USB-C – The Least Standard Standard Ever
In a post in our?verification blog, Neelabh Singh told us that?USB4 Version 2.0 Announced. As he said in that post:
USB Promoter Group has announced the pending release of the USB4 Version 2.0 specification, which will enable up to 80Gbps operation over the USB Type-C cable and connector.
On the other side of the Atlantic, the European Commission has decided that pretty much everything should have a USB-C connector. Most notably, that means future iPhones.
By the end of 2024, all mobile phones, tablets and cameras sold in the EU will have to be equipped with a USB Type-C charging port. From spring 2026, the obligation will extend to laptops. The new law, adopted by plenary on Tuesday with 602 votes in favour, 13 against and 8 abstentions, is part of a broader EU effort to reduce e-waste and to empower consumers to make more sustainable choices.
I'm sure you've got a USB-C cable or two lying around at home. After all, the USB-C standard was finalized in 2014 so is nearly a decade old. In fact, when I rejoined Cadence and started Breakfast Bytes, one of the first posts I wrote, less than two weeks after I started, was?One Connector to Rule Them All: USB Type-C.
The problem is revealed in another paragraph from Neelabh's post:
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Up to 80Gbps operation, based on a new physical layer architecture, using existing 40Gbps USB Type-C passive cables and newly-defined 80Gbps USB Type-C active cables.
So USB-C defines the connector. But the protocols are defined separately (like USB4 version 2.0 just announced). In fact, the USB Implementers' Forum (USB-IF) went out of its way to try and emphasize this when the USB-C standard was first defined:
- USB Type-C is not USB 3.2
- The USB Type-C cable and connector specification is a supplement to the USB 3.2 specification, however USB Type-C is not USB 3.2. These terms are not interchangeable.
- USB Type-C is not USB Power Delivery
- USB Power Delivery is a protocol/hardware solution that increases USB power capabilities up to 100W. These terms are not interchangeable.
- If a product features USB Type-C it does not necessarily support USB Power Delivery and/or USB 3.2
- Device manufacturers can choose to support USB Power Delivery and/or USB 3.2 performance but it is not required for USB Type-C products
So the only thing that the USB-C standard actually guarantees is that the connector will fit into the device. It is only very recently that my office has had a display with a USB-C connector that both delivers power (so I don't need to use a separate power supply) and also carries the data for my monitor. It also carries regular USB-type stuff so a wired keyboard and a wired mouse will work. But I actually use a wireless Apple keyboard so my fingerprint ID works, and <rant> the worst ergonomic thing ever, Apple's wireless mouse that has the charging input on the base so you can't use your mouse?while it is charging. </rant>
Software technical marketing and product management | Simulation expert | Speaker, teacher, writer, blogger | EDA | Embedded systems | Ex-Intel, Wind River, Virtutech, IAR, Uppsala University.
2 å¹´When you say something like "this is version 2.0 of version 4 of X" you have a problem with your versioning thinking. Don't they realize this when they come up with the name in the first place?
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2 年My solution to the Apple Magic Mouse charging location was to purchase a second one that is fully charged, so that I can swap out when the first one needs charging. My MacBook Pro has four USB-C ports, and I have three external monitors connected, so power delivery is from only one of the monitors to the laptop, but the power from only one monitor isn’t sufficient to keep the laptop charged when I do heavy work, like running Windows 11 in the Parallel app to virtualize.