OK, so USB Type-C ports aren’t the kinds of things that get people super hyped like new iPhones or Samsung phones. But they’re actually a very exciting development and they came into the spotlight earlier this week when we learned that both Apple’s new MacBook and Google’s new Chromebook Pixel featured USB Type-C ports.
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To explain the importance of USB Type-C, Google this week posted a video in which it breaks down exactly why the new ports are so important to laptops and gadgets.
Why is USB Type-C so awesome? Here’s the quick rundown:
- You can use it for a lot more than regular old USB ports. The new MacBook’s USB 3.1 port, for instance, delivers the device’s power, USB data transfer, HDMI and VGA capabilities. Or as Google puts it in its video, USB Type-C delivers “power, data and display over one connector, one cable and one port.”
- It’s fully reversible. You know how annoying it is when you try to plug in a USB cable and you realize that you’re putting it in the wrong way? USB Type-C ensures this will never happen again thanks to its symmetrical design — there’s literally no “right side up” or “upside down” in any USB Type C port.
- It’s well positioned to work with more powerful future technologies. USB Type-C can deliver 100 watts at 20 volts. It can output video to 4K and 5K monitors. In Google’s words, “It delivers more power than most devices need today, so it’s going to be able to support many things into the future.”
Check out the full video below.
