USB C

USB Is Poised for a Major Compatibility Upgrade

Are you tired of trying to connect two devices via USB and realizing they don’t have the same port shapes? That’s why when designers started work on USB C, the next gen of USB plugs, the plan was immediately implemented to make every device universal with both sides of the cable looking the same. You have been heard! The next age in USB connections will meet customer wants and needs.

With devices getting thinner and smaller all of the time, designers realized that USB connections should all be closer to the size of a micro USB connector. This means more connectability for smartphones, tablets, and slimline computers. It’s also good news for scalable charging. Combine this with the end of having to flip your cord around, and you have the recipe for a product that will be wholeheartedly accepted by end users the world over. So is there a downside to this upcoming technology?

The only one that we can see is that there is no backwards compatibility. But the fact is that you wouldn’t trade your flash drive for a floppy disk just because you have to lose some compatibility in the changeover. No doubt the benefits of USB C will make us feel the same way about old USB plugs. Goodbye and good riddance.

The specs on USB C should be worked out by the middle of 2014. As soon as that happens, you should start to see it becoming a mainstay on thin devices. After all, with backing from the likes of Microsoft, HP, Intel, and many other major industry players, this can quickly become the new USB standard. In the meantime, we just have to keep flipping the USB plug around every time we accidentally grab the side with the wrong connector.