USB-C group hopes new logos will solve customer confusion

AppleInsider

The group responsible for the USB-C protocol has issued new certified logos that show if a cable or port supports 60W or 240W, hoping that customers will read the labels.

A slightly worn USB-C cable

USB-C is becoming ever more of a standard, but different USB-C cables support different cable power. Now the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF), the non-profit support group, wants to make it immediately clear to buyers and users, what type of cable they're getting.

"With the new higher power capabilities enabled by the USB PD 3.1 Specification, which unlocks up to 240W over a USB Type-C cable and connector," says USB-IF President and COO, Jeff Ravencraft, "USB-IF saw an opportunity to further strengthen and simplify its Certified Logo Program for the end user."

"With our updated logos," he continued in a statement, "consumers can easily identify the USB4 performance and USB Power Delivery capabilities of Certified USB-C Cables, which support an ever-expanding ecosystem of consumer electronics from laptops and smartphones to displays and chargers."

New USB-C logos

The group's new Certified USB Logo Program presents cable logos "clearly indicating support for 60W or 240W as defined by the USB Power Delivery 3.1 Specification."

For those buyers who do look at the packaging, or who do check the cable they're plugging in, the group has also issued new USB4 logos. These are intended to "unify branding" across the different types of cables.

To learn more about the technical differences between USB-C, USB 3, USB 4, and Thunderbolt, check the AppleInsider guide.

Read on AppleInsider

mknelson

They really should have done this day 1.

Different USB speeds, different Thunderbolt speeds, different power delivery ratings. It's too easy to mix things up right now.

*I almost forgot that some cables support Displayport, some don't!

nadriel

The suggested logos are kind of ugly, messy and even have the small trademarks too.. But better than nothing.

Eric_WVGG

I for one think it’s really nice that they pulled a bunch of goddamned retired Compaq Computer graphic designers from the 1980’s out of retirement to craft these informative logos.

applguy

You mean all usb-c cables are not the same… Consumers don’t understand the words on the packaging they are buying or know what they need to buy. I don’t see how is a logo going to change that at this point. 

wonkothesane

Should not always both be stated, speed and wattage?

randominternetperson

applguy said:

You mean all usb-c cables are not the same… Consumers don’t understand the words on the packaging they are buying or know what they need to buy. I don’t see how is a logo going to change that at this point. 

You can buy the right cable and know all the issues, but if the cable itself isn’t labeled you’re out of luck. This is a critical, overdue step. 

22july2013

Excellent article on why consumers should avoid USB.

scottw2

Coming from a group that invented names such as USB 3.1 Gen 2, I sorta expect their branding to be "40Gbps Unidirectional 24A x 5W Gen 5 Revision 4" /s

omasou

I love how we are standardizing on the physical connectors but the rest is such a mess.

This is going to be just as bad as the SD** card labeling for HC, XC, UC, Speed Class, USH Speed Class and Video Speed Class and Video format support as USB-C progresses with faster data speeds and higher wattages.

If a Wikipedia page is required to explain the options, it's too confusing, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SD_card

OutdoorAppDeveloper

PSA: Apple's Lightning has 480 Mbps which is over 80 times SLOWER than USB-C at 40 Gbps! And Apple decided to use Lightning on their flagship $1100 iPhone 13 over the vastly faster better and more compatible USB C because innovation.

omasou

OutdoorAppDeveloper said:

PSA: Apple's Lightning has 480 Mbps which is over 80 times SLOWER than USB-C at 40 Gbps! And Apple decided to use Lightning on their flagship $1100 iPhone 13 over the vastly faster better and more compatible USB C because innovation.

I still think Apple has not and will not switch the iPhone to USB-C b/c they want to maintain the dust and water resistance.

Instead I think they will eventually only support wireless charging and ditch the port all together.

harrykatsaros

Is one universal cable that’s backwards compatible with every USB-C type and derivative and wattage, etc. thus far too hard an idea. The USB group/foundation whatever have really forgotten the UNIVERSAL part of Universal Serial Bus. 

sflocal

OutdoorAppDeveloper said:

PSA: Apple's Lightning has 480 Mbps which is over 80 times SLOWER than USB-C at 40 Gbps! And Apple decided to use Lightning on their flagship $1100 iPhone 13 over the vastly faster better and more compatible USB C because innovation.

The 40gb/s is a Thunderbolt spec, not USBc.  USB4 is has the Thunderbolt protocol as part of the USB4 specification.  People can/do backup their iPhones over WiFi anyways, so having 40gb/s on a phone is in many ways silly.

While I see Apple eventually discarding the Lightning cable in favor of USBc, the port may very well disappear entirely on iPhones in another couple years.  So it's a moot issue.

techrider

Love that Universal has umpteen different options

MplsP

randominternetperson said:

applguy said:

You mean all usb-c cables are not the same… Consumers don’t understand the words on the packaging they are buying or know what they need to buy. I don’t see how is a logo going to change that at this point. 

You can buy the right cable and know all the issues, but if the cable itself isn’t labeled you’re out of luck. This is a critical, overdue step. 

Exactly - USB C has been a mess for the last several years. It was touted as the universal connector, except you never know what a USB C port is capable of and you never know what a USB C cable is capable of so in the end it’s really not much better than it was before and in some ways is worse. At least before if you saw a blue USB port you knew it was USB 3, and a thunderbolt port was a thunderbolt port. 

Eric_WVGG

omasou said:

OutdoorAppDeveloper said:

PSA: Apple's Lightning has 480 Mbps which is over 80 times SLOWER than USB-C at 40 Gbps! And Apple decided to use Lightning on their flagship $1100 iPhone 13 over the vastly faster better and more compatible USB C because innovation.

I still think Apple has not and will not switch the iPhone to USB-C b/c they want to maintain the dust and water resistance.

Instead I think they will eventually only support wireless charging and ditch the port all together.

Agreed. And that bit about the weird secret 60ghz wireless antenna in the Apple Watch gave me an idea as to how they might pull off wired-speed data transfer without a plug.

Imagine if they made a MagSafe cable that had a wireless antenna that could pull off super-fast speeds at super-short (like, measured in millimeters) distances. You'd be able to seal it off from interference and run at the kind of speeds that WiFi can only do in laboratories. Now you've got wireless charging, data transfer speeds that are faster than Lightning, and no ports!

baconstang

harrykatsaros said:

Is one universal cable that’s backwards compatible with every USB-C type and derivative and wattage, etc. thus far too hard an idea. The USB group/foundation whatever have really forgotten the UNIVERSAL part of Universal Serial Bus. 

From Monoprice a 1 m 40GBS 100w cable is $55. 
It's not that hard, just expensive.

lkrupp

"hoping that customers will read the labels...” Ha, ha, that’s rich. Take a gander at the Apple Discussion Forums’ Apple TV 4K section where it’s chaotic over HDMI 2.0 vs HDMI 2.1, what cables are required to ensure Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos work, how to option the Apple TV 4K, the AVR, and the 4K so it all works. 

RudeBoyRudy

OutdoorAppDeveloper said:

PSA: Apple's Lightning has 480 Mbps which is over 80 times SLOWER than USB-C at 40 Gbps! And Apple decided to use Lightning on their flagship $1100 iPhone 13 over the vastly faster better and more compatible USB C because innovation.

Stay tuned. No more cables. Apple is skipping USB-C and going straight to wireless (MagSafe) and also wireless data.  

F_Kent_D

This is all a very good reason Apple doesn’t cause more confusion with the millions of iPhone users by switching to USB-C. I’m sure it’s faster and all that but imagine how many people would be so pissed off that after removing the charge brick that 90% of people have 6 of they completely change the port used to charge their phone. I have tons of lightning cables and they’re slowly becoming used less than before just because of the convenience of MagSafe and wireless charging. Anyone can almost always find someone else with a lightning cable to charge their phone but not everyone has the correct USB-C cable to do the same, if they carry an iPhone. I like USB-C, I like the universality of it and it’s capabilities but they need to be better defined up front for what they’re capable of. Some have to be reversed to work and some don’t. That is super annoying, kinda like back to the old USB types that can only be plugged in a certain way.