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Food for thought: will USB-C be the "last" standard connector? Speaking in terms of the physical connector, not the data protocol. I'm sure it will eventually p

by jzl 10y ago

Food for thought: will USB-C be the "last" standard connector? Speaking in terms of the physical connector, not the data protocol. I'm sure it will eventually prove not to be, but it's got a lot going for it and I suspect it will last for a very long time. If USB-A was the dominant connector for nearly 20 years I think C could see a run of 50 years or more. RJ45 connectors are around 40 years old and aren't going anywhere soon. I wonder what the qualities would be of a connector to replace USB-C.

fulldecent 10y ago
Trust me, after everyone buys USB-C cables, Apple will find a different standard so you will need to buy new cables.
- johncolanduoni 10y ago
  Since they're far from the only manufacturers of USB-C cables and don't own any controlling IP (like they do for Lightning for example) I doubt they will. As long as I can get compatible cables from legitimate manufacturers I don't much care what Apple charges for their versions.
_nedR 10y ago
Wow, This is an interesting idea. It looks like using wires for I/O will be be outmoded in the not too distant future and who knows, maybe in 50 years they may be outmoded even for recharging. So this could truly be the last universal connector standards.
comex 10y ago
Well, Lightning (which is older) is already significantly thinner than USB-C, 1.5mm rather than 2.6mm, though it has fewer pins. Looking at this visual comparison, I'm a little concerned that USB-C will start being too thick if the phone thinness war ever starts up again: http://josh-ua.co/blog/2015/3/15/usb-c-dimensions-size-comparison-with-the-lightning-port-and-usb-type-a http://josh-ua.co/blog/2015/3/15/usb-c-dimensions-size-compa... Lightning also differs in not being hollow on the male side, which, aside from reducing thickness, apparently has both advantages and disadvantages for durability.

by jzl 10y ago

fulldecent 10y ago

Trust me, after everyone buys USB-C cables, Apple will find a different standard so you will need to buy new cables.

johncolanduoni 10y ago
Since they're far from the only manufacturers of USB-C cables and don't own any controlling IP (like they do for Lightning for example) I doubt they will. As long as I can get compatible cables from legitimate manufacturers I don't much care what Apple charges for their versions.

_nedR 10y ago

Wow, This is an interesting idea. It looks like using wires for I/O will be be outmoded in the not too distant future and who knows, maybe in 50 years they may be outmoded even for recharging. So this could truly be the last universal connector standards.

comex 10y ago

Well, Lightning (which is older) is already significantly thinner than USB-C, 1.5mm rather than 2.6mm, though it has fewer pins. Looking at this visual comparison, I'm a little concerned that USB-C will start being too thick if the phone thinness war ever starts up again: http://josh-ua.co/blog/2015/3/15/usb-c-dimensions-size-comparison-with-the-lightning-port-and-usb-type-a http://josh-ua.co/blog/2015/3/15/usb-c-dimensions-size-compa... Lightning also differs in not being hollow on the male side, which, aside from reducing thickness, apparently has both advantages and disadvantages for durability.