New super-fast USB cables won’t mind which way you plug them in

The reversible USB Type-C standard has now been finalized, which should save the world untold man-hours in mis-plugging. Roughly the size of a current micro Type-B connector, it uses matching rows of contacts on the top and bottom so that you can shove it in either way around. Type-C is a version of the 10Gbps 3.1 standard (twice as fast as USB 3.0), but slimmed down for compact and mobile devices. It’ll also support the USB Power Delivery spec to carry up to 100 watts, easily enough to power a laptop. Unfortunately, the new connector isn’t compatible with the current standard, except via converters. There are no devices with 3.1 yet, but it’ll likely be standardized on future laptops and mobile devices — unlike its pricey rival, Thunderbolt.