New USB Type-C promises to plug in any which way

A new USB design promises enhanced performance and improved useability.

By now, everyone’s seen the meme in which someone tries to plug in a USB cable, flips it and tries again, only to flip it a second time before they achieve success. It became a meme because, well, USB cables are notoriously finicky. But fret no more: In a December 3 press release, the USB 3.0 Promoter Group announced that it’s begun development of the Type-C connector, promising sleeker design and, yes, bilateral connectivity.

“While USB technology is well established as the favored choice for connecting and powering devices, we recognize the need to develop a new connector to meet evolving design trends in terms of size and usability,” said Brad Saunders, USB 3.0 Promoter Group Chairman. “The new Type-C connector will fit well with the market’s direction and affords an opportunity to lay a foundation for future versions of USB.”

Unfortunately, the new connector will not be compatible with existing USB ports. The Promoter Group felt such a radical departure from existing specifications was necessary for achieving enhanced performance, both now and in the future. If the new connector is as successful as they hope, it may not matter.

“This new industry standards-based thin connector delivering data, power and video is the only connector one will need across all devices” said Alex Peleg, Vice President, Platform Engineering Group.

Other enhancements to the design include:

An entirely new design tailored to work well with emerging product designs
New smaller size – similar in size to the existing USB 2.0 Micro-B
The Type-C connector and cable will support scalable power charging
Scalability – the connector design will scale for future USB bus performance

The USB Type-C specification is targeted for industry review during the first quarter of 2014 and a final specification is expected to be published by the middle of 2014.

USB, or Universal Serial Bus, was first designed in the 1990s to standardize the connection of computer peripherals to personal computers, both to communicate and to supply electric power. It has become commonplace on other devices, such as smartphones, PDAs and video game consoles.