A symmetrical look at an asymmetrical future
What is USB Type-C?
Universal Serial Bus (USB) has been an industry standard for data transport and inter-device connectivity since 1996, when the first USB drives and ports were introduced for consumer and developer use. The interfaces were sleek and simple, and gave users a way to connect their computer devices in remarkably easy ways.
…the circle-triangle-square trident is steping into a new era with the introduction of USB 3.1 – or USB Type-C.
For the past three “generations,” the standard USB port has looked the same. While variations of the standard ports have come and gone, USB 1.0 to 3.0 have all featured a relatively similar design. Barring external similarities, USB 1.0 and 2.0 featured four-pin connectors, while USB 3.0, which attempted to bring consumers into the future of the Digital Age, featured a nine-pin connector.
Now, the circle-triangle-square trident is stepping into a new era with the introduction of USB 3.1 – or USB Type-C – a smaller connector which resembles a micro- or mini-USB more than the larger standard ports.
How does USB Type-C work?
Type-C is exciting for two very simple reasons: the plugs are reversible, meaning users can plug in their devices properly the first time, and the plugs are true universal connectors.
The best part about USB is perhaps the chief reason why the connectors have been able to devastate the market with a wide presence: everything from thumb drives to phone chargers to printer cables to external hard drives to speakers and headphones can be connected to devices using USB. USB Type-C is no different, except that its single symmetrical – reversible – connector means that a single USB Type-C port can act as a computer’s charging port, monitor hook-up, headphone jack, HDMI port, and everything in-between.
Why is USB Type-C important?
Pomp and circumstance aside, Type-C comes at a strange time in USB history. USB 3.0, a connector that can deliver connection speeds of up to 5.0 gigs per second, was only recently introduced. That the company has introduced an upgrade to their line of connectors so soon into the product’s release is an indication of the speed at which the current tech industry operates. Since it is an upgrade, Type-C offers connection speeds of up to 10 gigs per second. If a single song is three megabytes large, that means that USB Type-C should allow a theoretical transfer of approximately 3,000 songs from one device to another in a single second. For reference, The Beatles’ core catalogue is approximately 217 songs.
More important to industry analysts – and regular people like me who simply like technology – is that the Type-C hype has mostly been driven by Apple’s announcement of its new 12-inch MacBook computer. The computer features two ports: a headphone jack on the right side of the device, and a USB Type-C port that serves as the computers wired connection to the outside world. Through the use of adaptors to allow for communication with HDMI, Thunderbolt, Displayport, and any other kind of connection, the new MacBook is able to connect to a multitude of different devices using a single connector.
What is the future of USB Type-C?
For those individuals who balk at every Apple release, keep in mind that no company on Earth seems to have as much sway over developed, and developing, tech markets as Apple Inc. does. Their devices appeal to countless millions, their designs are perhaps most notable for the imitators they inspire, and their proprietary connectors force entire countries to adapt to changing trends. The fact that Apple has focused its attention on a truly universal connector is a sign that USB Type-C – like USB 2.0 and 3.0 before it – is the way of the future.
Equally important, however, is the fact that Google has its eyes set on Type-C. The new Google Chromebook Pixel 2 features two Type-C ports, on both sides of the device, that serve as charging ports as well as anything else that users want them to be. Of course, the Pixel 2 has USB 3.0 ports and an SD card reader for safe measure, but the point still stands: Google, a company with more sway over the tech industry than Apple, as well as a keener eye for the future, has decided to endorse the emerging trend of USB Type-C.
As of now, Apple and Google are the only major global Earth-shakers who have released products featuring Type-C. Once-behemoth Nokia also has plans to release a tablet with a Type-C port.
Considering the presence of smartphones, tablets, and laptops – devices that can all benefit from Type-C, it’s no silly idea to consider that Type-C will soon be the world’s most popular connector.