The USB Promoters Group has announced the development of a new USB connector that takes aspects from Apple’s proprietary Lightning connector, such as the reversible plug connector and smaller physical size.
The development is expected to dovetail with the development of the overall USB 3.1 standard, which promises 10Gbps transfer speeds and scalable power delivery control for compatible devices. Industry review of the current draft specification is expected early next year, with final specifications expected in the middle of next year. The new connector and port is also expected to lead to even smaller devices in the future once the new standard is implemented, with companies such as Intel praising the smaller connector and port design being proposed.
