“Today Apple was granted a second major patent by the U.S. Patent Office regarding what is now known to be the USB Type-C connector that provides further evidence that Apple played a major role in the development of this new standard,” Jack Purcher reports for Patently Apple.
“Apple’s newly granted patent covers their invention relating to input/output electrical connectors such as audio connectors and data connectors and in particular to slim or low profile connectors that can be used in place of standard connectors currently used,” Purcher reports. “In Apple’s patent claim #2 they note that ‘The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of data types include HDMI data, audio data, USB data, or video data.'”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Irrational Apple Haters, enjoy using your Apple connectors for the next several years.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Bill” for the heads up.]
Related article:
Gruber: Apple invented USB-C reversible-plug connector – March 14, 2015
I am not an Apple hater, but a big Apple user and buyer. But over the years, it’s really been tiresome to see all the connector changes. Just yesterday a friend with a MacPro was over, ran out of juice, but could we use my MacBookAir power connector? No, yet both computers were only a year apart. As for connection to my TV, thank God there’s finally HDMI output on the MacMini, which I use only for TV. My son’s Macs are all different connectors too. So, I hope your prediction comes true, that we will be able to enjoy using our connections for “years to come.” That would be quite a change. Quit defending Apple for their irrationality at times.
Don’t you just hate progress? It’s designed to irritate you personally.
I like real progress. The fact there’s now a HDMI on my MacMini is progress. Let’s see, how many different connectors have I had on laptops? There was my original MacBook Air, with its bent connector, then my next gen MacBook Air with its straight, but essentially the same, connector. Then there was my 15″, different again, and my 11″, which doesn’t use the same one as my 13″ Air…and I’m not to my couple of 27″ iMacs yet and all the connectors to TV I’ve had over the past several years. This is progress? Firewire, Thunderbolt…is it all today that much better? Now the new connector, that does sound like it will be progress. But again, it really needs to be.
Firewire, Thunderbolt…is it all today that much better?
Yes, it’s drastically better. Go look up their relative capacities.
-jcr
People have been saying the same thing every time that a new connector is adopted.
I’ve been using Macs for long enough to remember when ADB was introduced and eventually superseded, along with SCSI and serial ports and any number of video ports. They were all the best available solution when they were adopted, but better solutions became available.
I’ve still got a box in my loft filled with outdated connecting leads and convertors. Once in a while I find myself being able to use one to access some long-disused technology on somebody’s old hardware. A month or so ago I was able to transfer data from a SCSI hard drive for a client. I used my venerable Powerbook 1400, which has a very strange SCSI adaptor, but fortunately I still had that lead.
Yes, much better. It has allowed for smaller devices, fewer different connections, faster connections.
The progress has not been linear nor particularly well coordinated. Moreover, faster is not necessarily the important thing that people need. Many times
– Apple’s proprietary connectors especially old power connectors had no better performance than any other company’s, and it took quite a while to get Magsafe right. Now that Apple has the best power connector, the new MacBook abandons it for an inferior charging solution (USB-C).
– Firewire 400 was abandoned for an inferior, but cheaper, USB 1 & 2. What made USB inferior wasn’t just the data rate, but the inability to send data both directions with power, and the inferior physical connector.
– Display connectors have gone from bad to worse. DVI had the same capability as HDMI, but was abandoned. The ever-changing HDMI spec merely increased prices, not performance, and the physical connector is far from robust. DisplayPort came and Apple released a couple different sizes then suddenly dropped it, stupidly combining the display with data to make Thunderbolt. Now for those people who route their data, audio, and video to different locations, the snarl of adapters is ridiculous. And there’s no guarantee that your newest audio and video performance are better with the new connectors, as Apple continues to cheapen/miniaturize/flatten its internals.
– Apple also pulls some boners like combining things that don’t need combining, like Toslink digital with analog audio ports. WHY? It forces Toslink users to buy special adapters for no performance benefit — actually a durability degradation.
Long story short: If Apple wanted to just once prove its superiority, it would offer a product where ports were easily accessible and had unique dedicated ports that covered all user needs.
Today, for a professional workstation, that means an array of ports for
– dedicated digital video (i.e., DisplayPort)
– dedicated digital audio (i.e., S/PDIF or Toslink)
– dedicated 2-channel analog audio (i.e., mini jack)
– low speed data (USB)
– high speed data (PCI / PCIE, Thunderbolt)
– power (MagSafe 2)
– removeable media (SD card)
Apple can then sell their consumers proper durable cables instead of overpriced cheesy blocky converters. An HDMI Cable at one end could have a Y end that plugged into both DisplayPort and S/PDIF for example. The lead of the old Cinema Display comes to mind — it had a Y that combined a discrete MagSafe power connector with a USB connection, ideal for connecting any MacBook, and it worked brilliantly.
The switch from DVI to HDMI was, at least in part, due to the desire of content providers for embedded protocols that prevent digital copies.
Can’t imagine why a MacPro power cable wouldn’t work for a laptop?!
Is that you Jay Morrisen?
So true. Why my electric car plug will not fit my cell phone plug. So terrible. Yep 10 years of 30 pin connector is just not enough. Yes I have adapters but I have to pay for them.
NO FAIR… /s
Hi, this is MDN, where the blind lead the blind and logic or reasoning are shunned.
Sure Apple might have been the first to truly implement USB on the original iMac and yeah they’ve had a few other major adoptions surface over the years such as the 30-pin connector on the iPod, but I agree with you. I think people have port fatigue and Apple is the worst (or best?) at making yet another port that will require ugly adapters to utilize for any current hardware people have. Or force them to replace altogether. Yeah those will argue it’s in the name of progress or whatever, but if USB type-C is the next big thing, why patent anything for it, Apple? Patents should not be necessary for wide scale adoption.
Sorry to say, but Apple has had a lot of duds over the years with regard to ports. Not to say they weren’t superior compared to what the rest of the industry adopted en masse, but much of these changes don’t exactly light the world on fire, and if anything add to costly upgrades or needless changes in workflow.
“Sorry to say, but Apple has had a lot of DUDs over the years with regard to ports. Not to say they weren’t SUPERIOR compared to what the rest of the industry adopted en masse, BUT much of these changes DON’T EXACTLY LIGHT THE WORLD ON FIRE, and if anything add to costly upgrades or needless changes in workflow.”
Duh?
Just upgraded to the 27″ iMac with retina display (sweet machine) and I tried to use my 2009 27″ iMac power cord. They look the same but the plug dimensions are slightly different. The old one won’t fit properly. No big deal. But why?
This is exactly the problem I pointed to in my original post. I am glad to see a few people who actually understood what I was saying, whereas others were too defensive to even hear me. But the answer to your “Why?” is surely obvious to all of those who didn’t hear: you get MUCH faster power delivery with the new plug, so your computer just races through tasks like my two 27″ iMacs simply can’t do with the old power plug.
The USB Type-C connector appears to be an upgrade of the Lighting connector used on recent iPads. So I reckon we will see it on all future iPads, MacBooks X and Macs, replacing the USB 2.0 connector.
Lightning for iOS gadgets, USB-C for Macs. You can look up the specs yourself to see why.
Didn’t the thunderbolt connecter come out like, yesterday?
And will likely continue to be used in Pro environments where it is best suited and most useful.
The first MacBook Pro to feature Thunderbolt was the early 2011 models…over 4 years ago.
We have a HP engineering laptop with Thunderbolt connectors so hopefully it will spread to the dark side and lower cable and peripheral costs.
I want ADB back! 😜
If anyone else was wondering, I got it confirmed from an Apple engineer that the new MacBook can be booted into target disc mode . . . but it must be connected to another computer using a USB-C cable that does not yet exist.
So, it’s possible but not quite yet, FYI. Stay tuned . . .
I just use floppy discs for everything.
spyintheskyuk, Hope it’s 5.25″ floppies you’re using there, cos those are just much more flexible and 8″ ones are so hard to find. 😉
I would rather stay on the Apple Path to Progress. It’s cheaper than Backtracking.