USB type c output. USB Type-C - what is it. Just something simple. You will have to keep it as the "apple of an eye"

Good afternoon, dear readers! Each laptop case has a variety of connectors for connecting an additional headset and peripherals.

Modern models are equipped with an additional port - usb type c, which has a universal purpose. If you do not know what it is and for what purposes it can be used, we recommend that you read our article!

USB Type-C features

New technologies have made it possible to create a unique USB Type-C pinout, consisting of 24 pins that perform a specific function:

8 pins carry out high-speed data exchange;
others transmit the signal to the connected headset;
a few more pins are needed to select the power mode.

The new connector has a number of advantages. First of all, experts note the versatility of the port, which is fully compatible with any standards, starting from the first generation of USB.

The double-sided connector allows you to connect the cable in any position, and it is absolutely safe, with the exception of gadget breakdowns.

Application of the new USB standard

USB Type-C has compact dimensions and great features. It can be used to recharge the batteries of other devices and provide plug-in gadgets with power up to 100 W with full power saving.

The new format connector is used for high-speed data transfer from a flash drive, for connecting headphones, an external monitor, mobile phones and other technical devices.

The only nuance that is important to consider in advance is the lack of the ability to directly connect to a gadget equipped with an old-generation USB port, which is due to fundamental differences in designs.

Special adapters, presented in a wide range in specialized equipment stores, will help to correct the situation.

What is the difference between USB Type-C and micro? The new connector standard has a symmetrical shape, more compact dimensions and versatility. It was created under the innovative specification of the USB standard, which will soon allow replacing all existing connectors and adapters for more convenient use.

Also, one cannot fail to note the undeniable advantages of the new version of the interface and an open standard that does not require licensing fees from manufacturers.

To summarize: USB Type-C is simple and easy to connect with a large resource, high data transfer rate and universal purpose.

Sincerely,

Users of mobile devices in the 2000s had a hard time - they were forced to put up with the so-called proprietary. The phones of each manufacturer were equipped with unique charging connectors - as a result, the charger, for example, did not work with the phone. It even reached the point of absurdity - when for two phones of the same manufacturer (Finnish) you had to look for different ones. User dissatisfaction turned out to be so strong that the European Parliament was forced to intervene.

Now the situation is radically different: almost all smartphone manufacturers equip their gadgets with ports for chargers. same type. The user no longer has to buy a new memory "in appendage" to the phone.

USB cables can be used not only to transfer data from a PC to a gadget, but also to charge a mobile device. Smartphones are able to replenish the “reserves” of the battery both from the outlet and from the computer, but in the second case, charging will take much longer. A traditional USB cable for an Android or Windows Phone smartphone looks like this:

At one end there is a standard plug USB 2.0 Type-A:

This plug plugs into a USB port on a computer or laptop.

The other end of the wire is a plug. microUSB.

It, accordingly, is inserted into the micro-USB connector on the mobile device.

It is micro-USB 2.0 that is now a unified connector: you can find it on smartphones and tablets from almost all manufacturers of mobile equipment (with the exception of Apple). The interface standardization agreement was signed in 2011 by representatives of 13 leading companies in the mobile market.

Micro-USB was chosen for a number of reasons:

The connector is compact. Its physical dimensions are only 2 × 7 millimeters - this is about 4 times smaller than that of USB 2.0 Type-A.
The plug is durable- especially when compared with Nokia's thin charger.
The connector is capable of high data transfer rates. Theoretically, the transfer rate via Micro-USB using the 2.0 standard can reach 480 Mbps. The actual speed is much lower (10-12 Mbps in full speed), but this rarely causes inconvenience to users.
The connector supports the . We'll talk more about the benefits of this later.

Micro-USB competition in the struggle for the role of a standard connector could be imposed Mini USB. The mini plug looks like this:

This type of USB connector did not fit as a standard, and here's why:

Connector is larger- albeit not much. Its size is 3 × 7 millimeters.
Connector is quite fragile.- due to the lack of rigid fasteners, it loosens very quickly. As a result, data transmission via cable becomes a real torment for the user.

In the 2000s, a mini-USB connector could be found on smartphones from second-class manufacturers - say, and. Now you will not find mobile gadgets with a mini-jack on the market.

In addition to those USB connectors that we mentioned (Micro-USB, Mini-USB, USB Type-A), there are others. For example, micro USB 3.0 can be used to connect hard drives to a PC, and USB Type-B(square shape) – for musical instruments (in particular, MIDI keyboards). These connectors are not directly related to mobile technology (except for Galaxy Note 3 c USB 3.0), so we will not talk about them in more detail.

What are USB cables for smartphones?

Thanks to the inexhaustible imagination of Chinese needleworkers, mobile technology users can buy cables of completely different formations. For example, in the era of proprietary, such a “monster” was incredibly popular:

Yes, this charger fits all the main connectors!

Similar "multi-tools" are still on sale, but they have fewer plugs. Here is a 4-in-1 charger, which can be ordered for less than 200 rubles:

This charger is equipped with all modern plugs - Lightning, 30Pin (both for), microUSB, USB 3.0. Definitely a "must-have" for the user!

There are other interesting options as well. Here is the cable from OATSBAS for those who hate cables:

This cable allows you to charge two mobile devices from your computer. simultaneously(for example, the 5th iPhone and Android) and has a very tempting price - just over 100 rubles.

In domestic stores and salons, the user, of course, will not find such an abundance of various cables as on the catalog pages gear best and . In addition, retail data equipment is significantly more expensive. For these two reasons, users are advised to order USB cables from China.

What is the OTG standard?

Surely many have seen such a cable and wondered what it is for:

This is a cable OTG; at one end is a plug micro USB, on the second - connector USB 2.0, "mother". Using such a cable, you can connect a USB flash drive to a smartphone or tablet, but only if the mobile device itself supports the standard OTG.

OTG(short for On-The-Go) is a function designed to quickly connect 2 USB devices to each other, without the mediation of a computer. Connect by OTG you can use not only a flash drive (although this is, of course, the most common case), but also, for example, a computer mouse, keyboard, external hard drive, game steering wheel, joystick. You can even connect your smartphone to a printer or MFP to print a picture taken with the gadget's camera.

Cables OTG for the iPhone have already appeared, however, uploading to an “apple” device (without jailbreak) from an external medium only results in photos and videos - and then only when the root folders on the flash drive and the photos themselves have the “correct” names.

A complete list of smartphones that support the function OTG, no - simply because almost all modern gadgets can boast of having this standard and the list would be huge. Nevertheless, a buyer who intends to connect a mouse or a flash drive to the device should ask the salon-shop consultant about support OTG before giving money - "for every fireman."

USB Type-C: what are the benefits?

Transition from micro USB on - this is a new trend in the mobile electronics market! Manufacturers are actively mastering the technology and equipping their flagship models with improved connectors for charging and data transfer. USB Type-C waited a long time “in the shadows”: the connector was created back in 2013, but only in 2016, market leaders paid attention to it.

Looks USB Type-C So:

What are the benefits Type C in front of the usual micro USB?

High data rate. Bandwidth Type C equals 10 Gb / s (!). But that's just throughput.: in fact, only owners of smartphones with a standard USB 3.1- For example, Nexus 6P and 5X. If the gadget uses the standard USB 3.0, the speed will be around 5 Gb / s; at USB 2.0 data transfer will be much slower.
. The duration of the smartphone charging procedure depends on the potential amount of watts that are supplied by the connector. USB 2.0 capable of delivering everything 2.5W That's why charging lasts hours. Connector USB Type-C provides 100 W- that is, 40 times (!) more. It is curious that the current transfer can occur in both directions - both to the host and away from it.
Connector symmetry. If the connector micro USB there is a top and a bottom, then a connector Type C symmetrical. Which side to insert it into the connector does not matter. From this point on, technology USB Type-C similar to Lightning from Apple.

Dignity Type C is also a small size of the connector - only 8.4 × 2.6 mm. According to this technology criterion micro USB and USB Type-C are similar.

At USB Type-C There are also disadvantages, one of which is more than significant. Due to the unregulated operation of the connector, charging can easily “fry” a mobile device. This probability is not purely theoretical - fires have happened in practice. It is for this reason that the spread of non-original, "handicraft" cables and chargers USB Type-C.

Due to this mass character, new technology will be introduced evolutionary, not revolutionary– so that users can see for themselves the benefits Type C and decide to abandon the standard connector. At the same time, Ravencraft admits that, perhaps, a complete replacement USB-A will never happen.

At the beginning of its journey, the USB port was designed to combine all other interfaces into one, its unchanged logo even hinted at this, but as time goes on, the universal port itself has grown to many poorly compatible versions, which has brought even more chaos to the relationship of certain gadgets. And finally, He appeared on the horizon. The great and terrible USB Type C. Knowledgeable people greeted him with almost applause, and ordinary users just shrugged their shoulders. You can meet this indifference even today, they say, yes, symmetrical, yes, it’s easier to connect, so what? In fact, the difference is huge, and if you are still wondering which is better - Type C or microUSB, you are here.

Type C is more practical

This compact port has declared itself as a new network standard and its appearance is quite consistent with such a high status. A symmetrical, 24-pin port can now be found on flagship and mid-range smartphones, laptops, docking stations, routers, and a huge amount of other equipment. It does not take up much space on the case and, yes, it is more convenient to connect it. And now you don’t have to carry with you a certain number of blocks from different equipment.
Backward compatibility is also important. The Type-C port allows you to use any technology from the most ancient to the most modern without any special restrictions.
A couple of years ago, the issue of finding adapters and compatible flash drives was acute, but today there are a dime a dozen of them on the market.

Data transfer rate - up to 10 Gb / s

In this regard, Type C is a big stepping stone for the future, because it offers users data transfer rates of up to 10 Gb / s. Modern smartphones, of course, do not need this, but in the future it may well come in handy.
Here, by the way, we must immediately put an end to the confusion. The first Type C installed on a smartphone (by the way, it was Nokia N1) only supported the 2.0 protocol, while later devices could have both 3.0 and 3.1 with the corresponding data transfer rates. This limitation is imposed by the manufacturer with an eye to modern realities and will continue to increase.

Charging - up to 100W of power

Fast charging is already rampant across the planet. They are developed by different manufacturers and they work according to different principles, but the essence is the same - to increase power and thus reduce the charging time of the gadget. If you read our last text, you noticed that in modern fast charging technologies, the numbers do not even come close to the indicated one. However, in the future, this transcendental, at first glance, power will be used. You may have come across this technology on the Web under the name USB Power Delivery. It is what many see as the future standard for fast charging.
Moreover, the Type C port can not only charge, but also charge other devices, which obviously will not fail to be used by third-party manufacturers in their developments.

Alternate Modes

If up to this point we have been talking exclusively about proprietary developments, now it's time to look at related technologies. Type C will also allow you to connect to monitors with DisplayPort, MHL and HDMI.
Thunderbolt 3 cannot be ignored, which guarantees data and video transfer at high speeds. Through this interface, you can daisy-chain up to 6 peripheral devices (for example, monitors). It's hard to imagine a situation where this is really necessary.

Sound transmission - audiophile quality

If we evaluated all the above modes in the context of a reserve for the future, then this is what even ordinary users are already facing today. We are talking about the mass replacement of the audio jack with a Type C port. The separated ports, in this case, have only one (but very serious) advantage: you can use headphones even when the smartphone is charging. But on all other points, the analog jack is inferior to the digital USB-C. In the latter case, the sound quality will be higher, noise reduction and echo cancellation will be better implemented. Equally significant is the ability to transfer some of the tasks (and related equipment) to the headset, which will also help to avoid unnecessary noise and expand the capabilities of the headset in terms of control. The other side of the coin is that headphones will obviously become more expensive than modern simple “whistles” or, in other words, “whistles” will simply die out as a species.
And in the future, according to the developers, more cool things are waiting for us. For example, the ability to monitor body temperature during sports using headphones.

Docking stations

It was the versatility of the USB Type C port that made it possible to use docking stations for smartphones. Connecting to the dock makes it possible to get almost a full-fledged desktop PC from a smartphone. Not a gaming level, of course, but it will definitely pull on a multimedia one, since the power of mobile processors is more than enough for this. There are currently two devices on the market with this functionality. These are the HP Elite x3, which we did a great review of, and the Samsung Galaxy S8, S8+ and Note8 models with their DeX Station. Given the speed with which Type C is spreading, I would like to hope that analogues will appear from other manufacturers.

As we see, a miniature Type-C port is not only charging, as many people think, but also a sea of other possibilities. It is for the versatility of USB-C that they appreciate it. But the sea of \u200b\u200bthese undeniable advantages crosses out one fat minus. The capabilities of the port will always be limited by the host device and it is not possible to externally recognize these limitations. That is, Type C always looks the same, and to find out exactly what it will “be able to” on a particular device, you will have to look for detailed specifications. Moreover, the difficulties here will be not only with the presence / absence of alternative modes, but also with the speeds involved. Moreover, the compatibility of two devices can be “killed” by using the wrong cable. Such a sickly game of attentiveness turns out. The only thing that pleases, these restrictions the further, the more they will be leveled with the development of technology.

Apple's latest MacBook laptop comes with a single USB Type-C port. But this form factor is not the corporation's own standard. USB Type-C is a new type of universal port standardized by the international USB-IF consortium. And over time, it will spread to all devices that today are equipped with a classic (if not "old") larger USB connector.

The variety of modern Apple MacBooks can be found on the Bayon pages:

USB Type-C connector tightly intertwined with other new standards: high-speed USB 3.1 and "electric" USB Power Delivery, whose task is to supply enough current to power various devices.

In the article, we will also talk about the differences between USB Type-C and USB 3.1 and about how the USB Power Delivery standard and the Type C port are similar.

Type-C - a new form of USB port

Physically, the USB Type-C connector is a thinner port. The connector itself can support the existing USB 3.1 and USB Power Delivery (USB PD for short) standards. In fact, 3.1 and PD are "logical" varieties of USB, and Type-C is just the size, shape and type of the port.

The most familiar USB connector is categorized as USB Type-A. Even when switching from the “ancient” USB 1.1 standard to the long-lived 2.0 (and fast 3.0, which is usually marked in blue), the connector remained the same. At one time, it seemed miniature, but after years of technological development, it looks very massive. Its other drawback is the ability to connect to the device exclusively by one specific side. Therefore, before connecting the connector to the port, you must make sure that it is in the correct position.

But the USB bus is also attractive for other devices! And a large USB port of the classic form factor cannot physically be placed on the thin edges of smartphones, game controllers, digital cameras and all other gadgets where this data transfer standard asks for. This is how numerous connector standards were born, including the now common “micro” and “mini”.

Variety of connectors and connectors class Universal Serial Bus

"Zoo" of various sizes of USB ports is nearing closure. The reason for this is the new USB standard. Type-C, on whose side there is a huge advantage: the miniature geometric dimensions of the port. Its dimensions are approximately one third of the "old" USB Type-A. The new form factor can be placed in any device. No more collections of wires: both external hard drive and smartphone charging require only one single cable. At the same time, a tiny port can both fit into the body of a mobile device and serve as a source of electricity even for "gluttonous" peripheral devices. On both sides, the cable ends with the same USB Type-C connectors.

Handsome “chargers” of various shapes and colors will not go anywhere, but the cable will be standard.

Unified Type-C standard

That's right: a single standard, and so many "goodies" at once. There is one more thing: “Type C” (this is the English transcription of the name) is also attractive due to its two-sided nature. You can insert the connector into this connector in any direction. You no longer have to consider the direction of the "lace" to carefully insert it into the port.
So far, USB Type-C is just beginning its victorious march, so data cables are an indispensable attribute of any computer "economy".

We recommend that you familiarize yourself with our products in this category: USB cables

Class USB frame Type C can work in various modes - "protocols". In practice, this translates into one and only The port can also be connected to HDMI, VGA, DisplayPort cables or other types of computer connections with peripherals. Digital USB-C multiport adapter from Apple is a great example of the above. This adapter allows you to connect HDMI or VGA video outputs, large old standard USB connectors to your computer Type A , and, of course, its native USB inputs Type C . A bunch of all kinds of USB, HDMI, DisplayPort, VGA and other connectors, which are now adorned with most laptops on all side faces, can be replaced with only one type of port. Something similar has happened with mobile computer speakers in recent years - they are increasingly connected to the computer via USB, rather than through specific ports.

USB Power Delivery Standard

Closely related to Type C also consists of another fresh standard of the consortium - USB PD. What is USB Power Delivery?

Many mobile devices - smartphones, tablets, PDAs - can be charged from a computer when connected to it via USB. The USB 2.0 class port provides up to 2.5 watts of current - enough for a leisurely charge, but more demanding devices were not to be thought of: an average laptop, for example, requires up to 60 watts.

The USB Power Delivery specifications are capable of delivering up to 100W of current. Moreover, the direction of the current can be bidirectional, so both devices connected by a USB cable can both give and receive electricity. Simultaneously with the provision of power supply, data transmission is also possible. Both the new MacBook and Google's Pixel Chromebook are capable of charging their batteries when connected via a USB Type-C port. The new USB PD standard will let you forget about the numerous types of cables and connectors for powering laptops. Any device can be powered from a standard USB port. The current source for a laptop can be any newfangled "external battery". You can also connect a laptop to an external screen - and this display will share its current with the computer, while simultaneously showing the image sent to it by the computer through a small Type-C class USB port.

All you need is support for USB Power Delivery technology. A regular USB Type-C port is no guarantee of such electrical omnipotence. As Bayon already noted at the beginning of the article, Type-C is just a new geometry for this connector; everything else will depend on the specific manufacturer of this device - whether developers want to equip their devices with Type-C ports with USB PD support.

Relationship between USB Type-C and USB 3.1

USB 3.1 is another milestone in the development of the USB bus. The theoretical bandwidth of USB 3.0 is limited to 5 gigabits per second. The new iteration, USB 3.1, doubles that figure, up to 10 theoretical gigabits/sec. This beautiful figure corresponds to the speed of the first generation Thunderbolt port.

What is the difference between USB Type-C and USB 3.1?

The first one (USB Type-C) is just a geometric shape of the connector, nothing more. Inside this "geometry" you can embed the old USB 2.0, and its descendant - 3.0, and their successor 3.1. In principle, nothing prevents placing in Type-C even the logic of a frankly “museum” USB 1.1.

A practical example of the difference between USB Type-C and USB 3.1 is the Nokia N1 Android tablet. It is equipped with a new USB Type-C connector, but there is 2.0 bus logic inside (yes, not even 3.0). Corresponding to it and the data transfer rate. However, these two technologies are directly related to each other, even though they are not synonymous.

USB backwards compatibility with new standard technologies

From a physical and geometric point of view, the USB Type-C connector is not compatible with its predecessors. And from a logical point of view, the developers have retained full backward compatibility. In other words, it will not be possible to “shove” the usual bulky connector from a printer or mouse into the thin new Type-C connector. It will not work out and connect a modern USB flash drive or external HDD equipped with a Type-C cable into a classic computer-format USB port that is familiar to everyone.

Now let's get back to the good stuff. The USB 3.1 standard is fully compatible with previous versions of USB, so all you need to connect old peripherals to a USB Type-C port is a simple adapter adapter. Devices will work, there will be no problems.

How to live in the era of USB Type-C?

In practice, most new computers will be equipped with both the new USB Type-C ports and the familiar USB Type-A - at least for the foreseeable future. Such a process has already begun, as an example, let's take the same Pixel Chromebook. No need to change old peripherals (printers, scanners, flash drives with mice) for new devices with USB Type-C cables. And even if your future computer is orthodoxly equipped exclusively with USB Type-C ports (as in the case of the MacBook), inexpensive and increasingly common adapters will help solve the problem.

Bottom line: Bayon's reflections on USB Type-C

A timely and long-awaited update, this new connector. The pioneers of USB Type-C are the developers of the MacBook, but this technology will soon spread far beyond the "apple universe". Over time, other ports will become a thing of the past, and the transition to a new era will be as painless as possible. Whatever readers' opinions about Apple, this time they have given way to a new standard that will be useful to everyone.

Moreover, the USB Type-C port can replace the Lightning interface, which is used only by smartphones and tablets of this corporation. Lightning has no particular advantages over USB Type-C - it is beneficial to Apple only because it receives royalties for its use.

I migrated to USB Type-C almost two years ago and still have not gone blind. I'll tell you the whole truth.

The market is not ready

In 2015, Apple introduced to the public - the first laptop with a progressive USB Type-C interface on board. Here I would faint with joy, but there was only one connector. But for everything at once, including for charging a laptop. For this port, only the lazy did not scold the aluminum gadget, although I personally was among those. I didn’t scold, but I was afraid that there would be problems during the active operation of the device.

I was apprehensive and decided to buy anyway. I really liked the device, in fact. Naturally, I bought it right away with an adapter - the simplest Apple USB-C / USB. Thus began my new life at the crossroads of generations, when the standard was already launched to the masses, but the market was not yet ready for this.

Almost two years after the release of the MacBook 12, the market is still not ready for USB Type-C. At a minimum, this impression may be due to the public reaction to the use of the same ports in the new MacBook Pro. But often this is the opinion of theorists. In practice, everything is somewhat more prosaic. In this article, I will share my experience of using a laptop with USB Type-C - the pros, cons, and whether to be afraid of the new standard.

USB Type-C is versatile, but also not quite ready for the market

The functionality of the new standard is impressive and many good articles have been written about it, including . In short and simplified, the connector is more compact than its predecessor, you can insert it in any direction, it supports data transfer (up to 10 Gb / s or up to 40 Gb / s if we are talking about Thunderbolt 3), video (up to 5K), audio and power up to 100 W inclusive.

Cool? Not that word!

The only difficulty is that when everything is mixed at once, overlays, problems and issues of incompatibility occur. The simplest example is MacBook 12 and MacBook Pro 2016, which seem to have the same connectors, but in fact they are different there: classic USB Type-C and Thunderbolt 3, respectively. The latter is more progressive, has backward compatibility, but not in everything. Available with Texas Instruments' first generation USB-C chipset (TPS65982). And this is just the tip of the iceberg.

There are several standards for USB Type-C cables with support for different data transfer rates (from 480 Mbps to 10 Gbps), different power voltages or no power lines at all, with video transmission function (via built-in DisplayPort or alternative Alternate Mode ) and without it. All schemes and standards are clearly spelled out, but only underground Chinese factories do not care about them, because price is a priority. As a result, you can use a cheap cable.

What do we end up with? There is only one connector, it supports many standards, it can do almost everything, but there is also the other side of the coin in the form of a lot of confusion among cables and peripherals. The wires are the same, but the possibilities are different. The connector is the same, but not the fact that it can do everything stated in the specifications of the standard. By the way, in the new MacBook Pro, Thunderbolt 3 ports can really do everything, but this does not solve compatibility problems yet.

These are the realities of the transition period in which we find ourselves through the efforts of Apple. On the other hand, if it were not for the heavy tarpaulin boot with the logo of a bitten apple, which from time to time kicks the market in sirloin places, who knows how much more the dominance of optical drives in laptops would be observed and how quickly Wi-Fi would spread.

Let's take a better look at working in USB Type-C in the real world and on a real device - is the devil really as scary as he is painted.

Two years of life with USB Type-C

Each story is strictly individual, including mine. On the other hand, there are always some common points in the operation of devices. I will try to focus on them, so that you can try on the described experience to your personal situation.

The first thing that caused concern was whether the laptop had enough charge to restore a Time Machine backup copy from an external hard drive? When I purchased the device, only a simple branded adapter was available in my region, as in the photo above, that is, you can either connect the power supply or an external drive. I feared in vain. 250 GB of "personal workspace" quickly settled into the new machine, using up only 30% of the battery in the process. A big plus was that the external hard drive supports USB 3.0, as does the adapter, so the data was copied at very high speeds (more than 40-50 MB / s).

I recommend not saving on USB Type-C adapters and taking branded, proven models so as not to run into a low-speed version (480 Mbps). And when it comes to laptop power, then the choice is only among TOP brands or Apple branded adapters. This is not the moment when you can save and when you need to save, because not only the functionality of the I / O port is at stake, but also the health of the gadget.

Having settled on a laptop and worked for a couple of weeks, I somehow did not notice a special need for old USB ports, even when I needed to transfer photos from a memory card (which I do quite often on duty) or connect some equipment. I even flashed my favorite camera (Sony A7r) via USB Type-C and a proprietary adapter - the process went without a hitch. The only difference was the need to connect this same adapter, which is a matter of seconds.

That is, there were no problems associated with the fact that the port hole in the laptop is mechanically not directly compatible with 99% of devices on the market. The need to use an adapter did not bother me and still does not bother me.

The first roughness began when it was necessary to travel frequently on business trips. In order to have something to do on the road, in addition to writing articles, I usually record movies and TV shows on a tablet or smartphone. The difficulty turned out to be that there is only one port and I have a single adapter too. The branded more expensive one did not buy more, the toad crushed. Thus, to record video from an external hard drive to the iPad and iPhone, you first had to copy the content to your laptop's own drive and then transfer it to the Apple mobile gadget. Extra action and extra time. Not critical, but still strained.

At first, I solved the problem with a cheap Chinese USB Type-C hub, about which. It has nothing to do with power, so I wouldn’t burn the laptop if I wanted to. The only ambush is the low data transfer rate, limited by USB 2.0 (up to 30 MB / s), but the adapter pulled three connected devices at once. True, the card reader built into it died the next day of operation. Nevertheless, 20 GB of video easily flew from an external drive through this miracle of Chinese engineering and then recorded similar portions of content several more times.

After some time, I solved the problem radically by ordering a high-quality and very compact USB hub Satechi Type-C Pass Through USB Hub. By the way, there are many analogues - they all cost about the same. Moreover, there are similar hubs, but also with an HDMI output. All in all, this tiny thing solved the problem of powering the laptop with a couple of USB accessories connected, plus it contains SD and MicroSD card readers. Unlike the Chinese hub, the memory card slots are still working. There is only one joke - the aluminum adapter heats up noticeably, but there were no difficulties with this. Worked, stuck for 5-6 hours in a laptop - everything is ok.

I also bought a flash drive with two ports from Type-C accessories at once - it is convenient to transfer some content from a MacBook to a device with old USB ports.

As you can see, there are rough edges, but even with only one USB Type-C port, there were no critical situations. But there are also pluses. For example, the fact that I can . In addition, the included power supply, but also iPhone, iPad and any other USB device. All you need is the simplest Apple adapter.

I also got an external battery with USB Type-C, capable of charging the MacBook 12, even when it is actively working, which increased the autonomy of the device by another 3-4 hours.

More USB Type-C, more to jump into a brighter future

When the new MacBook Pro models were announced and people began to actively scold Apple for abandoning a bunch of different holes in favor of USB Type-C, all this hype only made me smile. There are no real difficulties in the transition to the new standard, there are only extra costs for adapters, but against the backdrop of the price of the laptops themselves, this is a trifle.

Complaints, they say, the pros will have to carry adapters with them, are unfounded. Real pros understand that in a year or two, when you need to change your monstrous laptop, there will be no problem anymore - the peripherals will catch up to the new standard. Those pros who decide to switch to a new device now do not take a steam bath either. Because guys (and girls) already carry a bunch of adapters with them for all occasions in life. That's why they are pros. Adding a couple more three is not a problem. But any connector can be implemented on either side of the laptop, if we are talking about older MacBook Pro models.