‘Reversible’ USB plugs are ready for production

The organization behind the USB 3.0 standard has announced that the new USB plug is ready for production. The old-fashioned USB plugs only fit into a device one way, resulting in a lot of frustration among users.

That frustration should be gone before too long. The new ‘type c’ plug fits into a connector on both sides, similar to Apple’s Lightning cables. Images of the new plugs had already appeared before, but now they are really ready for production, according to the Usb 3.0 Promoter Group.

The new plugs are not only a successor to the old-fashioned, large USB plugs, but also micro-USB plugs. The new plug is about the same size as a USB micro plug, but at the same time robust enough to completely replace the ‘large’ USB plug, according to the organization behind the standard. This means that USB inputs on desktops and laptops can be significantly smaller.

The new standard is not compatible with old-fashioned plugs, but adapters are being worked on. Manufacturers have been delighted with the introduction of the new plugs, but it is not yet clear when they will integrate them into their equipment.

The new plug is part of the USB 3.1 specification, which also ensures speeds of up to 10Gbit/s. The charging capacity will also increase to 100 watts; as a result, in the future not only telephones and tablets but also laptops should be able to be charged via USB cables. The new cables have to be used an average of 10,000 times before they give up the ghost.