CANBERRA: Apple unveiled the all-new MacBook to much fanfare. According to the Cupertino-based company, it reinvented notebooks in every way to deliver the thinnest and lightest MacBook ever.
A new version of the popular USB connection technology called Type-C is starting to show up in gadgets, most notably Apple’s new MacBook laptop. The technology has important advantages over older types of connectors and has the potential to be the sole connector consumers will need in their devices, doing everything from powering them to linking them to other gadgets.
“The importance of this port and standard can’t really be overestimated,” said Tom Mainelli, an analyst at IDC.
The new Type-C USB connector is markedly smaller than the standard Type-A that has been used in computers since the late 1990s. Although it’s slightly bigger than the micro-USB connectors that are now common in smartphones and tablets, it has one big advantage over them and all other USB ports: It’s reversible, meaning there’s no one correct way to plug in a Type-C connector. Like Apple’s Lightning connector, which it uses in newer iPhones and iPads, a Type-C connector can be flipped over and still be able to be plugged in.
But the new technology has other advantages. The connector can support the newest version of USB’s data transfer standard, which can transmit data at speeds of up to 10 gigabits per second. That’s fast enough to transfer a high-definition movie in less than four seconds.
Type-C connectors can also provide power – up to 100 watts of it. That’s enough juice to run power-sipping devices like smartphones and tablets, but also laptops and even some desktop computers. And the ports will be able to send power both ways, so potentially you could charge your smartphone in a pinch by plugging it into your friend’s phone.
One other cool thing about Type C is that it can support other types of communications and connection technologies both natively and via adapters. So, potentially you’ll be able to use a Type-C port to connect your computer to a monitor, to a wired Internet connection or to older devices and drives that use ports like FireWire or Thunderbolt. And it’s backward compatible, so you can – with the help of adapters – use it to connect to your older USB-based gadgets, although you won’t get the same superfast speeds as you’d get with newer ones.
“It’s the single source for delivering audio, video, data and power simultaneously all over one connection,” said Jeff Ravencraft, president of the USB Implementers Forum, which helps develop and promote the technology.
The new connector is meant to address some of the shortcomings of older USB and other connectors. Its smaller size will allow device makers to create thinner laptops.
The fact that the cable is reversible should eliminate a lot of consumer frustration. It can often be difficult to tell which way to plug in a USB cable. I don’t know about you, but I’ve broken at least one port trying to shove a cable in the wrong way.
Of course, the move to Type-C ports will have some downsides. Right now, there are only a handful of devices that have Type-C ports. Because the new MacBook doesn’t have anything but a Type-C port, users are going to have to buy adapters to plug in their older peripherals. And those adapters won’t necessarily be cheap; Apple is charging $80 for one that will allow users to connect an HDMI cable and a standard USB plug to a Type-C port.
