A new standard might provide a solution for all those weighed down by the number of non-compatible chargers they need to keep their mobile devices functioning.
The universal serial bus (USB) standard is a protocol governing the cables and connectors used for communication and power supply for computers and electronic devices. The micro-USB, a very small USB port found on most cellphones and other portable devices, marked a milestone toward unifying the types of cables used by mobile devices. Apple Inc remains outside the loop as it still designs its own proprietary connectors.
Now the USB Implementers Forum — a non-profit organization made up of 760 technology companies — has unveiled the USB Type-C specification, a completely new design for both ends of the cables used to transmit data and charge devices.
Typical smartphone USB cables comprise a Type-A (standard USB) connector that plugs into a computer port or AC adapter, and a smaller Type-B (micro-USB) connector that plugs into the device itself.
The new Type-C head is different in both shape and concept, as both ends of the new cable are the same shape and size. That means that either end can be plugged into any Type-C port located on either a computer or a device.
Perhaps more exciting for people who have found themselves stumbling around to plug in cables in the dark, the Type-C USB can be inserted into ports even upside-down, similar to the Lightning standard introduced by Apple in 2013.
Coupled with USB version 3.1, data transfer rates should be able to reach 10 gigabits per second and deliver up to 100 watts of power to charge larger devices such as laptops and display monitors.
The downside for consumers is that the new USB 3.1 Type-C cables will not be backwards compatible. Because of the different shapes, current-generation devices need to use adapters to plug into the cable.
Taiwan’s Mega International Commercial Bank estimates that the penetration rate for Type-C cables would reach 30 percent by the end of the year. The nascent standard could mean US$24.78 billion in business opportunities worldwide, it said.
The shift is expected to benefit a number of Taiwanese manufacturers, including Hon Hai Precision Industry Co, the world’s largest contract electronics maker, and affiliate Cheng Uei Precision Industry Co, among others.
The driving factor behind the new standard is an EU law that is to come into effect in 2017, requiring all manufacturers — including Apple — to adopt a unified standard for products sold in the EU.
The European Commission said it is motivated by the need to address the environmental impact caused by waste from the estimated 10 billion cables in use worldwide by cutting the number of obsolete or fringe connector standards.
A group of Taiwanese-American and Tibetan-American students at Harvard University on Saturday disrupted Chinese Ambassador to the US Xie Feng’s (謝鋒) speech at the school, accusing him of being responsible for numerous human rights violations. Four students — two Taiwanese Americans and two from Tibet — held up banners inside a conference hall where Xie was delivering a speech at the opening ceremony of the Harvard Kennedy School China Conference 2024. In a video clip provided by the Coalition of Students Resisting the CCP (Chinese Communist Party), Taiwanese-American Cosette Wu (吳亭樺) and Tibetan-American Tsering Yangchen are seen holding banners that together read:
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