In article , SMS
wrote:

What bugs me is that anyone with an iota of technical competence can
in a matter of minutes determine the connectivity of a mini-USB cable
or a USB charger using only a $10 multimeter.

You're wrong. You can often buy digital multimeters for less than $2 at
Harbor Freight.

only if there's a harbor freight store nearby and if it's on sale.
that's not going to be the case for most people.