Can't understand why the rear plugs needed a human.
Have done a bit of digging around, it seems that nonstandard, odd-formed or odd-shaped components cannot be inserted by automated lines, hence requiring manual insertion. However manual insertion can slow down a line by up to 80% (generic figure, not Fujitsu specific)... hence as part of the design process a detailed cost analysis is done and its the stage where manual insertion tends to be minimised to the max by the beancounters.
Do laptop HDs use a common connector? ie are they interchangeable between makes?
Yes. Largely all SATA these days, or IDE if you're an older generation.
Can I put one in a USB converter to extract the data?
Shouldn't be a problem. Its what the forensics guys do, although their USB converter is known as a "forensic bridge" because it's hardware limited to be read-only
