Why USB Type-C Is the Port of the Future

The new USB-C port is reversible, and it handles power, HDMI, and data transport. Apple

Yesterday, Apple showed off the MacBook, a new laptop notable for its thinness, its gold coloring, and most surprisingly, the absence of all but one solitary port. It’s called USB Type-C, and it’s going to transform gadgets as we know them.

Envisioning a future of laptops with just one input—aside from the headphone jack—is like entering an aquarium full of single-tentacled octopi. It’s unsettling. How do I charge it? Where does my SD card go? Why can’t I hook my computer up to more than two things at once?

These are all fair questions, but they can all find an answer in USB Type-C (or USB-C for short). Here’s a quick rundown of what you need to know.

What does USB-C look like?

A USB-C plug is slender, about the same size as a micro-USB (8.4mm by 2.6mm), but it’s reversible. Like Apple’s Lightning connector, upside down and right-side up are one and the same. So if you’re plugging in your MacBook in the dark, there’s no need to futz and fiddle to figure out which way it needs to be plugged in.

That’s pretty sweet. So does it work like a normal USB?

It’s like a USB on steroids. First off, charging: USB-C can deliver bi-directional power. It can be used to charge a host device, or it can allow the host device to charge a peripheral. It can handle large loads too, delivering up to 20V at 5A (100W). That’s more than enough to charge up a notebook, or multiple mobile devices simultaneously.

USB-C is also faster than our current USB-B standard. Data transfers can run at rates up to 10 Gbps, but it’s backwards compatible with older USB standards, as long as you have an adapter. Right now, our fastest USB Type B devices transfer data at half that speed.

If you want to nerd out on some more details about USB-C, Ars Technica has more information.

But it’s still only one port. What about all the other things I want to plug into my computer?

For that, you’ll need an adapter, and Apple has a number of options already available: USB-C to USB ($19), USB-C to HDMI, and USB to VGA (both $79). DisplayPort, gigabit Ethernet, SD card adapters, and other connector standards should arrive soon, both from Apple and from third parties.

However, Apple is betting that in the future, you’ll have fewer and fewer things you actually need to plug into your computer, thanks to the proliferation of wireless, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi-connected devices. Wireless headphones are actually worth listening to now, wireless speakers abound, and for things like wearables, you’ll likely just leave the charger next to your bed or at your desk.

Is USB-C another Apple-only thing? I hate Apple.

Regardless of your opinion of the company or its products, USB-C is not another proprietary connector from Apple. It’s a new, industry-wide standard, and we should be seeing devices from all sorts of different manufacturers using USB-C in the not-too-distant future. Apple’s new MacBook is the first consumer notebook to embrace USB-C.

Does anything else actually use USB-C at this point?

Yes! Sandisk makes a 32 GB flash drive with a Type C connector, and Lacie’s Porsche Design Mobile Drive now comes with a USB-C connector as well. It comes in 500GB, 1TB, or 2TB variants.

The recently announced Nokia N1 also features a Type C connector, however, Nokia’s implementation sticks with the current 5Mbps speed standard of USB-B devices.