If you’re anything like the millions across the world who use USB connectors every single day, you’ll know that it takes at least three tries to get the correct side of the plug. That’s going to change, with the introduction of a new USB connector that forms part of the USB 3.1 specification.
Type C connectors will be the new format for USB, the working group has announced, and the standard should be finalised by the middle of next year. That does mean it’s another 12 months or so before you’ll be able to insert a USB connector in any orientation. The new standard has been designed to meet the evolving needs of consumers and manufacturers. People want to use USB cables and connectors for both data transfer and charging, while device manufacturers want slimmer connectors to help make even slimmer tablets and phones.
The new connector will be similar in size to the existing micro USB connectors, but part of the standard also includes having the same connector on both ends of the cable. This means you can plug any end of the cable into the host and master devices, as well as not having to worry about orientation. Finally, the standard lives up to the “universal” in its name.
USB Type C connectors will be similar in concept to the Lightning connector Apple introduced with the iPhone 5. That connector could be inserted into a device in any orientation, as it was made to be reversible. It also required Apple to drop support for the older, 30-pin dock connector which had been in use since the original iPods came to market more than a decade ago.
Similarly, the new USB connectors will not be backwards compatible – but just think of a bright future where you don’t have to look twice before plugging in your tablet, phone, or storage device. Sure, it’ll take a year or two while devices are rolled out with the new connector, but when it’s all done you’ll save a lot of time and suffer less frustration. Thankfully, the standard will be with us for years to come. Current USB connectors have been around for more than 15 years, and the new connectors have been designed to scale with future revisions and speeds of the technology.
