The reversible USB Type-C standard has now been finalized,
which should save the world untold man-hours in mis-plugging. Roughly
the size of a current micro-USB Type-B connector, it uses matching rows
of contacts on the top and bottom so that you can shove it in either way
around.
Type-C is a version of the 10Gbps USB 3.1 standard (twice as
fast as USB 3.0), but slimmed down for compact and mobile devices. It'll
also support the USB Power Delivery
spec to carry up to 100 watts, easily enough to power a laptop.
Unfortunately, the new connector isn't compatible with the current USB
standard, except via converters. While there are no devices with USB 3.1
yet, it'll likely be standardized on most future laptops and mobile
devices -- unlike its pricey rival, Thunderbolt.
Thursday, August 14, 2014
New super-fast USB cables won't mind which way you plug them in
12:44 AM
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