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Isaiah Phillips

Mrs. Kitamura

English 1010

9 December 2022

USB-C Standardization: Should We Standardize a Connector?

One day I was sitting, scrolling through YouTube when I got a low-battery warning. I

dismissed the notification, consumed in the videos. Once I received a second notification, I

decided to check my battery percentage. When I saw the single-digit number, I rushed to my

room to grab my charger from my backpack. As I sprinted back to my phone, I saw the battery

alert say one percent remaining. I attempted to plug the cord into the charging block but

continually put it in the wrong way. While my fat fingers were fumbling with the cord, the phone

screen went dark, signifying that the phone had died. There are millions of silly stories similar to

mine in the USB world, causing debate over our current technology for charging our devices. In

my story, I was using a USB-A charging cord, a connector notorious for never being able to be

plugged in the correct way. As it turns out there has been a solution to all of this strife for years

now; finalized back in 2014 USB-C standard 1.0 was unveiled as a slim oval-like design that

could be plugged in upside down or even backwards.

USB-C not only would replace USB-A, but also take over every single connector in the

market. This would introduce the world’s first widely adopted standardized connector. Though

this sounds amazing, the road to USB-C has been rather rough. New USB standards and a further

saturated market in proprietary connectors has proven to be a difficult hurdle to tackle. This begs

the question, should we move to USB-C as a standard or should we choose some other

connector? The European Union made it abundantly clear which path they are on as they have
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recently passed legislation that will mandate the UCB-C connector throughout the European

Union. In this paper, I will be examining several articles that debate if this was the right move;

through subjects of what standardization looks like, whether USB-C is as user-friendly as the

European Commission leads us to believe, and what the future has in store for the standard of

USB-C.

Standardization

Ever since the USB — also known as the Universal Serial Bus — was invented, there has

been a longing for a universal connector. The search for a universal connector after the USB

standard was implemented led to a market that was flooded with hundreds of different styles of

connectors. Each independent company comes up with its own new USB standard that is better

than its competitors. The only catch is that it only works with devices for that company. USB is

no longer universal, it has been privatized.

Up to this point, the most common connector in the world is USB-A. USB-A is a 4-pin

square connector that has ruled the electronics world for decades. Though USB-A was the most

prevalent and common connector, it didn't keep other companies from developing their own

USB standards. These in-house USB standards were implemented to keep consumers trapped in

a company's ecosystem. If that connector broke, the consumer would be forced to go back to the

company they bought the device from.

This is what the European Commission decided to put a stop to. The European

Commission is similar to an executive branch of government in the European Union. They wrote

and endorsed the press release, “Pulling the plug on consumer frustration and e-waste:

Commission proposes a common charger for electronic devices.” Back in 2021, they stated,

“Today, the Commission takes an important step against e-waste and consumer inconvenience,
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caused by the prevalence of different, incompatible chargers for electronic devices.” The idea

that USB connectors have become such a problem that a supranational organization has to get

involved is troubling. Some people look at the European commission's involvement in USB

technology as a hindrance. They believe that standardization of a USB-Connector could cause a

lack of further development of a faster connector and impede new innovation.

The European Commission eventually sided with a USB standard that was becoming

more prevalent. This decision by the European Commission states, “USB-C will be the common

port.”-European Commission This means that USB-C, from this point forward, would become an

increasingly common connector throughout the world and even become mandatory throughout

the European Union.

Those who argue against the European Commission's decision to standardize look at the

move as an inhibitor of innovation. As Mr. Bill Schweber, an electronics engineer, said, “The

history of standardization of interfaces shows it is mostly a good thing, but not always. … We

often cannot see the implications of apparently sensible yet broad decisions.”- Bill Schweber The

implications from the decision made by the European Commission has the ability to bring about

several unforeseen consequences.

Many people also look at USB-C as a savior. Mark Smirniotis, a senior editor at The New

York Times, and author of the article, “Why You Should Switch to USB-C Fast Charging Now”

states that, “The newest generation of phone chargers—with a new charging port called USB-C

—is finally ready for widespread adoption. They're reliable and inexpensive, and most

importantly, they're fast.”-Mark Smirniotis, New York Times author This positive outlook on

USB-C is well-founded and cements USB-C as one of the most advanced connectors currently

available. USB-C features an oval-designed 24-pin connector that does allow for high charging
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speeds with a user-friendly design.

User-Friendliness

User-friendliness is a large selling point for USB-C. It is one of the first connectors that

features a design that can be flipped in either direction and still work as intended. Alan Li, an

electrical engineer from the University of California, says in his 2018 Quality Magazine article

“USB Type-C for Machine Vision” that “its unique and friendly symmetric connector design

makes USB Type-C work regardless of upward or downward facing orientation when you plug it

into the USB-C port.”-Alan Li, Quality Magazine authorThis unique capability is the reason why

the USB-C connector stood out to the European Commission in the first place.

The European Commission also wants to establish the USB-C as a universal connector

because it allows for faster-charging speeds. They state, “Harmonised fast charging technology

will help prevent that different producers unjustifiably limit the charging speed and will help to

ensure that charging speed is the same when using any compatible charger for a device.”-

European Commission The European Commission is looking forward to a connector that has the

ability to “one-size-fits-all”. The European Commission sees the USB-C connector as something

that could be universally implemented as a common connector. They believe that every single

USB-C connection will be held to the same standards with features, such as fast charging for all

devices, despite the original purpose of the cable.

In the world of USB-C, standardization may be a good thing for the European

Commission and the consumer. However, what the world has been seeing is a lack of support for

peripheral electronic devices. As engineer Lewin Day, author of the article “USB-C IS TAKING

OVER … WHEN EXACTLY?” from Hackaday in 2020, says “Fundamentally, it all comes

down to peripherals.”-Lewin Day, Hackaday author He says that though USB-C is slowly being
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implemented there is still a general lack of USB-C in devices. In fact, Mr. Day also points out

that, “It's still possible to buy laptops that come without a single USB-C port. If the average user

were to pick up a new keyboard off-the-shelf, and got it home to find a USB-C connector, they'd

be completely out of luck.”

This brings into question that though the European Commission is seeking a

standardization in USB-C, it may be going slower than originally thought. If the peripherals'

aren't being taken into account, then what is the point of having a standardized connector? If all

connectors are USB-C but do not work with all devices, then the attempt at connector

standardization by the European Commission will ultimately fail. If all one can do is charge with

their connector then connector standardization is virtually worthless. The European

Commission's answer to this is standardizing follows that “USB-C will become the standard port

for all smartphones, tablets, cameras, headphones, portable speakers and handheld videogame

consoles.”-European Commission It practically forces the hand of all the companies that have

any peripheral devices for these devices.

Future

With the talk of USB-C as a standardized charger and connector has emerged, our future

with USB-C may look interesting. With the European Commission working in tandem with the

European Union on standardizing USB-C, there is something that hasn't happened in the

technological world ever. It will certainly be interesting to see what USB-C has in store for the

world.

USB-C has been constantly under revision and improvement ever since 2014. They come

out with new USB-C iterations nearly every year. This constant development of the USB-C is

intended to help all companies adopt the connector as the new universal standard. This
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implementation has been slow and though USB-C is making improvements there may still be

some time before there is widespread adoption of the standard. Li points out, “With all the

advantages brought by USB-C and the emerging USB 3.2 standard, USB Type-C connector will

probably turn into the only remaining USB port, though it will still take a few more years for the

Type-C to be as popular as the Type-A on the host side.”-Alan Li, Quality Magazine author

Since the release of the USB-C standard 3.2, there have been several other connector types such

as thunderbolt and USB-4. As of recent, these new connectors have disrupted the widespread

progress of USB-C connector standardization.

Though the future seems rather uncertain, one can see that the current situation with

USB-C is complicated. Mr. Robert Triggs, who has a bachelor's in sound engineering and is the

author of the article “It's 2022 and USB-C is Still a Mess” 2022, states in Android Authority that,

“even the seemingly most basic function of USB-C — powering devices — continues to be a

mess of compatibility issues, conflicting proprietary fast charging standards, and a general lack

of consumer.” -Triggs Android Authority Author This spells out trouble for the future of

standardized USB-C connectors as the market is forced to evolve to work with new USB-C

standards. This may become a more amplified problem causing confusion over what exactly

USB-C is used for.

The European Commission stands firm in what they have set as a precedent, saying that

to avoid confusion there will need to be, “Improved information for consumers: producers will

need to provide relevant information about charging performance, including information on the

power required by the device and if it supports fast charging.”-European Commission This

would mean that if there is any abnormality with a function of a USB-C cable or device it must

be identified to the consumer of the product. There has to be a clear understanding of the
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implementation and use azzSacase for the USB-C device.

Conclusion

USB has been confusing since the beginning and certainly doesn't seem to be becoming

any simpler. The continuous development of new technology like USB-C may show a light at the

end of the tunnel, though it might be farther away than previously thought. USB-C is having to

conquer things that no other connector has had to deal with in the past. The continual

development and improvements ultimately hold the fate of the connector. There are many

companies that are fighting against the connector, notably Apple, as they would like to maintain

full control over their product line. However, USB-C continues to move forward with backing

from the European Union. This move for standardization in Europe will affect anyone with

modern technology that has implemented UCB-C.

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Though companies resist the movement for a standardized connector, they are willing to conform

to the European Union's demands due to a potential loss of market share.

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These questions still remain: is standardization the way to go? Does the USB-C connector

promote user-friendliness? And is the purpose of the connector clear? Most importantly what

might the future have in store for the USB-C standard and will the industry accept the standard?

Further Inquiry

The argument over the USB-C connector is a large current event that has saturated the

internet with news feeds and updates on standard rules. News such as Apple accepting the USB-

C connector on their newest phone has clogged the research process and made it increasingly

difficult to find relevant information pertaining to the standardization of USB-C. This is a

problem because the European Commission's proposal and press release are based on

environmental impact. Other studies on environmental impact don't seem to have been explored.

This lack of secondary studies to back up the European commission's claims may mean that there

are other environmental effects but they are not being explored. My concern is that the European

Commission and the European Union are stating environmental impact numbers that may not be

true. One large argument for this is that they have not taken into account in their calculations the

number of old connectors that are going to have to be retired. Due to the nature of

standardization, you will be eliminating every other connector type in the market. This mass

elimination of connectors will only further environmental impact and not detract from it.

Another argument that was lightly touched upon during my research was that USB sees

versatility as a connector. USB-C is advertised to be a slim, compact, and minimal solution to

meet all of our connector needs. It is this very design that may impede its ability to perform

versatility tests. It would be beneficial to see studies and tests conducted on the versatility of the

USB-C connector especially if the connector becomes the standard. If the connector was not as

versatile is it worth it to change to USB-C purely for faster charging/data speeds or user
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convenience? This also begs the question if the connector is not versatile enough should change

to USB-C at all?

One final argument that got minimal representation was whether or not USB-C promoted

Innovation. On one hand, USB-C as a standard completely squashes the ability to innovate

connectors. Now it is possible to innovate inside the USB-C connector's parameters as long as

the official USB-C guide continues to be updated with modern specs that allow for innovation in

the connector. Now that the European Union and European Commission have passed legislation

to standardize USB-C we expect to see a general decline in new connector types. As most

companies will now be needing to change to USB-C to remain viable in the European Union

region. In this case, we are reliant on the official USB-C standardization to continue moving

forward with modern Technologies. Its reliance on a single organization for all technological

advancements is concerning. If innovation stops coming from the official USB-C standard it may

force another standardization movement. In this case, it would have wide impacts across the

globe which would not be in the best interests of the environment. Not only would switching to a

new standard the bad for the environment but it would also impede industry and innovation for

years to come. This requires the development of USB-C to be correct and withstand the test of

time.
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Works Cited

Commission, European. “Pulling the plug on consumer frustration and e-waste:

Commission proposes a common charger for electronic devices.” 23 September 2021,

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_21_4613

Day, Lewin. “USB-C IS TAKING OVER… WHEN, EXACTLY?” 23 June 2020.

HACKADAY, https://hackaday.com/2020/06/23/usb-c-is-taking-over-when-exactly/.

Kevin. “Why USB Type C is Bad Design.” 11 January 2018. Medium,

https://medium.com/@kevin.txt/why-usb-type-c-is-bad-design-ffcd77254c1f.

Li, Alan. “USB Type-C for Machine Vision.” December 2018,

https://www.proquest.com/docview/2148966951/fulltextPDF/771608D0E0184B73PQ/1?

accountid=14940#.

Smirniotis, Mark. “Why You Should Switch to USB-C Fast Charging Now.” 16 July

2019. Wirecutter, https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/why-you-should-switch-to-

usb-c-fast-charging-now/.

Triggs, Robert. “It's 2022 and USB-C is still a mess.” 17 October 2022. Android

Authority, https://www.androidauthority.com/state-of-usb-c-870996/.

(Chia #)
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(Commisson #)

(Day #)

(Etim #)

(Kevin #)

(Li #)

(Schweber #)

(Smirniotis #)

(Triggs #)

(“What is USB-C and what benefits does it bring?”)