I am having a new home built. Someone said to have USB plug ins by the electrician and then someone said USB is on its way out and I should put USB-C plug ins. Or should I not put them in as those will go out also in time. I hear the new Mac has USB-C. So that is my question that I hope you can answer. Currently I have all USB products, iPad iPhone and iMac. Thanks.
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Joyce Siemens
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How Do I Put In a New House USB or USB-C Plug Ins or Should I?
Comments: One Response to “How Do I Put In a New House USB or USB-C Plug Ins or Should I?”
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This is tricky. Right now, all I've seen in home builder stores and catalogs have been USB-A charging ports in power outlets. I have a few in my house, actually. This work great for any device that has a cable with USB-A on one end. USB-A is what all iPhone/iPad cables have had and still have as of today. The outlet provides power only, of course, not a connection to anything. I can charge my iPhone, iPad, Bluetooth earphones, spare battery, and even a small rechargeable drill that uses a USB-type charger. It would work with Android and most other phones too. Of course, you need the correct cable to go from USB-A (the wall) to the device. In case of the iPhone and iPad you'd need USB-A to Lightning. In the case of other devices you'd need USB-A to USB-micro or USB-mini.
So far, the only Apple products to use USB-C are the MacBooks. And these require a lot of power since they have large batteries. The USB-A outlets in my house provide ample power for phones and other small devices, but wouldn't really charge a MacBook at any reasonable speed.
Some newer Android phones also use USB-C connections. So you could use an outlet with a USB-C connection to charge them. But you could also use USB-A outlets as long as you had the proper cable (USB-A to USB-C for charging).
So will newer iPhones use USB-C? Maybe. There are rumors. But even if they do, if they ship with USB-A to USB-C cables, then it does't matter. USB-A outlets would be just as good.
I think it is possible that USB-C ports will replace USB-A ports. In that case, you'd end up with a house full of obsolete ports. But there would still be cables to support them, so they won't be useless.
On the other hand, wireless charging could end up replacing wires before USB-C has a chance to really catch on. In that case, it doesn't matter.
Sorry, not definitive answer for you. Perhaps the answer is to install USB-A outlets now, as USB-C ones probably don't exist. They will work now. They will continue to work in the near future through the proper cables.