USB Type-C Update

One of the most promising, from a technology standpoint, is the USB Type-C specification. USB Type-C provides some significant improvements over current USB capabilities including support for data transfer rates of up to 10Gbps, which doubles the current USB 3.0 Type A/B output of 5Gbps. It also provides the ability to deliver power and can work with devices that require 5, 12, or 20 volts of electricity, maxing out at 100W of power. That provides more than enough power to charge laptops, slates, phones, and even hubs or displays. That alone is huge but it doesn't stop there.

The Type-C port connector is it's about the size of a Micro USB port so it will work with small peripheral devices and it's reversible. No more fumbling around trying to get the plug in the right way. There's also an Alternate Mode component to the specification which enables the transmission of non-USB data over connectors and cables. But this is where more confusion comes in, a breakdown of this situation can be found in previous articles.

So while all these things sound great USB Type-C is still emerging and it will take some time to assess how the various vendors and manufacturers choose to implement the technology i.e. what voltage and wattage of power, what alternate mode(s), etc. Users will have to understand which USB Type-C ports they have to connect to each other. Overall USB Type-C certainly does seem promising and the DocKtor is especially excited about the potential this has with Targus UDS. All Targus' universal docking stations sold today with DisplayLink will still be compatible with Type C, using an A to B cable, or a C to B cable to connect to the dock - there is no need to wait for Type C!