The i*, PS1/2/3, Nintendo DS / Gamecube / WII, XB1/360, all use proprietary cables (HDMI being a notable exception in some cases) for their component cables and charging products. They’re all popular devices and people gladly pay $40+ for copper cables that are practically no different then commodity Ethernet, USB cables, or computer power cables.

That said, I have to call you on your and the article’s lack of sense:

Sony’s move for not including the extra cables is actually beneficial (ignoring the “proprietary-ness”). What happens if you have no need for another charge cable and you only want it for show? You can use the one included in the box. If you need another one, sure, you can buy another $15 data cable for a total of about *$35*.

THE COMBINED PRICE of the dock and cable is still less than one of APL’s ($40-200) docks that have the charging cable integrated (and hence, should be cheaper since there’s actually fewer combined components — there’s no need for sockets for a separate cable and have a mass-manufacturing “discount”).

APL fanbois would overlook this because they’re not use to thinking about price or choosing products and features for themselves.

This article and you would have had much more credibility if it didn’t try to name drop without even some semblance of logical thinking. Comparing a $40 proprietary dock to a $20 proprietary dock+$15 optional extra charger makes no sense to me whatsoever.

As Thatoneguy42 says… Yawn.

But keep arguing minutiae, as if the facts you come up with have any relevance to this article.

That doesn’t make what Sony’s doing right, but it’s not without (a successful) precedent.