New USB plugs will go both ways

The days of fiddling with USB plugs may soon be over, with an association of computer manufacturers planning a new versatile design.

The day is coming when it won't matter if you insert your USB plug into a port the wrong side up.

the USB 3.0 Promoter Group, an association of various computer manufacturers, is apparently working on a new USB plug.

The so-called Type-C plus and its appropriate port will be smaller than the widely used Type A USB plug as well as the Type B, which has so far been used for USB 3.0.

In another big change, there will no longer be a top or a bottom.

To kick off, the new Type C will support both USB 2.0 and 3.0 transfer rates. But its design will also support faster rates, which will eventually come into use.

However, the plug's new form will also make it incompatible with old ports.

Adaptor plugs are planned.

It's still a mystery what the look of the new USB plug will be. The Promoter Group hopes to provide the final specifications in mid-2014.


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Source: AAP


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