The galley of the USB type-C

I recently changed from PC to offer me a Lenovo Yoga 900. A very nice machine by the way, not yet compatible Ubuntu, but it will not be long.

As I work most of the time with a second screen in HDMI, I started looking for an adapter because my device is closer to Apple in terms of connection, than my old Vaio.

There, the troubles begin.

I bought the PC at Baker’s. Initially I did not pay attention to the connection and trusted the seller regarding the adapter, which sold me an HDMI adapter typc C (€12) and non-USB type C. First go back.

This is the rat race. No adapter in the USB C > HDMI store.

We begin by proposing to me the Microsoft miracast, which is an equivalent, more expensive, of the Chromecast, but supposed to be of better quality. Next to that, I’m offered an Apple adapter. The only one that could work. But hold on to it: €89! Bravo.

So I decide to try my luck with Miracast (€49), until I realize that beyond the fact that the quality is not terrible compared to an HDMI cable, I do not have, contrary to what I thought, USB socket on my screen, to power the box.

The excitement starts to go up, I go to Amazon and make me deliver the same day a QACQOC adapter supposed to be compatible with Apple, Android and all type C. I get the camera at night and …

It is Sunday, and death in the soul, I resign myself to go to get reimburse the adapters I bought, to exchange them for the Apple company, squeezing a little buttocks.

Conclusion: Gentlemen The manufacturers, when the standards are not yet deployed, and that cables and adapters are not yet on the market, avoid simply deleting the current standards of your machines. I have the firm intention to contact Lenovo next week, to ask for a partial or even full refund, of this adapter that cost me an arm.

Total cost at the moment: €79. If I manage to get reimbursed the adapters fair: €89, otherwise: €150, just.. To connect my PC to a screen.

USB Type-C: Things to know about the new USB 3.1 standard

The new USB Type-C Standard, announced last summer but so far on the market in the Nokia N1 tablet, is becoming increasingly used, which is sold only in China. Are you sure you know this new standard well? In this guide we try to explain what is the standard USB Type-C, what advantages it has compared to the previous generation and in what forms we will see it on the market from the coming months.

The new Type C connector, presented in 2014, includes two 12-pin pairs (12 above, 12 below) to allow reversibility but remain polarized. In addition to this, there are USB 2.0 pins and OTG and MHL support. The two new pins added to the 12v and 24v VBUS must be powered via an external power supply because the other USB connectors do not provide these pins. Therefore, currently it is not possible to realize built-in power supplies as with USB 2.0, always if you do not create an appendix for the new pins, in PoweredUSB style.

 

We start immediately with the answer to when the standard will be most used. At the end of March 2015, Google and Apple announced that their next-generation Pixel 2 and new MacBook Chromebooks will adopt USB Type-C as standard USB ports respectively. However, it is probable that we will see many other devices this year with USB Type-C.

 

It serves to colelgare devices more easily. Just go crazy to check that the cable we are attaching to the door we are slipping it in the right way each time, because both ends of connection are equal and there is no longer an “above or below”. This should lead to less attempts to connect the cable to the door when maybe you’re not looking at what you do.

 

Data transfer and power capacity improve considerably. The USB 3.1 Type-C cable offers a transfer rate of up to 10 Gbps, which is twice the transfer rate of the USB 3.0 standard (5 Gbps). In addition, these cables offer 20 volts and 5 amperes, compared to the 5 volts and 1.8 amperes of its predecessor’s power. This means less waiting times for devices to transfer data or to recharge the battery of the connected device.

 

USB Type-C VS USB 3.0: to power other devices. With 12 and 20 Volt profiles of the standard, for a maximum power of 100 watts, you can feed smartphones, tablets, monitors, printers and other devices directly from your notebook or PC.

 

USB dongles as a temporary accessory. The C-type standard did not reach widespread adoption (yet). Meanwhile, you can take advantage of some dongles to connect devices together (such as an HDMI screen, or devices with a previous USB version)-You connect the dongle equipped with standard C type to the main port, and to the dongle in turn you connect other devices.

 

The future will be wireless though. The evolution of the USB standard is concentrated on two roads, the first is to increase the maximum transfer speed while the second road called Wireless USB provides for the abandonment of cables for communication via radio waves. A first USB wireless specification has already been standardized and some devices are on the market.

 

The disadvantages of the standard USB Type-C

 

At the moment Sulo a disadvantage of particular relevance we can find in the standard USB 3.1: Although it is backward compatible with previous USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 standards, to connect peripherals without USB 3.1 you need to purchase an adapter or cable type-c/Type-A and type-c/Type-B.

Criticized for the USB-C ports of its MacBook Pro, Apple breaks the prices of its connectors

Connect – The burgeoning anger of the potential users of the upcoming MacBook Pro forced Apple to react. The brand has decided to equip its new laptop with only USB-C ports, obliging the owners to review all their connectors and to go back to the checkout. To calm the game, Apple has chosen to lower the prices of the cables … temporarily.

Since the announcement of his latest MacBook Pro, Apple has to face the roar of professionals. While it is up to them that the last laptop of the brand is intended, photographers, graphic designers or designers have been many to raise a problem of size, the presence of the only USB-C port on the machine, as on the MacBook. Exit Classic USB ports, HDMI, VGA, Thunderbolt and even carded port.
On the MacBook Pro, depending on the configuration (with or without touch bar), it is necessary to rely on the unique presence of two to four USB-C ports that will centralize all the connectors, of the load (the reassuring MagSafe plug has also disappeared) to the connections to the 4 or 5 k screens and other peripherals. If you do not have the right cables, you will not be able to use your old hardware.

As a result, we must now reequip. This adds up to a MacBook Pro entry price not necessarily within the reach of all the scholarships (from 1 699 € for the MacBook Pro without Touch bar). But another problem: the USB-C cable market is not yet very consistent. On the smartphone side, they are still few to have tipped off this new dark side of the force (the latest Huawei, Honor, HTC, LG and Google pixel in mind).
Christmas Discounts
“We accept that many users, especially professionals, rely on the current connectors for their work and that they face this time to a transition.” We want to help them to switch to the latest technologies and peripherals, as well as to accelerate the growth of this new ecosystem. Until the end of the year, we make discounts on all USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 devices sold in our Apple Store, as well as USB-C adapters and cables, says Apple questioned on the subject.

The photographers did not appreciate the disappearance of the SD card port and joined the concert of critics. So to approach the “transition” more easily, Apple has consented to a substantial gesture by lowering the prices of its cables and adapters to the USB type-C. Attention, the new tariffs are only available temporarily and until the end of the year.

USB Type-C: The new reversible connector inspired by lightning

The specifications of the USB type-C are to be finalized, a new USB 3 reversible connector inspired by lightning: as that of apple in fact it can be inserted in both directions

 

USB Type-C is a new incoming connector inspired by Apple’s lightning: as the compact connector used by Apple for iphone and ipad In fact, also USB type-C is reversible and can be inserted without problems in both directions. For the moment there are still no computers and peripherals that use USB Type-C: It is expected that the specifications will be completed by the month of July, so the first cables and connectors could be circulating already starting this summer, although it is early to foresee the adoption.

In essence, USB Type-C promises to simplify the connection between devices and computers, not only because the connector can be inserted independently of the orientation, but also because the two connectors at the ends of the cables will be completely identical. In this detail then USB type-C differs from Apple’s lightning which on the one hand mounts a standard USB connector and on the other that Apple owner. Although the idea of a reversible connector seems to borrow from Apple, USB Type-C takes a different approach: the connections seem to be hosted inside the connector and not abroad, directly visible as in lightning.

 

At the bottom of this article we report a rendering that shows the appearance of the future USB type-C made by Foxconn and published by Tech Crunch: when it is available will replace the USB Connectors 3 as we have known them to date, both on the computer and on the peripherals.