The USB 3.0 Promoter Group has just announced the new reversible USB Type-C connector is ready for mass production. The new connector will address problems previously met by USB connections.

The USB Type-C specification establishes a new cable and connector scheme tailored to fit mobile device product designs, yet is robust enough for laptops and tablets.

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The new USB Type-C sports a completely new design and is backwards compatible with other USB ports. The USB Type-C plug is a new type of USB plug designed to replace every size of all current USB connectors.

The new connector is reversible so it can be used in any orientation. Its size is similar to the dimensions of the USB 2.0 Micro-B, which is the standard smartphone USB connector and charging cable.

It's thin enough to fit in the ports of mobile phones and but strong enough for tablets and laptops. The new design has a reversible plug orientation to ease the insertion.

The new USB connector can provide up to five amperes of power while its cables are able to support three amps for a maximum of 100 watts of power.

It has a transfer rate of the USB 3.1 data cables, which amounts to 10 gigabytes per second. It's durable enough to endure 10,000 connect-disconnect cycles.

The release of the USB Type-C specification is the final piece in developing a single-cable solution.

The combination of SuperSpeed USB 10 Gbps and USB Power Delivery up to 100W with the slim, user-friendly USB Type-C connector provides endless possibilities, said the USB 3.0 Promoters Group.

Since its adoption in 1996, the Universal Serial Bus, or USB, has been a standard on computers. During its debut, it was relatively fast, with transfer speeds reaching 12 megabytes per second.

The connector's form factor wasn't a problem on the big desktop computers of the period. As the years passed, however, the connectors were changed to fit the new USB ports as specifications for the USB were updated numerous times.

The USB-A and USB-B developed in the early 1990s sported a big connector and could only provide 100 milliamps of power to plugged-in devices. The limitations of the first USBs were taken care of as the USB evolved over the years.

TagsUSB, Tech, Data, Connector, Laptop, computer