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    USB 4 WHAT THIS FUTURE STANDARD MEANS FOR USB CHAOS & THUNDERBOLT 3

    May 03, 2019 7 minutes
    BY GORDON MAH UNG

    Now that the upcoming USB4 spec promises to “adopt the Thunderbolt 3 protocol,” there’s some hope it means an end to our international nightmare of USB confusion. You know, the one where there are:

    • Two different connectors: USB-A or USB-C

    • Four different active specs: USB 2.0, USB 3.0, and USB 3.1 Gen 1 and Gen 2

    • Scarce Thunderbolt 3 support, despite using the same form factor as USB-C

    • An upcoming USB 3.2 spec that precedes USB4 and introduces yet more confusion through clumsy rebranding

    Yeah. That nightmare.

    More likely, even when USB4 is fully implemented around 2021, confusion will linger. You can’t blame the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) and the USB Promoter Group (USB-PG) either, tempting though it is. They are organizing groups that ratify standards and help certify hardware. With literally tens of thousands of vendors making USB devices, it’s akin to herding cats. And because USB goes into everything from five-cent USB keys to $50,000 servers, the group says it has to leave it up to vendors to choose what’s best for the product.

    On the other hand, vendors don’t always make decisions that make sense to consumers. Take the blue USB Type-A ports, which should have easily denoted the then-new

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