Skip to main content

Speed freaks rejoice, because USB could get twice as fast

The port's data speed is doubling today, but another doubling is possible. That would help when copying files and plugging in big monitors.



The HP Spectre x360 has two oval USB-C ports, the same ports you'll see on new phones from Samsung, Google and others.
Enlarge Image
The HP Spectre x360 has two oval USB-C ports, the same ports you'll see on new phones from Samsung, Google and others. (The Lightning logo means they also work as faster Intel Thunderbolt ports.)
USB's performance is doubling right now, but you speed freaks should be pleased to hear another doubling is possible for the ubiquitous connection latest technology.
USB, short for Universal Serial Bus, is the wildly successful port that you probably use to plug your phone in to a charger and plug your external drive in to your laptop. When it arrived two decades ago, it was great for keyboards and mice, but at 12 megabits per second, it wasn't very useful for copying data to a thumb drive.
USB got faster, though. First came a boost to 480 megabits per second, which dramatically expanded USB's utility. Then a tenfold increase to 5 gigabits per second made it possible to download a copy of the movie "Baby Driver" in about 8 seconds. Next came 10Gbps, and this year, another USB doubling to 20Gbps is underway.

But Jeff Ravencraft, president of the USB Implementers Forum that's behind this latest technology, says another doubling is possible.

"The current structure of cables and connectors can operate up to 40Gbps," Ravencraft said at the CES tech show. "As the market demands higher bandwidth, I think we have a pathway to continue to improve data rate performance well."
While that 40Gbps speed isn't guaranteed, it seems inevitable at some point given computing industry trends toward ever-faster technology. That could help ensure USB remains a useful part of your digital life for another few years, better able to withstand the onslaught of convenient wireless data transfer technologies. Higher speed USB would make it better suited for fast access to big files on external hard drives and for plugging in high-resolution monitors.

It also means it's more likely to keep the even faster Thunderbolt a product you'll see only in a high-end niche. Intel's Thunderbolt latest technology is useful today, but with data-transfer speeds of 40Gbps, its performance advantage over USB is narrowing.

USB speeds have increased by a factor of 1,667 over the last two decades, from 12 megabits per second to 20 gigabits per second. Another doubling, to 40Gbps, is possible.
USB speeds have increased by a factor of 1,667 over the last two decades, from 12 megabits per second to 20 gigabits per second. Another doubling, to 40Gbps, is possible.
Faster USB could mean lower prices for high-performance peripherals because manufacturers of PCs and peripherals won't have to pay Intel to use Thunderbolt, said Patrick Moorhead, analyst at Moor Insights and Strategy.

"I am sure the USB device and host makers would like to get to this quickly, as the license fees would be lower," Moorhead said.

Intel, a USB fan but also the leader of the Thunderbolt latest technology, didn't comment for this story.

Starting with version 3, Thunderbolt embraced the USB-C connector, a move that lets PC makers offer dual-purpose ports on slim laptops. Thunderbolt and USB-C cables are compatible, too, at least to a point. This Thunderbolt technology shows what USB hardware can be capable of, said Brad Saunders, chairman of the USB Implementers Forum.

"Thunderbolt demonstrates there is a pathway," Saunders said.


When the industry will go down that pathway remains unclear, with 20Gbps only just beginning to arrive now. But with USB ports spreading to everything from car dashboards to bike headlights, it looks like the latest technology, still has many years to grow.

Comments

  1. ทดลองเล่น 777pg slot เป็นเกมสล็อตออนไลน์ที่มีความน่าสนใจมากในตอนนี้ เนื่องจากมีรูปแบบและสไตล์การเล่นที่น่าตื่นเต้น PG SLOT ป้ายกิจกรรมโปรโมชั่นนอกจากนี้ 777pg

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

leave a comment

Popular posts from this blog

THE BILLIONAIRE DESIRE IS NOW HERE!!! FOR FREE

I have some special news for you and I can’t wait to share! I’ve just released my new book entitled “ The Billionaire Desire ” and it’s now available on Amazon for FREE from December 1, 2019 to December 2, 2019 with Kindle Unlimited. You can grab your copy from here https://amzn.to/2q9utD0  Enjoy your book. Finally, if you enjoyed this book, then I’d like to ask you for a favor, would you be kind enough to leave a review for this book on Amazon? It’d be greatly appreciated! Thank you so much!

At CES, Toyota unveils a self-driving vehicle with some surprising uses

Called e-Palette, the latest technology autonomous electric vehicle has no windshield and no fixed seats — but lots of potential applications. It’s a truck, it’s a taxi, it’s a mobile hotel, its the latest technology. At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Toyota announced that it is developing a driverless electric vehicle in partnership with Amazon, Uber, and Pizza Hut, Called e-Palette, the concept vehicle has no windshield and no fixed seats but is designed for use as a passenger-carrying minivan, a parcel-delivery truck, or even a mobile office or hotel room. Larger than the self-driving taxis being tested by Alphabet spin-off Waymo but smaller than the driverless semi-trucks that Uber is working on, e-Palette is seen as a multipurpose urban runabout. Related topics *.     ROBOT SHIPS WILL BRING BIG BENEFITS — AND PUT CAPTAINS ON SHORE *.      NAVYA'S LATEST TECHNOLOGY CAB COULD BE YOUR FIRST SELF-DRIVING CAR EXPERIENCE “My aim...

The Floating Electric Car That Was Born From Tragedy

Inspired by the 2011 Japanese tsunami, this latest technology wants to be a comfortable ride and emergency vehicle. The devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in 2011 inspired numerous innovations meant to prevent future disasters. That includes one man's dream of a floating car. Hideo Tsurumaki, a former Toyota employee, witnessed people trying to escape the tidal onslaught in their cars only to be swept away in the destruction. He later founded Fomm Corp., which aims to build small, waterproof cars that can actually float. He sees them as not just potential ways to get around, but as safety investments. “I intend to put one outside our house,” Tsurumaki tells Bloomberg. “Many others will probably think the same.” Read also THE BEST LAPTOPS FOR GAMING ON THE GO A REALITY CHECK ON THIS YEAR’S WILDEST TECH PRODUCTS While Tsurumaki's Fomm sells itself first as the world's smallest electric four-seater, it's water-resistance and ability to float w...