P but I've seen even sample rate/memory depth being software limited, and big jumps in sample size/memory depth will often have different internals), as for placing a sticker on a unit, well the printer out of the box is covered in stickers to prevent things moving about during shipping so I don't see it that much of a PITA to add one more over a USB port to encourage the user onto the network to make it easier for it to phone home. (though that doesn't "explain" the PSU case, just gonna presume that it doesn't cost too much in labor where the PSU is manufactured/packaged to add a sticker)
[1] yes, yes, I know, shoulda gone laser/led... And if it was for me I would have gone laser/led, But he aint the brightest tool in the shed, the cannon was cheap (so if it breaks its not the end of the world), printhead is in the cartridge so if it clogs, its just a new cartridge, and his old cheap inkjet lasted over 10 years before that died. And while he don't print a ton, he wants colour, not take up a ton of space, and not cost a fuck ton (he aint too bothered about on-going costs as he will just buy 3rd party ink from the local supermarket. So Inkjet it was.
side note: went cannon because fuck HP's Instant Ink BS :-P
Very few printers I've unboxed actually shipped with a USB-cable... They always use USB-B ports which nobody has cables for and seldom include a cable in the packaging, infuriating.
Source: I interviewed for a job attempting to hack these munitions to re-enable the functionality, as a cross-check that they were locked out well.
But if you configured windows right, you could use both and have a second monitor.
Not to worry, they also region lock the ink as well.
I connected it to the network, and boom, everything I have can print. Didn't need to install drivers on most things (but the printer utility is handy). You can send it documents via IPP, but also any other protocol that might be a good way to get a document to a printer, including USB, POP3, IMAP, LPR, and like a dozen other options. It feels like one of their engineers sat down at one point and just went through every possible protocol they could think of and implemented a module for it, and they just kept it that way for the last 10+ years.
Plus second-hand toner just works, no DRM, and toner is relatively cheap all in all. I'm not getting screwed by them on printing cost, and if I were I can go somewhere else for my consumables.
(I believe they rolled it back after an outcry)
https://boingboing.net/2023/08/04/hp-printer-usb-port-covere...
A quick google confirms that some HP Printers have USB ports that are covered similarly, but with a warning not to use it, rather than just being hidden.
BTW, I don't use most of those services but it's advertised with them.
If my career is built on illiteracy… I am simultaneously depressed at my ineptitude and astonished at how far I’ve taken it.
Edit: I got it right the second time, though! :D