USB-IF posts first photos of new reversible Type-C connector

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    USB-IF posts first photos of new reversible Type-C connector


    Posted: 03 Apr 2014
    USB Type-A. USB Type-B. Mini-USB Type-A. Mini-USB Type-B. Micro-USB Type-A. Micro-USB Type-B. That special, ugly variant of micro-USB Type-B you need to use for phones (and some hard drives) with USB 3.0 support.

    These are the different types of connectors you have to be aware of to use your current USB-equipped computers, phones, tablets, printers, and whatever other accessories you might have. The USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) wants to simplify this problem by rallying behind the new Type-C connector, a new specification designed to replace current Type-A and Type-B plugs of all sizes. While we already knew that the USB Type-C connector would be smaller than many existing connectors and that (like Apple's Lightning cables) it would be reversible, we didn't know exactly what it would look like before today.
    Source

    A Guy
    A Guy's Avatar Posted By: A Guy
    03 Apr 2014



  1. Posts : 548
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64 SP1
       #1

    What I expect is Type-A will continue to exist and be implemented into perpetuity because it is the characteristic USB port that literally anyone who has touched any computer or USB device can instantly identify. There are also legitimate benefits to having physically large connectors and ports such as structural robustness and ease of handling among others.

    Meanwhile I expect Type-C will supercede both Mini and Micro Type-Bs as intended leaving USB with Type-A and Type-C, a situation similar to today except with one less connector type to worry about.

    Universal? Hardly, except maybe being universally recognized by everyone.
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 87
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64
       #2

    We will be seeing these on our smart phones and computers in the future I suspect.
    Last edited by user31; 07 Apr 2014 at 15:30.
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 328
    W7 Pro 64
       #3

    the same people that created the chaos in the first place are now in charge to resolve the problem?

    what was the reason for so many different connectors in the first place? I get the large and small type, but all the other types?
    and the fact that a round USB connector would have been better was well known... but no, the committee decided for no technical reason to shape it so that one has to turn it the "right way"
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  4. Posts : 9,600
    Win 7 Ultimate 64 bit
       #4

    HerrKaLeun said:
    the same people that created the chaos in the first place are now in charge to resolve the problem?

    what was the reason for so many different connectors in the first place? I get the large and small type, but all the other types?
    and the fact that a round USB connector would have been better was well known... but no, the committee decided for no technical reason to shape it so that one has to turn it the "right way"
    USB 3.0 uses more conductors than USB 2.0 so a different plug had to be designed that still had some backwards compatibility.

    A round USB connector would still have to aligned correctly only, instead of having two positions to choose from, there would be an infinite number of positions possible. I have trouble understanding the constant trouble people have with determining which way to turn a USB connector when plugging it in. First, there are only two sides so you have a 50-50 chance of getting it right the first time if doing so by guessing. And if do you get wrong on the first try, just flip it over and try again; it's not that big a deal and doesn't take but a few seconds. The A connector has an easily seen seam on one side I can see even without my tri-focals and it doesn't take long to learn where it needs to go in a given port. The plastic insert in a plug and a socket are usually easily seen if you need another visual clue.

    The various B connectors were intended to differentiate in ports from out ports. It was a good idea at first but it eventually created cable nightmares as new connectors and ports had to be created to allow for various things, such as making room for a port in smaller equipment or accommodating the additional conductors of a new USB standard.

    The new C type USB connector is a great idea and eventually will allow consolidating cable types into fewer cables but will not be without disadvantages, such as being another type of cable we will have to keep knocking about until our hardware is C type compliant, more adapters and/or adaptor cables to mate old hardware to newer hardware, obsolescence due to new standards being adopted, etc.

    One thing I wish manufacturers would start doing is to quit permanently attaching USB cables to peripherals, such as keyboards, mice, hubs, external drives, etc. (the cheap *&^%$#@!s that put a useless 6-12" stub on some things should be shot). The cables are pretty much always too long or too short. Instead, just put a port on the peripheral and let us buy the correct cable for our needs so we don't have to find a place for extra cable length or hunt up extension cables. Also, if a permanently attached cable gets damaged, the peripheral is generally lunched whereas a separate cable can be easily replaced. If the peripheral died, a separate cable would probably be reusable. And including even separate cables is a bad idea since, again, they are highly unlikely to be the correct length. Because of that, I have a huge collection of USB cables yet rarely have the one I need.
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  5. Posts : 7,781
    Win 7 32 Home Premium, Win 7 64 Pro, Win 8.1, Win 10
       #5

    Lady Fitzgerald said:
    I have a huge collection of USB cables yet rarely have the one I need.
    I feel your pain. Wasn't USB supposed to make things simple? Nowadays, you have different connections for different devices. Mini USB, Slim USB, Standard USB....Oy Vey

    I have quite the collection of cables too.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 318
    Windows 10 x64
       #6

    Why suffer only a 50-50 chance of inserting a USB plug the right way?

    I have a 100% chance of inserting my car's ignition key the right way. It's reversible. Car keys have been that way since the 1960s. So why could not the "genius" engineers do likewise with USB in the 1990s?

    And why does a USB plug go in one way on the left-side ports of a laptop, but the other way around on the right-side ports?

    Motto: If you want it done right, keep it away from the engineers!
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  7. Posts : 9,600
    Win 7 Ultimate 64 bit
       #7

    margrave said:
    Why suffer only a 50-50 chance of inserting a USB plug the right way?

    I have a 100% chance of inserting my car's ignition key the right way. It's reversible. Car keys have been that way since the 1960s. So why could not the "genius" engineers do likewise with USB in the 1990s?

    And why does a USB plug go in one way on the left-side ports of a laptop, but the other way around on the right-side ports?

    Motto: If you want it done right, keep it away from the engineers!
    You must have a rough life if something so minor as which way to plug in a USB connector bugs you so much.

    You must have one weird laptop. Every laptop I've ever owned had the ports aligned the same way on both sides; USB plugs always went in with the seam side down.
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 2,686
    Windows 8.1 Pro w/Media Center 64bit, Windows 7 HP 64bit
       #8

    When I plug in a USB cable I look at it and pick the wrong way every time.

    Jim
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 9,600
    Win 7 Ultimate 64 bit
       #9

    Good grief, people! I've been using a USB stick to transfer stuff from my desktop to my new notebook off and on all day and I've got it right the first time every time. This isn't rocket science, folks; it only takes a glance.
      My Computer


 
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