Microsoft announced that Windows 7 would have USB 3.1 Gen 1 support, perhaps not on its immediate release, but in a subsequent Service
Pack or update. It is not out of the question to think that following a successful release of USB 3.0/USB 3.1 Gen 1 support in Windows 7,
SuperSpeed support would trickle down to Vista. Microsoft has confirmed this by stating that most of their partners share the opinion that
Vista should also support USB 3.0/USB 3.1 Gen 1.
Super-Speed support for Windows XP is unknown at this point. Given that XP is a seven-year-old operating system, the likelihood of this
happening is remote.
USB Type-C
USB Type-C is a new, tiny physical connector. The connector itself can support various exciting new USB standard like USB 3.1 and USB
power delivery (USB PD).
Alternate Mode
USB Type-C is a new connector standard that's very small. It's about a third the size of an old USB Type-A plug. This is a single connector
standard that every device should be able to use. USB Type-C ports can support a variety of different protocols using “alternate modes,”
which allows you to have adapters that can output HDMI, VGA, DisplayPort, or other types of connections from that single USB port
USB Power Delivery
The USB PD specification is also closely intertwined with USB Type-C. Currently, smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices often use
a USB connection to charge. A USB 2.0 connection provides up to 2.5 watts of power — that'll charge your phone, but that's about it. A
laptop might require up to 60 watts, for example. The USB Power Delivery specification ups this power delivery to 100 watts. It's bi-
directional, so a device can either send or receive power. And this power can be transferred at the same time the device is transmitting
data across the connection.
This could spell the end of all those proprietary laptop charging cables, with everything charging via a standard USB connection. You could
charge your laptop from one of those portable battery packs you charge your smartphones and other portable devices from today. You
could plug your laptop into an external display connected to a power cable, and that external display would charge your laptop as you used
it as an external display — all via the one little USB Type-C connection. To use this, the device and the cable have to support USB Power
Delivery. Just having a USB Type-C connection doesn't necessarily mean they do.
USB Type-C and USB 3.1
USB 3.1 is a new USB standard. USB 3's theoretical bandwidth is 5 Gbps, while USB 3.1 Gen2 is10Gbps . That's double the bandwidth, as
fast as a first-generation Thunderbolt connector. USB Type-C isn't the same thing as USB 3.1. USB Type-C is just a connector shape, and
the underlying technology could just be USB 2 or USB 3.0. In fact, Nokia's N1 Android tablet uses a USB Type-C connector, but underneath
it's all USB 2.0 — not even USB 3.0. However, these technologies are closely related.
Thunderbolt over USB Type-C
Thunderbolt is a hardware interface that combines data, video, audio, and power in a single connection. Thunderbolt combines PCI Express
(PCIe) and DisplayPort (DP) into one serial signal, and additionally provides DC power, all in one cable. Thunderbolt 1 and Thunderbolt 2 use
the same connector [1] as miniDP (DisplayPort) to connect to peripherals, while Thunderbolt 3 uses a USB Type-C connector [2].
Technology and components
41
