USB 3.0 or USB 3.0 / 2.0 mini can be plugged in from one side and the new Type C connector is the first one that allows you to plug a device without needing to turn the right side.

We saw a demo of USB 3.1 speeds that max out at 10Gbps and connect to a host connector with two Samsung 840 PRO SSDs. With new connector and new protocol USB will be able to reach read and write speeds in excess of 810MB/s .

We expect to see USB 3.1 external host solutions in the latter part of the year and Nokia has already committed to launch a USB Type C connector for its upcoming tablet. It will take some time until Intel and AMD include USB 3.1 support in their chipsets. The downside of the Type C connector is that it won’t be backward compatible with anything, but despite that we think it is a good idea to have a Type C connector for your mobile phone and tablet.

The technology works and we will see some implementations later this year, probably in by the middle of the year.