CES Day 2: Reversible USB Type-C makes an entry

The USB Implementers Forum, along with Intel, showcased the latest standard in data transfer, the USB 33.1 Type-C at CES 2015 yesterday.

In case you don’t know what that means, here’s a quick run down: 
Type-A USB are the standard USB you’re likely to use today, with the rectangular design. (That charger on your smartphone have a detachable cable? The part that plugs into the adapter is Type-A) 

Type-C, on the other hand is about the same size and shape as your smartphone connector. But with reversible sides. That means you can connect the cable upside down and it’ll still work. Double-checking whether you’re holding the cable right side up is a habit that will die soon.

But besides that, the benchmark tests on the 3.1 conducted at the show displayed an approximate steady 800MBps read and write speed, comparable even to Thunderbolt. And the Type-C is better optimised to carry larger power loads, even allowing it power laptops via a USB cable. 

The USB forum says that Type-C to Type-A adapters will be available, alongside USB 3.1 Type-C motherboard chips, until the former becomes popular enough to standardize. The new design itself, however, will be forward compatible, with major tech developers already incorporating compatibility.