Back when USB charging started to be the norm, there was a surge of innovation in the infrastructure of outlet design. First came the multiple-USB charging bricks. Then companies created standard outlets with integrated USB ports. Airplanes and busses were also fitted with USB ports.
All of these USB ports were designed for USB-A. At the time, that was the standard for the “host” end of the cord that plugged into the wall or outlet, regardless of whether the other end was the original 30-pin iPhone connector, Lightning, Mini-USB, Micro-USB, USB-C, Apple Watch, or a proprietary device connection.
Over the past few years, the host end of the cable has evolved, with USB-C becoming the new standard. It allows for faster charging and more power.
But the built-in USB charging ports still only accommodate USB-A cables. Sometimes, like in an airplane seat or on a bus, that’s the only charging port — there’s no normal outlet.
Which means you still need your legacy USB-A cables — especially if you’re traveling.
From Efficiency to Source of Friction
I remember back in the 2010s thinking that the outlets with the built-in USB-A ports were so innovative and efficient.
And they were. At the time.
But in today’s world, they feel like a relic; an inefficient design that keeps us from moving forward. A source of friction.
The Infrastructure Lag
This is a result of infrastructure lag: the technology evolves faster than the systems built to support it.
In this case, USB-A outlets were designed to support USB-A cables.
Because physical infrastructure has a longer replacement cycle, its rarely as agile as the technology its designed to support.
Even as the technology evolves, the infrastructure lingers — keeping us tied to old systems.
What This Means For You
On the most basic level: don’t throw away your USB-A charging cables. You still need them.
But in terms of your business, look at where you’re feeling stuck. Many times we think we need to innovate more, when the thing that’s really holding us back is too much infrastructure.
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