If it seems weird to you that Apple abandoned Thunderbolt, its all-in-one connector created just a few years back, in favor of USB-C for the new MacBook, you’re not the only one. It is weird. But there might be a more straightforward explanation for that than you think: According to a new rumor, Apple effectively invented USB-C.
According to noted Apple pundit John Gruber of Daring Fireball, Apple was the singular driver behind the USB-C standard. Gruber said this on the latest episode of his podcast, The Talk Show:
“I have heard, I can’t say who but lets call them informed little birdies, that USB-C is an Apple invention and that they gave it to the standards bodies … and that the politics of such is that they can’t really say that. They’re not going to come out in public and say that but that they did. It is an Apple invention and they want it to become a standard.
“What I’ve heard is that it’s an Apple invention that was sort of developed alongside Lightning and that they donated, they gave to the standards bodies because they want the industry standard to be thin enough for their devices and they want it to be reversible.”
After people raised doubts about the claim, Gruber added a clarification:
“My comments on The Talk Show about Apple’s role in the creation of USB-C were somewhat hyperbolic. It was a brief aside. I certainly didn’t mean to imply that no other companies contributed to the final spec. Only that from what I’ve been told, Apple ought to be getting (and taking) credit as the leading company behind USB-C’s innovations. Not that they “invented” it, but that they “basically invented” it. I completely stand by that. But there are a lot of politics involved. One reason Apple isn’t taking more public credit for their role: they truly want USB-C to see widespread adoption; a perception that it’s an Apple technology might slow that down.
“I’ll also point out that USB-C is a very Apple-like design. It is reversible and thin; because it can handle power, high-speed data transfer, and video, it (obviously, given the new MacBook) allows for a significant reduction in ports on a laptop. Every aspect of USB-C fits Apple’s design goals. You can’t say that about any previous USB port.”
That makes a lot of sense to me. USB-C has a lot more in common with the design ethos of a connector like Thunderbolt than something like USB 3. What do you think?
Source: Daring Fireball and Daring Fireball
John Brownlee is a writer for Fast Company, and a contributing writer here at CoM. He has also written for Wired, Playboy, Boing Boing, Popular Mechanics, VentureBeat, and Gizmodo. He lives in Boston with his wife and two parakeets. You can follow him here on Twitter.
55 responses to “It turns out Apple invented USB-C”
USB-C seems like a fusion of Thunderbolt and Lightning
Very very frightening
I came here to criticize how everyone seems to give Apple the credit of inventing everything innovative in the tech industry, however that line stopped me.
Mama Mia, Mama Mia…..
Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me…
For me…
For me…….
Not quite, the underlying tech is completely different. The rumor is likely bull. Face agnostic connectors have been vogue for a while now and talk about it came well before Thunderbolt and Lightning. The industry is slow, Apple is able to come out with whatever it wants at any point, so they were able to release Thunderbolt and Lightning on whim while other companies are bound by industry standards.
I do agree with your first sentence. Rather, first two words
Not. Quite.
Thunderbolt is and remains Intel’s Inventive ‘agnostic connector’. Apple helped as they’re now well entrenched in what Intel’s up to. As you may know. Their ‘pressure’ has done a WORLD of wonders to the iGPU. Thunderbolt is a phenomenal connector, and as a MacBook Pro owner from 2012 (15″ retina v1) — w/twin TBolt ports, I had to wait but it’s time is here. It’s awesome both on the ’12 & ’14 we just picked up with the ‘single cord’ docking at home and a small selection of 6″ adapters to whatever you want and the speed to get it done. 20Gb/s bi directional bandwidth is an amazing achievement.
Not a ‘whim’
Nor is ‘Lightning’, Apple’s proprietary iOS connector. Incredibly versatile, can’t put it in backwards in the dark and they’re very durable. USB micro and mini is lame, easy to break the I/O over time and saturated without clearing pennies on the dollar of its own bandwidth (USB 2 was supposed to get us 480Mb/s. USB 3 — 5Gb/s. While 3 hauls ass in comparison SATA 3 can’t hardly keep up with USB 2. So to the PCIe lane and BAM. Bandwidth, Interstate, not a two lane country road!
It’s ‘Windows OEMs’ that are …as you put it, ‘slow’. Not the industry. The industry is Intel, nVidia, the HDMI and USB consortiums ET al. Intel is developing but you haven’t been able to pick up an Ultrabook from Dell, Lenovo, ASUS HP “or even MS themselves with Thunderbolt. That sucks. That slows adoption. That’s probably exactly why this rumor is ‘truth’. As it seems whenever Apple decides to take Intel up, FireWire 4/800 ….or even dropping serial and parallel for USB (remember that?) …Windows OEMs decide to ‘drag their feet’ and wait until saturation and maturity have passed the point of the legacy I/O, then they jump onto the next ‘big thing’
Don’t blame Apple. They’ve done no wrong the 30 pin serviced it’s purpose well for many years. Lightning KicKA$$, as does Thunderbolt. HiDPI displays scaled correctly by their host OS and followed quickly and in sync with application and software developers. The big ones. Ya know…Adobe, Google, Windows (Google’s apps are MUCH better behaved on both OS X and iOS than Windows or Android. And that’s bizarre. Adobe was quick with HiDPI support with their UI and even M/S’s Office for iOS is flat amazing. And @ $10/month for five terabytes of cloud storage, it comes with a free word processor (Word), spreadsheet jockey art program (Excel) and a shitty presentation program (PP :-)) — & you can put em al, on five computers of either OS, five tabs, same (but I’ve still not found it for my Note 4 yet?). Point being there’s no ‘whims’ these days. Not with this type of technology that costs Billions to develop.
Smart Apple stays quiet as this is a killer connector without the radical redesign and ‘one way’ USB 3 standard.
Your statement against is just your whims. The underlying technology behind USB 3.1 and Intel’s Thunderbolt are very different from the connectors to how they work. So no, it’s not the same at all, they don’t even share the same feature set, in fact Thunderbolt is in many ways more versatile.
Shame they didn’t make it 20Gb/s like ThunderBolt 2.0
USB-C was created by the USB-IF international committee. Apple is a member and participated. But then neither started the USB-C (or rather USB Type C) work nor is it entirely their design although they had influence on its eventual outcome like many other companies like Intel who chairs this committee.
‟created by… committee”, it’s like a group project you did in school, one person does all the work and everyone signs their name and presents it.
Sorry sir, but I couldn’t look up your name of that committee. Could you enlighten us please
Not saying anything would be very Apple like.
Only a blog like CULT of Mac could post on a rumor like this
Except, of course, it originated from the blog Daring Fireball, as it says in the body of this post.
Which is also a blog obsessed with Apple. Hence the qualifier “like” in the original post. Thanks for playing.
Didn’t you guys know, Apple has single handedly invented every new piece of technology since the microwave! Old news is old. (Please don’t let my sarcasm go over your heads, I know that’s entirely possible when speaking with Apple fans)
Which is why Apple would not want to publicize their strong influence in this standard. IT would become polorizing in the technology industry and many would not adopt it to spite their own faces.
The fact of the matter is, yes that Apple did have a hand in USB-C development, but only a small part in conjunction with many other players. And the desire for a reversible USB has been around lonf before Apples reversible plug. For an Apple PUNDIT to come out and say that Apple single handedly designed it, but that they aren’t going to claim credit, is utterly ridiculous. Given that fact, IF Apple had created it and donated it for standardization, I would gladly and respectfully credit them and still use the new standard, even though I despise Apple.
“I despise Apple.”
Why are you reading a website called Cult of Mac? To intentionally give yourself an aneurysm?
This article popped up in my Google Newsstand under “highlights”, I don’t usually frequent this site.
No, so he can laugh at all the ridiculousness. I do it too; it’s quite fun.
The fact of the matter is, you don’t know how big or small their part is in the creation of this new standard. Based on what I know of the PC industry, and Apple – my guess is that the next version of USB (without Apple) would’ve looked the same as current generations, except reversible, and maybe a tad bit faster. By sprinkling the Apple dust, the connector is not only all of the above, it’s also a LOT smaller.
Regardless of what you think Apple’s role is, at least now it makes sense why a second USB-C laptop came out of Google’s camp with the connector, and is cheaper, but was introduced AFTER the Macbook announcement. They very well could’ve introduced it before Apple to steal all the thunder out of the show, but Apple probably wanted to spotlight their new baby in the event.
Funny how you think you know it all.. Go snort some more if that Apple dust you’re so fond of.
Love comments like these… it means you have nothing left to refute with. Thanks for playing.
I just don’t want to waste my valuable time arguing with someone that uses apple dust as evidence to support his claims. You’ve not proven you know any more than I, and my point was that apple was not the sole inventor/creator/designer that donated the tech to the industry, that they only had a part in it and a small one at that.
“Which is why Apple would not want to publicize their strong influence in this standard” Except when they have Gruber blabbing half truths you effectively are doing just that. He is practically a Spokesperson for the company.
Moving towards a newer standard is one thing, perhaps even a good thing. Making it a single working port on an entire computer and putting all other port standards in the trash after millions and millions of dollars in investments by users is something else entirely, something vile and possibly reprehensible.
So don’t buy it.. there.. issue solved.
amen Adrayven. Amen
go buy a Lenovo with spyware and trojans install, by the manufacturer.
A simple adapter will solve the problem. I’m not talking about Apple’s $79, I’m talking about some made-in-China
$1 can do it.
So you really like burning out your laptops ports and/or be electrocuted…
I think if I worked at any of the other companies who participated in the standard board etc would be quite offended to see this sort of simplified rumour. Of course I’m sure was an important participant, but they’re not the only ones who deserve credit.
What a joke… What’s next, Apple invented 4K too? ¬¬
Facts > Rumor, get your shit together!
Apple invented 5K 0.o burn
Apple invented EVERYTHING!
I’m sure glad I just upgraded all of my recording interfaces from Firewire to Thunderbolt.
/sarc
Seriously, if there aren’t adaptors, I simply can’t use it.
That’s the whole point of it..it allows them to make better looking prodcuta because it saves space..making their job easier..then on top of it they get to sell millions of adapters. What happens when you wanna plug your TV in your new macook? Gotta by the usb-c to HDMI adapter!
there’s sure a lot of apple haters commenting on cultofmac
“they judge me but running to take the same route ”
we know ur thirsty and ur more interested in a pile than any other trashy company
i do believe apple had a huge hands in this , since this is SOOO much better than anything thats ever been standard , like don’t even try to tell me this is similar to usb 3
this would’ve been usb 6 if not for apple
and its VERY CLOSE to the magic connecter
which lets face it felt rushed, weak and lacking to me atlas
Why not? Apple invented fire too
I love this. For the last nine months and change, we’ve seen Apple finally working out the things that caused people to switch away from their products. All of the great new features in iOS 8 and Yosemite, and later making larger iPhones and a more powerful iPad. The last thing that Android users always bash Apple users for is that they have to use a proprietary cable. Brilliant.
This is just embarrassing. Could a Apple fan boy site be at least a little objective? No? I didn’t think so. There were devices far before the horrible new MacBook that featured USB-C. Plus, a ton of companies would probably pass on USB-C because they wouldn’t want to pay royalties to Apple.
Title: “APPLE INVENTED USB-C”
Content: “According to rumors (yes we know it hurts our credibility but we need it for click bait, and we ARE Cult of Mac, we basically will print anything). So yes, we didn’t fact check that USB-C was collaborated and built by many industry heads. But it’s politics I tell you, even though I don’t back this up with any experience or engineers or other people on the board! Nope. This tech could only have been built by Apple even though much of the underlying tech and design has nothing to do with previous Apple designs, other than that it is face agnostic. Nope.”
Apple didn’t invent USB c. They are part of the group that did though, so they may have helped. Also, they didn’t invent thunderbolt. Intel did. It’s just that theyre the only ones to adopt it.
Apple didn’t invent Thunderbolt. That was Intel. Apple paid a hefty licencing fee to have a monopoly that resulted in basic 0 adoption of it and upon the expiry of that monopoly it was basically DOA. It was expensive and proprietary and had an expensive licencing fee that made it more costly to implement – much like HDMI.
Apple is all about proprietary connectors. Monitors way back in the day used a weirdly pinned connector, the original 30p iPhone connector, the lightning connector, the mag safe power supply, Thunderbolt, and likely many more.
Then shouldn’t they call it the ThunderBolt?
I have nothing against people who buy Apple products. Hell I have all of these within my family, they are great products
Having said that, why are some “fans” so full of themselves to come up with theories like this? Is the writer ( or the person in question) implying that no other company other then Apple waw capable of thinking about a reversible USB port? If Apple didn’t push for it, we mere mortals wouldn’t have ever had the chance to see it?
What’s more ridiculous is that if it was Apple indeed who solely came up with this idea. Having “owned” the idea, they still went ahead and sold millions of products with lightning ports. If it’s Apple’s idea, sure enough they will implement it in idevices sooner rather then later. And that essentially will piss off a whole bunch of people who recently went through the transition from 30 pins to lightning cable
Let’s hope for the sake of Apple and it’s customers, this article is all gas
I have nothing against people who buy Apple products. Hell I have all of these within my family, they are great products
Having said that, why are some “fans” so full of themselves to come up with theories like this? Is the writer ( or the person in question) implying that no other company other then Apple waw capable of thinking about a reversible USB port? If Apple didn’t push for it, we mere mortals wouldn’t have ever had the chance to see it?
What’s more ridiculous is that if it was Apple indeed who solely came up with this idea. Having “owned” the idea, they still went ahead and sold millions of products with lightning ports. If it’s Apple’s idea, sure enough they will implement it in idevices sooner rather then later. And that essentially will piss off a whole bunch of people who recently went through the transition from 30 pins to lightning cable
Let’s hope for the sake of Apple and it’s customers, this article is all gas
This makes almost no sense. If apple invented it, why did they make it available to any manufacturer. This seems very unlike Apple. USB-C is so promising that it would be extremely beneficial to Apple to keep it proprietary.
My assumption is that they may have had a part in creating the standard but they were in no way the only major contributor to creating this new port.
I am not surprised.
One fact that has been overlooked in all this by US based netizens, is that the EU has mandated common USB connectors for all phone handsets. Yes when you look at the global picture, it seems like the tail wagging the dog, and personally I find government interference in standards like this highly objectionable, but still governments are governments and cannot simply be ignored. Not if you want to sell goods in the region in question. This would have left Apple with an uncomfortable set of options. A) Abandon lightening and use an inferior micro USB solution on all iPhones (which would clearly be unacceptable to Apple). B) Create EU only versions of the iPhone, using an inferior USB port on just on the iPhone (still unacceptable and goes against Apple’s “one iPhone” ethos) C) Make the best of an inconvenient regulation and input into the standards process to ensure the connector is a worthy one for use in an iPhone. I suspect this development is a result of going for option C.
Apple did file a patent on a reversible USB plug.
usb-c is for consumer devices and thunderbolt will still have the pro devices market because of the usb over head problems…
This Computer is NOT for pros just yet…
I think this is the most sensible post here. This is the BIG reason things are shifting. The early adopters will reap the biggest benefit. Slow moving companies will be at a disadvantage if they don’t get with the program and when you apply this to what’s happening you can clearly see Apple’s long game. And to be fair, a single connector for all tech equipment will be a benefit for everyone. Less waste, less duplicating of cables that do the same job but have a different physical interface, less landfill. Good stuff.