The USB 3.0 Promoter group says it’s finalized the details of type C USB connectors, which will work no matter which way up you plug them in. It follows the announcement of the concept last year.
The main news today is confirmation that there’ll be a degree of backwards compatibility:
The new USB Type-C plug and receptacle will not directly mate with existing USB plugs and
receptacles (Type-A, Type-B, Micro-B, etc.); however, the USB Type-C specification defines
passive new-to-existing cables and adapters to allow consumers to use the new connector
with their existing products.
The new cable format will support data transfers up to 10 Gbps and power transfers up to 100W. The plan is that eventually the type C plug, which is roughly the size of existing micro-USB plugs, will become standard across all devices, no matter their size or purpose.