Why are there so many USB connectors?

[Diosoth]

There should be some standardized connector types for this format of cable but I swear they have made so many... I grasp the need for a smaller plug than the USB-B type used by printers and scanners, but there are too many. My MP3 players use Mini for transfer and charging. Cell phones use Micro, and I don't really grasp the need to make a different plug that's only slightly smaller. My camera's USB slot is some proprietary Casio thing, it seems I can only find the type of cable in question for Casio cameras- and I'm not spending $7 on a cable when I can just take the SD card out to read photos. Plus I have this odd cable here, no idea where it came from, that has yet another unique plug that is almost the same as the Casio type, but it's shorter and taller so it won't fit. I'd wager it's another proprietary connector. It seems the only thing that's stayed the same is the A connector that goes into a PC.

Yeah, from a business perspective, I understand why proprietary plugs exist- I've had to put up with this crap since the earlier console gaming days, where it got bad about the 90s, making us buy a unique cord for what should be a standard cable type so the company makes more profit. It doesn't mean I have to think it's great. Imagine if TV manufacturers did this, or if computer monitors had special inputs- or worse, if things like screws, bolts, nuts and other such mundane things weren't made to standards and you had 10 or more shapes and options for each(not that screws aren't close, I've seen some designed to make you buy special bits). The fact it's hit the USB format makes it multitudes harder to get a useful cable for your device and it really shouldn't be the case for a standard cable format. Even ignoring proprietary plus there are still way too many connector types out there for a cable that is basically 4 wires(2 for power, 2 for data) that do the same thing in every cable.

 

[Layback Bear]

Some ports are proprietary so some don't want to pay the fees to use them.

Because many devices are getting so small the posts need to be small to have room to put them.

To find more room on motherboards to add goodies they use smaller ports. Smaller ports allow them to add more ports.

New port design means the sale of new cables.
Their are probable more reason but those are my ideas.