Universal Serial Bus (USB) has been around for more than 20 years and is here to stay by the looks of it.
The first thing that needs to be covered is the difference between the “standard” and the “ports”.
USB “standard” refers to speed and the function of the cable you are using. Standards include USB 2.0, USB 3.0, USB 3.1 as well as the earlier versions of the standard.
The “port” referees to the type of the port. It is the shape of the cable plugs and the shapes of the ports in your computer or any other device. Type-A, Type-B and recently Type-C exist.
The difference between USB type-C and previous ones USB type-C, or just USB-C, is the newest shape of the port as well as the cable plug. It is very different from the previous versions as it brings something a lot of people have been asking for.
Reversibility.
The new USB Type-C can be plugged in from both sides as it is fully reversible. If your PC and the device you are using both have USB Type-C you can plug either end of the cable into your PC and the other end into your device.
USB 3.1 vs USB 3.0 Transfer speed
USB 3.0 has been with us for a long time,since 2008 and many of us are indeed quite familiar with it. USB 3.0 is capable of transfer speeds of 5 gigabit per second is which around 10 times faster than its predecessor, USB 2.0.
In 2013 the USB 3.1 was introduced and with it came new data transfer speed highs. It has an incredible 10Gbps speed. That is fast enough to rival the Ethernet cable or even the Thunderbolt.
The problem with 3.1 is that there are just not that many devices that can benefit from such high transfer speeds at the moment.
Both 3.1 and 3.0 can be used for video delivery
Because both USB 3.0 and 3.1 have such high data throughput they can be used to transfer video. PC’s as well as MAC’s can output HD video to a monitor or a TV by suing either USB 3.0 or USB 3.1 USB 3.1 does have an added benefit.
It uses MHL 3 specifications which means that it can transfer 4k resolution videos in addition to the standard HD.
Charging your devices
UB 3.0 and 3.1 both utilize the USB Power Delivery and this means that they can both support up to 20 volts at 5 amps for a maximum of 100 watts of power. As a result, both USB 3.0 and USB 3.1 can be used to charge pretty much any devise you want to.
USB 3.0 vs USB 3.1 Type-C applications
One major difference between USB 3.0 and USB 3.1 Type-C is that the later is much more suited for portable hard drives,enclosures, as well as for certain types of adapters.
USB 3.1 Type-C has also seen an explosion of popularity with laptop and phone manufacturers due to its fast charging speeds and Reversibility and you can expect to see it more and more often.
USB has become the preferred method of transferring data and the new USB 3.1 Type-C makes that easier and faster than ever before. As time passes and as it is subjected to many upgrades, we will definitely expect it to become the industry standard.
