USB is a popular standard for connecting devices to the computer. But there are a lot of different types of USB cables, and it can be hard to figure out which one is the right one for your device. To make things easier, USB has created a series of names and numbers to help you remember which type of USB cable is which. Here are some examples:

  1. The “A” cable is typically used for connecting an external hard drive to your computer.
  2. The “B” cable is typically used for connecting an iPod or other music player to your computer.
  3. The “C” cable is typically used for connecting an Xbox 360 or other video game console to your computer.
  4. The “D” cable is typically used for connecting a printer to your computer.
  5. The “E” cable is typically used for connecting an iPhone or other smartphone to your computer.
  6. The “F” cable is typically used for connecting a TV tuner or other TV device to your computer.
  7. The “G” cable is typically used for connecting a printer and scanner together.
  8. The “H” cable is typically used forconnecting an Xbox 360 or other video game console and a printer together.
  9. And finally, the “J” cord connects all the cables in between devices - this can be useful if you want to connect multiple devices at once, like when you’re upgrading from one device type to another type on your computer (like when you’re upgrading from Windows 8/8.1/10).

As per the new guidelines announced, the USB-IF is dropping most of its older branding, continuing as the culmination of an effort that began last year. For one, the “SuperSpeed” name, which was first used by USB 3.0 when it was released, is no more. And neither is USB 3, USB 3.2, or even USB4, for that matter. Instead, the consumer-facing name will just be “USB” and the exact speed.

Instead of referring to USB ports or devices by a version number, the USB-IF is instead shifting to naming that reflects actual specs, rather than having a confusing version number. This way, SuperSpeed USB 5Gbps, and SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps are now just USB 5Gbps and USB 10Gbps, while USB4 branding is shifting to USB 20Gbps and USB 40Gbps, depending on the actual transfer speeds. If a cable supports a specific charging wattage, they’ll also have to list it.

Basically, if a USB port supports 40Gbps data transfer and 240W charging speeds, it shall be marketed as “USB 40Gbps 240W.” That’s… Still pretty bad, but probably better than USB’s previous system (USB4 Version 2.0, anyone?), since at least the consumer knows what specifications they’ll get.

Expect to start seeing this new scheme within the next few months on new hardware devices. This is very unlikely to serve as an end-all solution to USB’s branding woes, and it has a very real chance of making things worse, but being honest, there’s probably no way to fix that properly at this point.

Source: The Verge