USB 3.0 New specification
If you’re still using a computer that has USB 1.1 ports, you’ll soon be really behind the times.
The USB 3.0 Promoter Group has announced that the USB 3.0 specification is officially completed, paving the way for manufacturers to begin releasing USB 3.0 devices.
Known as SuperSpeed USB, the new specification delivers speeds at up to 10 times faster than USB 2.0 with better power efficiency.
Whereas the USB 2.0 specification supports data rates of up to 480Mbps, the new specification supports rates of up to 5Gbps.
… Further, the USB 3.0 will include power management features that allow devices to idle, sleep and suspend.
Because the new specification adds five new lines inside cables, the new cables will be thicker than existing USB cables, and the connectors will also look a bit different (although they will be backward-compatible with USB 2.0).
… Thanks to the new lines, USB 3.0 will be able to read and write simultaneously from portable storage devices.
…… Further, because the cables will carry more power, they’ll be able to charge portable devices more quickly, and they’ll also allow more than four devices to run from one hub.
Commercial USB 3.0 controllers are expected to appear in the second half of this year, while consumer devices should begin appear in 2010.
According to the USB 3.0 Promoter Group, the first devices should include flash drives, external hard drives, digital music players, and digital cameras.
