Look around your house and chances are you that have a least a few devices equipped with Universal Serial Bus (USB) cables. On average, some 3 billion USB ports are shipped each year, by far the most successful type of peripheral connection.
In recent years, though, USB's competition has intensified and it now trails behind the new Thunderbolt standard both in speed and ease of use. This is the gap that the latest USB development, USB Type-C, finalized just earlier this month, intends to fill.
Before you can understand USB Type-C, however, you need to know the difference between USB Type-A and Type-B, and tell between the various versions of the USB standard. Generally, the version refers to the speed and functionality of the USB cable, while the USB Type refers to the physical shape and the wiring of the ports and plugs.
dsc3510.jpgFor the most part, Type-A ends (left of the coin) of the USB cables remains the same across existing USB versions. Dong Ngo/CNET