Don't complain about the variety of data cables nowadays. In the past, you had to restart the computer to plug in a mouse. Computer interfaces in ancient times were very particular.
Apple keyboards also use this (ADB interface) separately, and these are used to connect large devices such as printers and scanners.
Some interfaces are very delicate and require an expansion card to use. Not only do they occupy each other's space, but when an error occurs, you don't know which one to blame, and the user experience is very unfriendly.
In troubled times, heroes emerge. Engineer Ajay Bhatt stood up and called for the concept of "Universal Serial Bus", referred to as USB, and received strong support from Intel, and obtained sufficient funds for research and development.
Adhering to the principle of not monopolizing and making money for everyone, several first-generation enemies in the IT industry in 1994
Intel
Microsoft
IBM
NEC (NEC Corporation)
dec (Digital Electronics Corporation was acquired by Compaq in 1998)
Compaq (Compaq Computer, acquired by HP in 2002)
Nortel (Nortel Networks of Canada)
jointly created the USB transmission protocol. The following year, the bigwigs also established a non-profit organization - USB Implementers Forum, referred to as USB-if - which is now the USB standardization organization. In addition to formulating USB standards, this organization also issued ID cards (manufacturer identification codes of USB products) to various USB manufacturers.
In 1996, USB-IF launched USB1.0, trying to solve the interface confusion. However, USB1.0 is too slow, and can only transfer 192KB of data per second (that is, the transmission speed is only 1.5Mbps). What is the concept? It takes 23 minutes to transfer this 5-minute 260M high-definition version of the history of all things with USB1.0, and half a class has passed.
Of course, the storage devices at that time were floppy disks, with a capacity of less than 1.5M. This speed was considered fast at the time, but 1.0 was a new thing after all, and there were still other defects (listed). So the industry applauded and encouraged, but remained indifferent, and the interface unification project was still shelved.
At this time, a "first bird" flew in, Apple. In 1998, Apple launched the revolutionary iMac G3. The translucent rounded shell and the integrated design broke people's imagination of computers at that time.
More importantly, this charming G3 also used a beautiful USB interface for the first time, equipped with the newly launched USB1.1 - don't underestimate this 0.1, it makes the transmission speed 8 times the original. (USB1.1 transmission rate has increased to 12Mbps, and 1.5MB of data can be transmitted per second)
The huge sales of G3 made all walks of life begin to take USB seriously. In 2000, the USB 2.0 standard came on the stage (transmission rate reached 480Mbps, that is, 60MB/s), which is 40 times faster than USB 1.1. This made the USB interface quickly replace the backward old interface.
With the support of USB2.0, wireless network cards, optical drives, hard drives and other internal devices that could only stay in the computer case have expressed their desire to come out and bask in the sun, so there are mobile optical drives and mobile hard drives, and Mini USB and Micro USB have also been extended.
The names are unfamiliar, but you must have seen them all. Mini USB is the interface on MP3 and MP4 when you were downloading music as a kid.
Micro USB is... the interface for Android data cables. It is flatter, more stable, and more durable (the plug-in and unplug life has been increased from 5,000 times to 10,000 times).
USB2.0 is the longest-lived USB standard in existence and is still usable today. However, the industry giants were not satisfied. In November 2008, they (Intel, Microsoft, HP, Texas Instruments, NEC, ST-Ericsson) came up with USB 3.0 and named it SuperSpeed, which simply and crudely showed their ambition. These giants established an organization called USB Promoter Group, which is mainly responsible for the development and formulation of USB series standards. The standards will eventually be handed over to USB-IF for management.
Soon, 3.1 and 3.2 were developed based on 3.0, and the speed also soared (the theoretical speeds of the three are 640MB/S, 1280MB/S, and 2560MB/S respectively). With them, the Japanese learning materials accumulated for many years can be taken away by friends in minutes, and they still use cutting.
However, although the speed is fast, the evolution of USB standards has brought the interface back to the old days, so you have to bring all kinds of expansion devices, adapters and adapters when you go out.
It was not until 2014 that Type-C came to clean up the mess. It is a product of USB3.1 standard and is currently a hot commodity in the digital world. It supports blind plug-in, data transmission, and external graphics cards.
It is powerful mainly because there are many bright small pieces in its interface. This professional term is called pins. Each pin manages its own business, so the more pins, the more powerful the function is generally.
There are 4 USB2.0 interfaces, 9 3.0 interfaces, and 24 Type-C interfaces. Not only have the small sequins for data transmission doubled, but a new one called CC has also been added, which is dedicated to the connection line for USB3.1 charging, so that fast charging can be achieved (USB Power Delivery charging, also known as USB PD fast charging)
The charging speed is equivalent to 20 times that of the current Apple charger. Of course, Typc-C is so powerful, and the price is not low.
Typc-C also has a function of being compatible with USB2.0, which is originally a good thing. But some manufacturers have castrated some pins in order to take advantage of the popularity of Type-C and because Type-C is too expensive. So your phone not only charges slowly, transfers data slowly, but also cannot output videos. So the Type-C you use has nothing to do with Type-C except that it looks like Type-C.
In early September this year, the USB 4 specification was officially released. It is faster and stronger, comparable to the Thunderbolt port, and can only be operated through Type-C. It is called the most perfect interface in human history. However, it depends on which one runs faster, wireless or USB. Perhaps in the near future, wireless will allow us to charge directly with bare hands, and USB 4 may not have time to dominate the market, and its era will have come to an end.