Next USB cable will be reversible

Developers announce frustrated attempts to charge a phone or tablet with an upside-down cable will be over

The next USB cable will be reversible, its developers have announced.
This will mean users of the Universal Serial Bus cables will be able to plug the part into a device no matter which way it is facing, ending frustrated attempts to charge a phone or tablet with an upside-down cable.
The Type-C cable, due to be finalised by mid-2014 and on the market by 2016, will also be smaller in size so that it is similar to the current Micro USB plug.
It will also be able to conduct data speed transfers of up to 10 Gbps, double the speed possible at the moment.
Apple’s Lightning connector is reversible, and the new USB will follow in its footsteps.
At present USB cables can only be plugged into a device one way round for the data connection to work, but the Promoter Group announced will not be the case with the Type-C.
Brad Saunders, USB 3.0 Promoter Group chairman, said: “While USB technology is well established as the favoured choice for connecting and powering devices, we recognize the need to develop a new connector to meet evolving design trends in terms of size and usability.
“The new Type-C connector will fit well with the market’s direction and affords an opportunity to lay a foundation for future versions of USB.”

The different models of USB

The vice president of the Platform’s engineering group, Alex Peleg, added that the new model “will enable an entirely new super thin class of devices from phones to tablets, to 2-in-1s, to laptops to desktops and a multitude of other more specific usage devices.”
The Promoter Group is made up of Intel, HP, Microsoft, Renesas Electronics, ST-Ericsson and Texas Instruments, and agrees the design of the standard USB.

Source : The Telegraph