Not all manufacturers use USB-C connectors yet. But what is the rush, I thought recently. It hasn’t been that long.
You laugh at me, you mean when you say that!
In 2014, we wrote about USB-C for the first time. The USB Implementers Forum, the official USB standards organization, had just passed the guidelines for the new connector. As one of the first devices with USB-C, Apple introduced the 12-inch MacBook in early 2015. It became famous and notorious because the only USB-C interface was also the only one on the device.
He was proud 6 years ago. And anyone who thought at the time that we could only use USB-C connectors today is very wrong.
Adapters as far as the eye can see
A current example from personal experience: Until recently, I used a simple microphone that sounds great on both my old MacBook and my smartphone. I was even able to plug it in simply via a 3.5mm jack.
Unfortunately, my new MacBook Air M1 doesn’t always recognize the microphone through the 3.5mm port. The other systems either. So I took out my old USB-A sound card, which I connected to the MacBook using a USB-A to USB-C adapter. Soon the other participants in our conference calls complained about the buzzing on my line.
Possible solution: a USB-C sound card. Cost: from around 10 euros. Affordable – but a seemingly superfluous nervous factor.
So maybe it’s time to switch to a digital microphone… my colleague Daniel Wendorf advised me to use the Rode NT-USB Mini. The minimalist microphone introduced by Rode in 2020 actually uses a USB-C output. Finally! While unpacking, I looked forward to the supplied connection cable: USB-C to USB-A. On the other hand, Rode was still using the old take.
Adapters cost money and quality
So now I connect the Micro to my new MacBook, in which Apple only used USB-C interfaces, using the Mac charging cable. Fortunately, this has USB-C on both sides. And it works!
In order to connect the Micro to my iPhone 12 Pro Max, I actually wanted to use the Lightning to USB-C charging cable that came with it. But it does not work. The microphone is therefore not getting enough power. The switch from jack to Lightning also caused a buzz here – so much for the feeling of going without the jack.
For my iPhone, I find the solution in a contribution from my colleague Frank Müller: the Apple iPhone camera adapter. Because Apple still hasn’t made the decision to replace Lightning with USB-C, it remains the only bridge that allows many USB-C devices to connect to an iPhone. Cost, depending on the market situation: 40 to 50 euros.
But it’s not just Apple, as the Rode example shows. Even modern smartphones often have the USB-A socket on the other side of the charging cable. Solar chargers, speakers, smart systems, headphones, microphones, printers – you will often still find connectors other than USB-C. Not to mention the proprietary charging sockets of many laptops.
USB 4.0: the salvation?
The USB Developer Forum is unfortunately anything but a shining example. On the contrary: officials even added gasoline to the fire with confusing names and types of plugs. So they had the idea to rename USB 3.0 to USB 3.1 Gen1 and later to USB 3.2 Gen1. USB 3.2 can be the same as USB 3.0, but it is not required.
And even a uniform connector type is still not required under USB 3.2. USB 3.2 can use the Type-C connector on both sides or the old Type-A. To see the difference, you have to study the technical sheet.
USB 4.0 should finally eliminate this chaos. There should then be only one Type C connector with the same cable types and data rates. But, you already guessed it: of course, no manufacturer is forced to use USB 4.0. Similar to how you still find USB 2.0 in some devices today, the older types of USB – and especially plugs – will stick with us for now.
It sucks. It costs money to keep getting new cables and adapters and it takes time to order them. This leads to incompatibilities, and it is often to the detriment of quality. It is time for that to change.
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