"Type-C" has become well known with the release of Apple's new generation of MacBook laptops. Many people exclaimed, "One interface can serve as a USB, video output and power supply, which is really amazing!" In fact, the Type-C interface is not the first to be created by Apple. What exactly is Type-C? Then look down.
Type-C full name USB Type-C interface, which is a brand new form of USB interface. It is accompanied by the latest USB3.1 standard. It has been nearly a year since its release (yes, it is really a year). After all, it is a USB port (yes). In fact, Type-C is not even as valuable as a simple USB interface, because it solves the most headache-inducing global problem since the emergence of the USB interface, that is, it " no longer distinguishes directions, and can be plugged into both on and off." The emergence of the
Type-C interface can be said to have saved obsessive-compulsive disorder and Virgo, and has also allowed headaches such as the "law of attraction" and "Murphy's law" to disappear.
Although we know what functions the Type-C interface can implement and what it is, many people may have another question, that is, "Why is called Type-C? Where did A and B go? "
This is a good question. We will discuss in-depth the development of USB standards and interfaces in previous generations, so that everyone can understand it clearly.
After reading the picture above, you understand! In fact, the Type-A interface is the most commonly used standard USB interface. The English name of the Type-A interface is "StandardType-AUSB", which means that it is a standard USB interface, and other shapes of USB interfaces are its derivatives.
For Type-BUSB interface, although its appearance rate is far less than that of the standard Type-A interface, I believe everyone is familiar with it, because many external USB devices such as printers and monitors USBHUB use Type-BUSB interface.
Generally speaking, the USB interfaces on the PC are standard Type-A, while external devices mostly use Type-B.
Type-C interface has a much smaller size than Type-A and Type-B. Its size is even comparable to Mini-USB and Micro-USB, and is the latest USB interface form factor standard. In addition, Type-C is an interface type that can be applied to both PC (master device) and external device (slave device), which is an epoch-making .
etc. What are the Mini-USB and Micro-USB mentioned just now? Is it called Type-A for Mini-USB, and Type-B for Micro-USB? That's not the case. Let’s take a look at a family photo of the USB port. (Except Type-C)
In fact, the Mini-USB and Micro-USB we often use are born based on the USB2.0 transmission protocol. What you don't know is that they are also divided into Type-A and Type-B respectively. In the USB3.0 era, due to the increase in transmission speed, only the Type-AUSB3.0 interface remains the same as before, and both Type-B and Micro-USB have changed their appearance (volume increases).
Mini-USB interface is an interface we are very familiar with. It is widely used in digital products , such as MP3, digital cameras, and mobile hard disks. Compared with the standard USB interface and Type-BUSB interface, its size is greatly reduced. Perhaps most of the Mini-USB interfaces you see are Mini-B type. This is because the Mini-A interface has poor dullness resistance, so the Mini-B type that replaces it. But don't worry, even older devices equipped with Mini-A interfaces can still use Mini-B data cables.
Micro-USB interface is an improved version of the Mini-USB interface. It has once again reduced the volume and is more suitable for mobile devices that are becoming increasingly lightweight. The portable devices we currently use currently use Micro-USB interface, and Mini-USB has basically been eliminated. In addition, the EU also stipulates that by 2017, all mobile phones sold in franchisees must use Micro-USB interface, which shows its success and wide coverage.
Similarly, the Type-B type of Micro-USB interface is also an improved version of Type-A. It is not difficult to see from the figure that the shape of the Micro-A interface is rectangular, which greatly increases the error insertion rate! You should know that even the standard USB port is often plugged in incorrectly, how could we play such an effective Micro-A? Soon Micro-B appeared and had excellent anti-moment design, so Micro-A was quickly eliminated.
Since the transmission speed of the USB3.0 interface has been greatly improved compared with USB2.0, its pins have also changed. This way, the Micro-USB 3.0 interface has to be changed in appearance. The Micro-USB3.0 interface is the same as Micro-USB2.0 in height, but the length has increased significantly. Similarly, Type A and Type B also appeared on Micro-USB 3.0... It is weak to say that I really can't understand why the USB Association has to make A and B on a small USB interface every time.
The Micro-USB 3.0 interface devices we have the most contact are high-speed mobile hard disks, most of which are Type-B. Due to its large size, the appearance of the
standard Type-AUSB interface has not changed since it developed to USB3.1. However, the Type-BUSB interface is a little awkward, because it is not much smaller than the standard Type-AUSB interface in terms of size, but perhaps the design did not take into account future development, resulting in the added pins being nowhere to be placed. Therefore, the Type-BUSB3.0 interface has to change its appearance and increase its height compared to Type-BUSB2.0.
is shown in the figure below, which is also a Type-B interface. USB3.0 (right) increases the interface height compared to USB2.0 (left).
In the industry, the USB3.0 interface is made in blue to distinguish it from the black of the USB2.0 interface. At present, Asus has launched a motherboard equipped with a standard Type-AUSB3.1 interface, the interface color is blue-green, which is distinguished from USB3.0. Although the USB Association has not stipulated the color of USB3.1, it will be inevitable to distinguish between color.
Again, the Type-C interface and the USB3.1 standard were introduced almost at the same time. The Type-C specification is indeed formulated according to USB3.1. Therefore, USB3.1 can of course be made as Type-C type, but Type-C ≠ USB3.1 : For example, the Nokia N1 tablet adopts the USB2.0 standard Type-C interface, while Asus Z97-K/USB3.1 uses the USB3.1 interface of the standard Type-A.
Except for Apple products, almost all mobile devices on the market use Micro-USB interface. Since the iPhone 5, Apple has also replaced the previous Dock port with a smaller size Lightning interface, which is similar to the Micro-USB interface. Now, the Type-C interface has emerged, and there is a three-legged stalemate in the future.
The three devices in the figure below are Android phones with Micro-USB interface, iPhone 5S with Lightning interface, and Nokia N1 with Type-C interface.
Micro-USB interface has a stupid-proof design and can only be inserted on one side. The
Lightning interface and the Type-C interface can be plugged forward and reversely, greatly facilitating users' daily use. The size of the
Type-C interface is 8.3mm×2.5mm. Its size is similar to that of Micro-USB and Lightning, and its portability is unquestionable.
But I want to say something off topic here, that is, since Apple adopted the Lightning interface, including the data cables provided by the mobile phone, I personally have replaced 6 or 7 Lightning data cables, and they will break down quickly, which is something that has never been experienced in the Dock era! Perhaps the durability design of the Lightning interface needs to be improved.
Finally, let’s expand our thinking and think a little bit:
USB3.1 specification has a transmission rate of 10Gbps, which is twice that of USB3.05Gbps, reaching the same speed as the lightning interface. With ultra-high bandwidth, it also supports powerful power transmission functions of up to 100W. In addition, the Type-C interface can also be used as a video output interface.
Currently, the bandwidth of HDMI1.4 specification is 10.2Gbps, which is almost constant speed with USB3.1's 10Gbps. In addition, the Type-C interface used by the new MacBook has integrated DP, HDMI and D-Sub interfaces.With the high integration of multiple functions and strong performance, in the future, we can have reason to believe that Type-C will become the perfect solution to replace many video and data interfaces and unify many interfaces.
In addition, the cool Apple will always be different from others. Whether it is the previous Dock port or the current Lightning port, it is different from the Micro-USB interface of non-Apple devices. However, the new MacBook uses the Type-C interface, which can be said to give everyone hope: Will Apple products adopt Type-C in the future? After all, the Type-C interface is a general standard, so we will no longer have to equip many data cables in the future...
