The USB Group today unveiled plans for their latest connection standard, USB Type D.
Following the overwhelmingly positive response to 180° reversible connectors like USB Type C and Apple's Lightning, USB Type D's novel plus-shaped design can correctly be inserted in 4 different orientations, a mere 90 degrees apart.
"With our reversible Type C connector, we allowed users to blindly plug in their devices with minimal frustration. But we wanted to take it a step further. Now with USB Type D, no matter how crazy your night has been, we guarantee that you'll be able to successfully plug in your phone before passing out."
The USB Type D connector coincides with version 4.1 of the USB standard, with a theoretical maximum transfer rate of 1Tb/s. Devices can request up to 1.21GW of power, provided the host's power supply has sufficient capacity.
Update: Immediately following the announcement of USB Type D, a Samsung representative revealed that the company would release a laptop featuring only a single USB Type D port, with an estimated release date of "before Apple does it".
