There is finally a "universal" connector out there that will work on our electronic devices. Some deal was made to combine Thunderbolt 3 with the USB-C format last year, and I'm starting to see the devices with this technology pour onto the market. Here are the features of this new technology/connector/cord:

• It carries a lot of power - up to 15 watts for an attached device, and a crazy 100 watts to charge a laptop. (goodbye USB and proprietary charge cords)
• It carries 4K video (goodbye HDMI)
• Each end is identical, no "from" and "to" ends (goodbye USB A and B, USB mini, USB micro, and many others)
• Like the iPhone 6 connector, the cord fits upside-down or right-side-up - (completely unlike any regular USB listed above)
• It can be configured to link multiple devices in hub or daisy-chain configuration
• It looks like all electronic devices are switching to this connector (including Apple, Google, LG, Microsoft, Sony, Samsung, and HTC), making it a true "universal" connector that works on our smart phones, tablets, laptops, monitors, TVs, Blue-Ray players, home amplifiers, vehicle head units, etc....

If you are in the market for an electronic device - like a smart phone, head unit, or tablet for your vehicle (along with all the other stuff you need electronics for), watch for the Thunderbolt 3/USB-C feature. It's the future.

 

Well geez Tug you beat me to this…lol!!

 

I've been waiting for this to finally show up... Thanks for the info Tug!

 

I've had USB-C on my phone for about the past year or so, and have enjoyed it. Is nice to have higher charge times, higher transfer speeds, plug-reversibility, and the option to use the cable for just about anything else I could want.

One thing that was found out by one of the engineers at Google is that the early USB-C chargers were not to-spec, to the point some ended up frying the engineer's chromebook. I am not sure if this issue still persists or not, as that was at the beginning of USB-C's first mainstream adoption.

The features mentioned by Tugly are just a scratch at what I believe USB-C is capable of. My computer's motherboard has USB 3.1 w/a type C connector, and it is quite pleasing to use.

 

I have seen specs of 10G, 20G, and 40G data transfer speeds - that's faster than can be written to a hard drive or thumb drive. This format looks to be future-proof for years to come - it can carry 4K video in 3D at 60 FPS without breaking a sweat.