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You could sort of get a keyboard with an included USB hub and connect a mouse to it. Or better, get a monitor with a USB hub and just connect your peripherals to the monitor. If you want to go overboard, you can even get speakers and a network card that connect through USB.

But sadly, with Intel torpedoing USB3, our dream of a one-cable computer is still far.

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The NeXT monitor cable also provided power for the monitor.

Apple tried this all-in-one approach again with their ADC connector for the early LCD cinema displays. That carried USB, DVI video, and power for the monitor.

The problem is, it's a hassle if you want to use the monitor with a non-ADC video card or a non-ADC monitor with an ADC video card. You end up buying expensive adapter bricks so you can plug an ADC monitor into a computer with DVI-out.

Interestingly, Apple's latest 24" and now 27" LCD goes the other way: it provides a magsafe power cord for a macbook. You still have separate USB and mini-DVI connectors, though, so it isn't a one-plug affair.

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