USB 3.2 standard promises 20Gbps speeds over existing Type-C cables

An upcoming revision of the USB standard, USB 3.2, should in some cases dramatically boost transfer speeds over Type-C cables — hinting at a likely upgrade path for Apple's future Macs.

USB 3.2 connections will offer two lanes operating up to 10 gigabits per second, the USB 3.0 Promoter Group said on Tuesday. Both the originating and target devices must be 3.2-compatible, but the Type-C cable in between can be an existing 10-gigabit one.

The new standard is in a "final draft review phase," and should officially debut by September.

Apple is notably a member of the Promoter Group, making it likely to be an early adopter. The company has often been quick to adopt new connection standards, including Thunderbolt and USB itself. The 12-inch Retina MacBook was one of the first computers to ship exclusively with USB-C.

Apple could theoretically add USB 3.2 to the iMac Pro, coming in December, which will have four USB-C/Thunderbolt ports. Beyond that though the company will probably have to wait until 2018, since it has already done 2017 refreshes of the iMac, MacBook, and MacBook Pro.

29 Comments

appex 11 Years · 670 comments

About 7 years ago

Bring back USB power-on feature from USB keyboard or USB device. As possible with former Apple ADB and USB keyboards, as well as USB dongles with USB 1.0 specifications, like the i-Cue.

That is extremely useful and convenient to turn on the computer when it is below or behind the table/desk or far away from reach in the floor, etc. It is even a health issue (backbone health!).

tallest skil 14 Years · 43086 comments

appex said:

Bring back USB power-on feature from USB keyboard or USB device. As possible with former Apple ADB and USB keyboards…

Aw man, that takes me back. Not a whole lot of shutting down happens anymore, though.

macxpress 16 Years · 5913 comments

appex said:

Bring back USB power-on feature from USB keyboard or USB device. As possible with former Apple ADB and USB keyboards, as well as USB dongles with USB 1.0 specifications, like the i-Cue.

That is extremely useful and convenient to turn on the computer when it is below or behind the table/desk or far away from reach in the floor, etc. It is even a health issue (backbone health!).

Just don't shut down the Mac...problem solved! Or, have it automatically startup at a certain time.

suddenly newton 14 Years · 13819 comments

macxpress said:

appex said:

Bring back USB power-on feature from USB keyboard or USB device. As possible with former Apple ADB and USB keyboards, as well as USB dongles with USB 1.0 specifications, like the i-Cue.

That is extremely useful and convenient to turn on the computer when it is below or behind the table/desk or far away from reach in the floor, etc. It is even a health issue (backbone health!).

Just don't shut down the Mac...problem solved! Or, have it automatically startup at a certain time.

The original 128K Mac had a physical power switch. On the back. Talk about convenience!

sflocal 16 Years · 6138 comments

appex said:

Bring back USB power-on feature from USB keyboard or USB device. As possible with former Apple ADB and USB keyboards, as well as USB dongles with USB 1.0 specifications, like the i-Cue.

That is extremely useful and convenient to turn on the computer when it is below or behind the table/desk or far away from reach in the floor, etc. It is even a health issue (backbone health!).

Apple's sleep-mode is the best in the business. Why not just leave It on and walk away? I leave mine plugged into a good UPS to keep the power clean. It's extremely rare for me to ever have to turn my Mac off.