Finally: Next Generation USB Plug Will be Reversible

Work has started on the next generation USB connector, the new connector, which will be known as Type-C, will break compatibility with existing connectors in order to improve ease of use and allow for thinner devices. The new Type-C connector is an addition to the existing USB 3.1 specification and is expected to be finalized by the middle of 2014.  Currently, there aren’t any images available as to what the new Type-C connector will look like, but it is expected that the Type-C will be around the size of a Micro USB plug and, like Apple’s Lightning connector, will finally be reversible — in other words, no more frustrated attempts to plug in a USB cable only to find out you’re doing it upside-down.

In a press release, USB 3.0 Promoter Group chairman Brad Saunders says that Type-C will “meet evolving design trends in terms of size and usability” while allowing for future scalability in charging and data transfer. Type-C “will enable an entirely new super-thin class of devices from phones to tablets, to 2-in-1s, to laptops to desktops,” says Alex Peleg of Intel. “This new industry standards-based thin connector delivering data, power, and video is the only connector one will need across all devices.”

I, for one, welcome this new Type-C connector.