The Universal Serial Bus (USB) has become a de-facto standard for hot pluggable devices. By using a USB port, you can easily plug-in a device without turning off your system. The USB device will be detected after being plugged in. This capability was first introduced in Apple’s FireWire ports, but the USB standard is more popular, widely adapted and used.
The design of the standard USB port has been the same from the beginning. USB 1.1 became popular, and then came the USB 2.0 standard, which was faster than USB 1.1. Most recently, the USB 3.0 standard is being used in most modern devices, which promises visible performance improvements over its predecessor. Let’s discuss what our future plans are after USB 3.0.
What is Type-C Connector?
There are two major types of USB connectors, type A connector and type B connector. Type A is the most used connector, which we see on our computers and laptops by default. It comes in rectangular shape. Type B connector is a square connector.
Type A and Type B connectors are further divided into standard, mini and micro connectors.
With the passage of time, the need for a new connector type has arisen, which can meet requirements for smaller devices. The problem with USB ports and connectors is that they can only be plugged in one direction. If a user plugs in opposite, the connector will get damaged. The new specification of USB connector is called Type C connector, which is still being designed. It will eliminate this limitation of one directional plugging in of USB devices. Type C connectors will be bidirectional, meaning the user can plugin in the USB cable without it being straight or upside down.
Features of USB 3.1
According to a new announcement by USB.org, USB 3.1 connectors will include the following features:
- An entirely new design, which will feature bidirectional plugging in of USB devices, so that the user doesn’t need to take care of which way the USB cable is being plugged in.
- USB 3.1 will be smaller than the current standards used for USB. This will enable slimmer and sleeker product designs for USB enabled devices.
- Type C connector and cable will support scalable power charging.
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Scalability – the connector design will scale for future USB bus performance.
Unfortunately, there is no photo available for USB 3.1 connectors or cables. The new design for USB 3.1 should be available by the end of 2014. We have high hopes that the new USB design and specifications will open a new era for USB powered devices. You can get more information on this USB 3.1 design from the PDF files here and here.
