Why did USB start off with so many variants, and now that USB C is gaining steam, can it replace the rest of them?

Question

I don’t know how we got to where we did, but aren’t you glad USB C came along?

In: Technology

Answer 1

USB was originally designed in 1995. It had two connector shapes: USB A, used for power-supplying hosts, and USB B, for power-consuming devices. These connectors were pretty big, so mini and eventually micro versions were introduced. USB 3.0 needed more pins, so new versions of standard-size A and B and micro-B were introduced.

In 2012, technology had developed enough that separate connector shapes weren’t needed based on which end supplied power (the devices could automatically figure it out). USB C can replace any previous USB connector.