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Patriot Announces USB Type-C Flash Drive, Evinces Signs Of Growing Support

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Patriot announced a new dual-sided USB flash drive. The flash drive features a USB Type-C connector on one side, while the opposing side features a USB Type-A connector utilizing the USB 3.0 standard. The flash drive will be available in 32 GB and 64 GB capacities when it is released this June.

Although this is just a flash drive, it is important to see that Type-C devices are starting to come to the market. In recent months, we have seen several companies working to adopt the new USB 3.1 standard and the new USB Type-C connector into their products.

For desktop users, motherboards from Asus, ASRock, Biostar, and MSI have already been announced that will make use of this connector.

In addition to the new motherboards, Apple has added a USB Type-C connector to its latest MacBook, Google outfitted its new Chromebook Pixel with a pair of them, and Microsoft has added support for the new USB standard into Windows 10. Although we have not seen any phones or tablets yet featuring the USB Type-C connector, the MHL Consortium has declared that the latest MHL standard supports the Type-C connector as well.

These new products show the support for the new Type-C connector, but having a Type-C connection is of little use without compatible accessories. This flash drive is important because it's another sign that the new USB Type-C connector is getting greater traction and is increasingly spreading throughout the market.

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Michael Justin Allen Sexton
Michael Justin Allen Sexton is a Contributing Writer for Tom's Hardware US. He covers hardware component news, specializing in CPUs and motherboards.
14 Comments Comment from the forums
  • eklipz330
    well yeah when you're trying to completely rehaul a connector, this will happen. i don't know if usb 3.0 had the same penetration as usb 2.0, but i'm sure we'll be seeing a flood of these devices for the next 5 years.
    Reply
  • Robert Ostrowski
    It's going to be a tough sell. Most people have standard usb devices, so until everything is replaced there is no significant reason to use the new connector.
    Reply
  • jasonelmore
    If it will do USB 3.1 Speeds then i'll buy 100 pieces.
    Reply
  • Simon Anderson
    i think this will pickup quicker than USB 3 did over USB 2... how many folks around the office still give you a damned USB1 or 2 flashdrive to put the latest copy of... er... some large file... ignorant of the speed of USB3. Different connecter, the plebs will actually realise "oo its different, it's better!"
    Reply
  • AndrewJacksonZA
    Thank you for helping me learn a new word today Michael: "Evinces" :-)
    Reply
  • Axonn
    Thank you for helping me learn a new word today Michael: "Evinces" :-)

    True that! :D.
    Reply
  • jn77
    IDK, USB 3.0 might be over kill for keyboards and mice, but memory card readers, external hard drives, I made the switch and I'm not going back. Anyone still using USB 1.x or 2.x is living in the past.

    I don't think there will ever be a keyboard and mouse that takes advantage of the speed of USB 3 or 3.1.

    But hey..... I can install Windows 8.1 Pro on my 386sx 33mhz with 4mb ram and 128mb hard drive with a 2mb video card right?

    Times change.
    Reply
  • hitman400
    It's going to be a tough sell. Most people have standard usb devices, so until everything is replaced there is no significant reason to use the new connector.

    It's not going to be tough to sell a new type of USB connector flash drive. Flash drivers are dirt cheap nowadays. I guarantee you all it needs is momentum.
    Reply
  • TechyInAZ
    Looks cool! Glad it has a usb A just in case you don't have usb C.

    I think Ill start considering buying an Asus USB C card for my Z97-A soon. :)
    Reply
  • SuperVeloce
    When 10MB/s write is all you can get from a smaller flash drive, not many will see a reason to change, sadly.

    "But hey..... I can install Windows 8.1 Pro on my 386sx 33mhz with 4mb ram and 128mb hard drive with a 2mb video card right?"
    Nope, you can not. PAE, NX and SSE2 is what you need. Even those legendary Athlons XP cannot run it.
    Reply