USB Type-C on the MacBook 2015
What is USB Type-C?
USB is the single most important connection type we use in electronics today. It connects our keyboards and mice to our computers, our phones to their chargers and our USB memories sticks to our laptops. The first word that makes up its acronym couldn’t be more apt – it truly is universal.
Over the years the standard has also been upgraded to be faster and more compact, allowing for rapid file transfers even to the tiny microUSB sockets on our phones.
However, it still has two main failings. The first is that at the host end we’re still forced to use the classic large Type-A plug, which limits how slim you can make things like the latest ultrabook laptops.
Also, no matter which USB plug type you use there’s always the headache of you having to get the plug the right way round. It’s both these issues that Type-C aims to fix.
USB Type-C - its not a new standard
The first thing to realise about Type-C is that it’s not a new USB standard in the same way as USB 1.1, USB 2.0 and USB 3.0. Those upgrades focussed on speed and feature improvements whereas Type-C is all about the physical connection, like with microUSB and miniUSB.
However, unlike those connections, Type-C is aimed at being a replacement for both ends of the cable. To better understand the lie of the land, you first need to know the difference between Type-A and Type-B.
USB Type-A
Type-A is the classic USB plug as we have long known it. The chunky rectangular plus was the original design and it remains the standard plug for use at the host end of the USB cable.
Now Type-A has gone through a number of changes to accommodate different version of USB, with more pins added to allow for the faster speeds of USB 3.0 for instance. However the fundamental design of the plug has remained the same, with the new connections incorporated in such a way that all USB Type-A plugs and sockets are compatible no matter which version of USB they use.
It’s not always the case that the whatever you plug in will work, as the newer standards of USB also deliver more power, which may be required by whatever device you’re plugging in, but for the most part they’re completely interchangeable.
There are also some variations of Type-A including Mini Type-A and Micro Type-A but these are hardly used.
USB Type-B
Although there are some uses for Type-A to Type-A USB cables, typically the other end of a USB cable uses a Type-B connector. This denotes the device attached at this end as being the client and because these types of device can vary so much we see much more variation in plug/socket types used.
The original type-B plug is the odd tall plug with the sloping top corners that you typically find on printers. This was extended for the USB 3.0 standard to include an extra bump for some new connections.
The classic miniUSB and microUSB are also variations of Type-B, along with the clunky microUSB 3.0, which uses a normal microUSB connection with an extra plug that carries more power connections.
USB Type-C
This brings us to Type-C. Where Type-A and Type-B have had to work within the framework of being backwards compatible, Type-C is intended to replace both and is designed to be small enough to not need and mini or micro variants.
What’s more its headline feature is of course that it’s reversible. This means you no longer have to get the plug the right way round but instead, like Apple’s Thunderbolt connection, it’ll work whichever direction you try – no more USB superposition.
Type-C also build on the new USB 3.1 standard which adds support for more power delivery (up to 100W at 20V and 5A) and faster transfer speeds of up to 10Gbps. What’s more is supports use as a video connection too.
This is way the new MacBook is able to use its one USB Type-C connection is as its power connection as well as for connecting peripherals.
