The USB cable, which was always required to be plugged in the right way, will be receiving a welcome upgrade in the form of a reversible connector allowing users will plug it in without having to worry about the correct position or breaking it.
The USB Type-C cable specification, which was presented this week by Intel at IDF 2014 China, is expected to be released sometime in July this year. The new design of the USB connector is created for emerging products with smaller ports.
Users won’t have to worry about the right orientation to plug in their USB cable just like Apple’s Lightning connector.
In terms of functionality, the USB 3.1 Type-C specification will initially support data transfer speeds of up to 10Gbps; and scalable power charging with the first iteration having a 5 volt power transfer rate. Future iterations are expected to deliver up to 100 watts for high-power requirements.
The new USB cable and the connector are similar in size to existing USB 2.0 Micro-B plugs available on some smartphones and mobile accessories today. The new USB 3.1 connector will replace the larger micro-USB 3.0 plugs.
The new cables won’t work with existing USB ports and the USB Implementer Forum is developing separate cables to ensure compatibility with existing products. Those who are looking for end-to-end USB 3.1 connections will be required to purchase new devices.
