Nearly 2 years after Apple unveiled its reversible Lightning connector, the USB Promoter Group has finalized the specification for next generation USB Type-C, which is now ready to enter mass production.
The USB Implementers Forum will establish the compliance and certification program for the fully reversible USB cable, designed to work with phones, and even tablets and laptops.
The new USB C socket, featuring an equilateral plug design, is to replace the current USB A and micro USB connectors. The new interface encompassing the USB 3.1 standard and can deliver up to 100W of power. Theoretically, the new cable, which is about the size of a micro-USB connector, can transfer data at up to 10Gbps, around twice as fast as USB 3.0.
According to the USB 3.0 Promoter Group, which first unveiled the next gen USB connectors back in December last year, the USB Type C cable’s receptacle opening – 8.4×2.6mm, is quite close to the USB 2.0 connector, with the durability said to be 10,000 cycles. The new USB will not be compatible with the existing USB standard and will require converters.
Brad Saunders, chairman of USB 3.0 Promoter Group said in a statement that the interest in the USB Type-C connector has not only been global, but also cross-industry, adding that representatives from the various industries including PC, mobile, automotive and IoT have been anticipating the new standard.
He noted that the specification of this new USB Type C cable is the culmination of an extensive, cooperative effort of a number of industry leaders to “standardize the next generation USB connector as a long-lasting, robust solution.”
Jeff Ravencraft, USB Implementers Forum president and COO said that it was working on establishing certification and compliance testing to ensure that the consumers have the same level of confidence in the “next generation of certified USB technology.”
