I think the reason why the cord is so short is that you're supposed to plug another power supply into it, which reduces cable clutter. Had the cord on it been 6 feet, it would've made the entire setup unnecessary long (this is of course counting the PSU you plug it into), which is something I can't afford in a cramped setup like mine. Personally I've been waiting for something like this ever since I first owned an A8. I've always wanted to use generic power supplies with the XL/XEs, and up until now the only options were getting a another power supply or splicing together a modern power supply. Granted, it looks ungainly, but I'm going to hide it behind my A8 anyway, so I don't have to look at it all the time. Plus it'll save a ton of space in my cable drawer.
Personally I think this looks a lot neater... (5vdc 3a switching PSU) - This is not mine BTW, one of the euro atari users... HOWEVER I will be making one using this US version @ 5vdc 2a
eBay Auction -- Item Number: 260586951013