The new MacBook with Type-C interface has also made the general public aware of this new interface. We have to admit that products with Apple's influence can often be quickly known, and Apple is indeed capable of further promoting a standard and often succeeding. From Type C interface to wireless charging, the protagonist of our discussion today is of course Type C interface. To be honest, the application of Type-C interface in MacBook is really a perfect work. The extremely thin body cannot carry a large number of interfaces with large volume, while the compact Type-C can integrate charging, data transmission and video output. As the leader of the industry, Apple's innovation ability and strength are still worthy of recognition.
Popular Science: What is Type-C?
Type-C stands for USB Type-C interface, a new type of USB interface. It was born with the latest USB3.1 standard. It has been nearly four years since its release (yes, it is really four years); because it solves the most troublesome global problem since the emergence of USB interface, that is, it "no longer distinguishes between directions, and can be plugged in both directions".
The market already has double-sided TYPE A interfaces
Type-A interfaces are the most commonly used standard USB interfaces! Indeed, the English name of Type-A interface is "Standard Type-A USB", which means it is a standard USB interface, and other shapes of USB interfaces are its derivatives. For Type-B USB interface, although its appearance rate is far less than that of standard Type-A interface, I believe everyone is familiar with it, because many external USB devices such as printers, monitors, USB HUBs, etc. use Type-B USB interfaces; generally speaking, the USB interfaces on PCs are all standard Type-A, while external devices mostly use Type-B.
In addition, Type-C is an interface type that can be used in both PC (master device) and external devices (slave device). This is epoch-making. When the Type-C interface was released, many friends who are not in the cable industry asked, "Is Mini-USB called Type-A, Micro-USB called Type-B, and the new one called Type-C?" In fact, the author has already told you that this is not the case. After reading the following family photo of USB interfaces, I believe everyone will understand.
Nothing is more intuitive than a picture; the Mini-USB and Micro-USB we often use are both born according to the USB2.0 transmission protocol. The amazing thing 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, the pin position has increased, so only the Type-A USB3.0 interface remains the same as before, and Type-B and Micro-USB have changed their appearance (increased in size)
Mini-USB 2.0 Type A and Type B interfaces
Mini-USB interface is the earliest and most familiar interface to us. It is widely used in digital products such as MP3, digital cameras and mobile hard disks. Compared with the standard USB interface and Type-B USB interface, its size is greatly reduced. Most of the Mini-USB interfaces you may have seen are Mini-B type. This is because the Mini-A type interface is less foolproof, so there is a Mini-B type to replace it. But don't worry, even older devices equipped with Mini-A interfaces can still use Mini-B data cables.
Micro-USB2.0 interface
Mini-USB interface is divided into A/B, and Micro-USB is no exception. Micro-USB interface is an improved version of Mini-USB interface. It has further reduced the size and is more suitable for mobile devices that are becoming thinner and lighter. Most of the portable devices we use now use Micro-USB interface, and Mini-USB has been basically eliminated. In addition, the EU also stipulates that by 2017, all mobile phones sold in member countries 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. From the picture, it is not difficult to see that the shape of Micro-A interface is rectangular, which greatly increases the mis-insertion rate! You know, we often mis-insert the standard USB interface, how can we play with such an effective Micro-A? Soon Micro-B appeared, with excellent anti-fool design, and Micro-A was quickly eliminated.
Micro-USB3.0 interface
Since the transmission speed of USB3.0 interface has been greatly improved by 10 times compared with USB2.0, its pins have also changed; as a result, the appearance of Micro-USB3.0 interface has to be changed; 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-USB3.0... I really can't understand why the USB Association always makes A and B on small USB interfaces, so I won't complain here.
The most common Micro-USB3.0 interface devices we come into contact with are high-speed mobile hard disks, most of which are Type-B.
USB Type-B3.0 interface
The same Type-B interface, USB3.0 (right) increases the interface height compared to USB2.0 (left). The standard Type-A USB interface is larger in size, so its appearance has not changed in the development of USB3.1, but the Type-B USB interface is a little awkward, because it is not much smaller than the standard Type-A USB interface in terms of volume, but perhaps the design did not take into account future development, resulting in the additional pins having nowhere to be placed; therefore, the Type-B USB3.0 interface had to change its appearance and increase its height compared to Type-B USB2.0.
USB3.1 interface and Type-C interface
In the industry, the USB3.0 interface is made blue to distinguish it from the black USB2.0 interface. Currently, ASUS has launched a motherboard equipped with a standard Type-A USB3.1 interface, and its interface color is blue-green to distinguish it from USB3.0. Although the USB Association has not made any regulations on the color of USB3.1, it is inevitable to distinguish it by color.
The Type-C interface and the USB3.1 standard were launched almost at the same time, and the Type-C specification is indeed formulated in accordance with USB3.1, so USB3.1 can certainly be made into Type-C type, but Type-C≠USB3.1: For example, the Nokia N1 tablet uses the USB2.0 standard Type-C interface, while the ASUS Z97-K/USB3.1 uses the standard Type-A USB3.1 interface.
Before 2016, except for Apple products, almost all mobile devices on the market used Micro-USB interface. Since iPhone 5, Apple has also replaced the previous Dock interface with a more compact Lightning interface, which is similar in size to the Micro-USB interface. Now, the Type-C interface has emerged, and there will be a three-legged tripod in the future; the final winner is the Type C interface.
The latest USB version USB4 has a transmission bandwidth of 40Gbps. The most widely used USB3.1 specification also has a transmission rate of 10Gbps. It has ultra-high bandwidth and supports a powerful power transmission function of up to 100W. In addition, the Type-C interface can also be used as a video output interface. Although HDMI2.1 has reached version 2.1 and has increased its bandwidth to 48Gbps, home wiring is still based on the 1.4 specification version, with a basic bandwidth of 10.2Gbps, which is almost the same speed as 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 powerful performance, we have every reason to believe that Type-C will replace many video and data interfaces and become a perfect solution to unify many interfaces in the future. In addition, the high-cold Apple is always different from others. Whether it is the previous Dock interface or the current Lightning interface, 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 universal standard, so we no longer need to equip ourselves with multiple data cables.
Type-C is revolutionary. Why? When I posted the photo of the USB interface in the previous article, did you feel that it was too messy? Yes, the shapes of the host device interface, slave device interface and mobile device interface are all different, and each type of interface is divided into A/B, etc. We can't help but sigh: Why can't they be unified? The emergence of Type-C solves this problem. Unlike Type-A, which is only used in the host device, Type-B, which is only used in the slave device, and Mini & Micro-USB, which is only used in mobile devices, it is an interface that can be used in the host device, the slave device, and the mobile device. In fact, the HDMI product shown in the figure below is also the same!
Type-C related industry chain has attracted much attention
The Type C interface has many advantages such as small and thin, high-speed transmission, reversible, multi-purpose, and improved power supply. Its popularity will be just around the corner. However, this Type C connector product must be used in a limited space to make more refined and multifunctional products, and must withstand higher currents and perform high-speed data transmission. Therefore, its technical difficulty requirements are very high, and challenges and opportunities coexist.