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USB-C – What it means for the future
- Marianne Allies
- Uncategorized
USB-C what's new?
Due to recent legislation placed by the EU, any manufactured smartphones, tablets, cameras, headphones, portable speakers and handheld video game consoles will have to standardise on the USB-C port. This will commence on December 28th 2024 with laptops obligated to follow in 2026.
You may have already noticed, a lot of manufacturers have already adapted the USB-C port on their devices – for a few good reasons, including Futureproofing devices, adapting better technology, and of course, getting ahead of legislation such as the one to be put in place by the EU. Learn More
What can USB-C do that USB-A can’t?
There are few key things that make USB-C a much better option, the first being that USB-C has a maximum data transfer rate of 40Gbps vs USB-A 3.1 being a mere 10Gbps in comparison. This being said, we can likely expect USB-C to improve on its speed in the future also. Another key USP that the USB-C has its ability to have alternate modes for example: Thunderbolt, DisplayPort, HDMI, Mobile High-Definition Link and Virtual link – USB-A simply does not have the ability to have alternate modes. Furthermore, USB-C can charge devices at a much faster rate in comparison to USB-A chargers; this is becoming a more important thing to users in recent years; enabling as little down time as possible. The reason why USB-A is lacking the ability to do all these things is because it only has a 4-pin connection in comparison to USB- C’s 24-pin connection. Having 20 more connections allows a much larger capacity for higher data transfer rates, faster charging and being able to operate in numerous modes.
Why is USB-C standardisation good?
The main driving factor for the standardisation of the USB-C is to benefit consumers and reduce electronic waste. Stopping production of all current variety of connector types and force companies to use the USB-C so the cable will be universal to all devices regardless of brand.
Furthermore, the design of the USB-C is extremely user-friendly, because it can be inserted either way. Consequently, it will be more durable and easier to use. In addition to this, the form factor of the USB-C is much smaller than the USB-A. Taking up less internal space – without compromising on speed, since the USB-C is faster than USB-A.
In the long term, it will have a positive effect on the environment. Companies will not feel the need to sell a cable with devices and users can purchase the amount of cables they need for their devices. This will allow for people to not have an unnecessarily high number of cables. The cable is ahead of it’s time, most devices are not even capable of making full use of the cable’s capabilities – which is a great thing, this means that it is likely that the cable will be around for a long time until it is replaced by its successor.
Why could USB-C standardisation be bad?
Forcing companies to all use the same connector is bad for innovation, it means companies will not be competitive over creating the next best data/charging cable – They all will be using the same cable anyway, why bother making a better one? The only thing we may see is companies improving the current design of the USB-C to allow for faster charging and data transfer speeds. In the short term, it can be bad for the environment, since it will force companies to revise the design of products making the older cable obsolete. Therefore creating a lot of waste. The idea of standardising the cable is good, however, the is no way to standardise the charging or data transfer speeds of a cable. Some devices will only be capable of so much and some devices may need a faster cable to make full use of it. The argument of using fewer cables could be void since you would still need different cables with different speed capabilities and wattage. Furthermore, there is such a thing as charging only USB-C cables – these can easily be mis-purchased or mixed in with 24-Cables, creating more waste and confusion.
