USB-C: Connecting Point

OUR LIVES HAVE for some time been a cluttered mess of cable cords and their corresponding chargers; of digging through the jungle of tangled wires in drawers to retrieve that one piece that might connect with that one device. It may appear a trivial inconvenience, but has been a universal source of daily agony in modern lives. This of course doesn’t have to be so. There could be one cable that rules and connects them all. That if we can have ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’, to borrow the G20 theme of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, surely we could have one cable for them too.

There has been a growing movement towards that future in recent times. But Apple, the biggest phone manufacturer in the world, had held out. While it switched to the USB-C cable for its computers and tablets, it had stuck to its proprietary connector, called Lightning, for the iPhone. Last year, when European regulators pushed for a change, the firm claimed such mandates would stall innovation.

This week however it all changed, and the possibility of carrying one power cable for all devices went from a pipe-dream to an inevitability. Apple launched its latest phones, the iPhone 15 line, and instantly, the main talking point from the event became the firm’s abandonment of the Lightning connectors, which it has been using for over a decade, in favour of what looks like will become the most common cable in our lives for the foreseeable future—the USB-C.

The USB-C, or more accurately the Universal Serial Bus Type-C, has been around for some time. It is already used by most smartphone manufacturers. Its biggest selling point is universality. It was created in such a way that you could plug it in to most devices, whether that is a phone, a gaming console or a headphone, to perform whatever task that might be, from charging the device, transferring data between devices, to doing both at the same time. One New York Times column dubbed it “the Meryl Streep of cables”, capable of playing any role better than any other choice.

The USB standard was introduced in 1996, and as the first name in the acronym suggests, its purpose was to create universality among devices. But there have been multiple versions, from the classic USB, the USB-B to the Mini-USB and Micro- USB, each variation undermining its stated goal of universality and standardisation.

The USB-C now appears poised to come closest to achieving its original aim. It has already become popular because it is a marked improvement on its predecessors. It charges devices and transfers huge amounts of data at much faster speeds, and because it is reversible, it doesn’t matter which end of it you stick up the device or the adapter.

Apple didn’t include the USB-C because it will lead to more sales of its latest phones. (It will probably be a source of consternation for most customers currently using its Lightning accessories.) Apple’s hand was forced because of the European Union (EU) ruling last year that makes it compulsory for a host of portable devices, from mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras, to headphones, headsets, earbuds and many more, to support the USB-C as a common charging connector by 2024. (The deadline for laptops is 2026.) The high cost of making a different charging technology only for the European region will probably mean this one-cable-for-all maxim will extend across the globe. The EU is doing all this to reduce e-waste, but it says this ruling will also help stem unnecessary costs for consumers. It claims that about 11,000 tonnes of electronic waste is generated annually by discarded and unused chargers, and that this ruling will help bring around €250 million worth of savings to customers annually.

Not all issues have been resolved. There is the issue of semi-compartmentalisation, that while your device will get charged to some degree using a USB-C cable, for optimum fast charging, certain manufacturers ensure that it occurs only when paired with a specific type of USB-C cable and charger. There is also the fear that with USB-C cables looking identical, those of poorer quality might lack the wherewithal to protect your devices.

Despite these fears, the advantages are considerable. It will help reduce e-waste and costs. And if you ever leave your cable behind, somebody nearby will definitely have the same one.

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