[tmhrtly]

Power and ground wires alone don't cut it sadly when you're dealing with much higher wattages. There needs to be a level of negotiation between the host and the charger to decide on a specific power (current & voltage) that both can support.

In USB-A this was accomplished through a hodge-podge of different resistances applied across data lines, not officially part of the standard but just done by manufacturers. USB-C is a huge improvement on this.

I do agree however that the cable-labelling situation is awful. Maybe some kinda tier system could help. Every charger, cable and device could have a class. The charging rate is the lowest of the three. E.g. a "Class 5 cable will charge up to 200 watts and has a pink end". If you pair that with a Class 2 charger (say, 50 watts) and a class 3 laptop (100 watts) you'll be limited to charging your laptop at 50 watts.

[rbanffy]

> I do agree however that the cable-labelling situation is awful.

The new rules mention that and aim to fix it by demanding clear labels.

[falcolas]

I’d like to see where the labels are put. It’s not like there’s a lot of room on a cable for legible printing. And any kind of plastic flag wont last.

[Aerroon]

You mean the ones on the packaging?