Dreams do come true: reversible USB Type-C plugs in the works

Here’s what we dislike most of all in life: that head-slapping moment when you’re trying to force a USB into a slot and realise it’s the wrong way around. Twisting it once, then again, and it works. For a port with only two sides, why does it only work after the third or fourth try? Some mysteries may never be solved. But they can at least be rectified. A new USB, named “Type-C” is being developed that will be USB 3.1 compliant and best of all, will work no matter what why you plug it in, said the USB Promoter Group. For reference, Apple has already done this with its Lightning cable which can connect to the iPhone or iPad no matter what side is plugged in.

As the Group states, Type-C will “help enable thinner and sleeker product designs, enhance usability and provide a growth path for performance enhancements for future versions of USB.” Is this all that’s standing in the way of laptops that are as thin as paper? Well that, and we’re not in the year 2020.

USB Type-C promises to work well with upcoming products and will be similar in size to a USB 2.0 Micro-B cable or as we call it, the USB cable that plugs into our Android phones. The new USB standard is also said to scalable for both bus performance and power charging. It’s all about meeting the evolving design trends in regards to size and usability said Alex Peleg, VP of the USB platform engineering group.

The USB Group also notes that because the Type-C cable will no longer work (they call this “mating”) with existing USB standards, we’ll need to invest in a cable adapter for future USB 3.1 devices. The Type-C cables are currently in development and will launch middle of 2014, after it’s completed the industry review process. Read the full release or just wait until USB becomes the product we’ve always wanted it to be.

Image via Flickr by pjstoneson