USB 3.0 specification to be formally unveiled this month

We've already got the controller specs, now we just need the full-on protocol specs. Speaking at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference in Los Angeles, USB-IF president Jeff Ravencraft reportedly stated that he expects the "final specifications to be made public on November 17," and given that said day will mark the opening of the SuperSpeed USB Developers Conference in San Jose, we'd say it all jibes pretty well. Now, how many months will we have to wait before manufacturers can actually get the hasty new ports into machines?

[Andy TGD @ Nov 6th 2008 10:06AM]

Hmm, chunky. That looks like another USB connector which will fill Macbook Air users with sorrow.

[Flashpoint @ Nov 6th 2008 10:47AM]

WARNING

Hi speed USB 3.0 product has been plugged into a low speed USB 2.0 port. Device may not work correctly [X]

[DWells55 @ Nov 6th 2008 10:58AM]

Yeah, it's pretty bulky, but I doubt the final products are going to look like that.

[Dave Chappelle @ Nov 7th 2008 1:31AM]

Macbook air still has a normal sized slot?

anyway. this has taken WAY WAY WAY too long to come out. USB 4 2018 FTW!!!

[A1 @ Nov 6th 2008 10:06AM]

Firewire FTW! :)

[bob @ Nov 6th 2008 11:02AM]

im with ya on that, though actually having useable usb when i have to use it will also be good, though i must say firewire 800 has been a god send over these last 3-4 years, i love it.

[RoboDan @ Nov 6th 2008 10:07AM]

And it only took then nearly 10 years to come out with 3.0 since the release of 2.0

So we can expect 4.0 in 30 years?

[Teckridge @ Nov 6th 2008 10:08AM]

Couple this release with the new Intel chips being released this month and you'll have the answer why Apple isn't releasing any new hardware until January. You can't fault Apple for late component delivery on bleeding edge technology.

[Magnulus @ Nov 6th 2008 10:42AM]

I really hope Apple won't be as annoyingly slow in getting these things into their machines as the Blu-Ray. I'm getting closer and closer to needing a new machine, and I'd hate for it to not have Blu-Ray and USB 3.0 ...

Disclaimer: This is not an invitation to a discussion of near-religious fanaticism about whether or not I should just get a "normal" PC. I think it's wonderful that you're running a Windows/ Linux box, it's just not for me.

[Mikeweezer @ Nov 6th 2008 12:03PM]

I wouldn't hold your breath on the blu-ray...

As his holiness said at the end of the last keynote, he sees physical media dying out, and the iTunes store serves up plenty of HD content.

[Chris @ Nov 6th 2008 12:36PM]

Apple are so cutting edge they decided to show the USB 3.0 standard at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference

btw, how's that 2 year old blu-ray stuff going?

[somedude @ Nov 6th 2008 10:13AM]

Backwards compatible or there will be bloodletting.

[cesium @ Nov 6th 2008 10:23AM]

BC was in the specs since the very beginning

[Stephen @ Nov 6th 2008 10:57AM]

You know, BC is great, but it does leave us all in the lurch with the port's symmetry problems. As long as they make them backward compatible, they can't ever change the shape of the port.

Well, that's not true entirely. They could enlarge the port in some way to provide asymmetry, and previous generation plugs would still fit, but I would think that would make for loose connections when using older generation plugs.

Now, if they decide to drop backwards compatibility, they could change the shape slightly to make it impossible to jam a plug in upside down...

[Rollins @ Nov 6th 2008 11:29AM]

@Stephen

If they were to change the shape of the port, they could make a dongle to connect older devices.

[bob sakamano @ Nov 6th 2008 10:15AM]

.... what about wireless USB??? who wants plugs?!?

[paragraph @ Nov 6th 2008 10:20AM]

those people who bitterly cling to thier external storage and and cameras

:P

seriosly, wUSB is too slow for anything besides.... umm... sorry, can't think of an external device that can operate at the speed of smell

[Christian Walters @ Nov 6th 2008 10:21AM]

The same people who want Wireless USB, are the people that think that Firewire is still relavant to the average person, and not the technophile.

[bob sakamano @ Nov 6th 2008 10:23AM]

fine... ill take it but i dont have to like it

[Andy TGD @ Nov 6th 2008 10:26AM]

@bob sakamano:

"fine... ill take it but i dont have to like it"

How very diplomatic of you. :P

[ehisforadam @ Nov 6th 2008 11:00AM]

People who want to recharge things and not drain the battery during data transfer?

[thequinox @ Nov 6th 2008 1:26PM]

I want plugs. Wireless USB will be developed along side USB 3.0, but it will not replace it. Not only because it isn't in the same speed class, but mostly because USB supplies power. That's why everyone loves USB so much. Take that away and now your webcam needs batteries or has to be plugged into the wall.

[thazlett @ Nov 6th 2008 10:49AM]

lol like we need usb 3 still kl though!

[Rob @ Nov 6th 2008 10:54AM]

ah yeah you're right, we don't need a faster specification with the increasing file sizes and larger quantities of media. how could i forget? this must have slipped by the USB-IF. i'll let them know we don't need it.

[DWells55 @ Nov 6th 2008 10:54AM]

In the meantime, I'm quite happy with eSATA.

[kylewbaker @ Nov 6th 2008 3:06PM]

Generally speaking, I am too, I'm surprised it hasn't become more widely used by now. I've got 750GB 3.5" (backup) and 320GB 2.5" (scratch disk, portable media) eSATA externals with my laptop but plug n' play can be erratic and USB's ability to draw power over the bus is a major consideration.

[thazlett @ Nov 6th 2008 11:05AM]

what and a "standard" hard drive can keep up with 480mbps..... im just saying its going to be a tad useless for afew years atleast until storage media can match the speeds usb3 will offer. Storage media can barely keep up with usb2.0 presently, though recently its rocketed

[star @ Nov 6th 2008 2:13PM]

Thazlett, as an employee of a storage company, I can tell that several kinds of storage media can keep up with 480mbps and beyond. 480mbps is merely 60MB/s of raw data which with protocol overheads and host stack overheads brings it down to a measly 30-40MB/s in writes.

I love how engadget attracts non-engineers and encourages them to speak freely about technology

[Matt @ Nov 6th 2008 3:39PM]

A sata drive is 3.2Gbps.... seems pretty standard to me.

[Dyranios @ Nov 6th 2008 11:23AM]

Putting these in place of the USB 2.0 in the Macbooks would lessen the blow of losing firewire.

[Rollins @ Nov 6th 2008 11:30AM]

Assuming that semi-pro audio/video equipment switches to USB 3.0, I agree.

As a musician, however, the lack of Firewire kills.

[FoO @ Nov 6th 2008 11:42AM]

Any minute now! It'll be hotter than firewire! Here it comes.. almost there... one more minute! Really! We mean it this time!
pfft
Believe it when I see it. I'm /not/ holding my breath.

[tservo24 @ Nov 6th 2008 12:05PM]

Expectations are for usability (computers and devices) equipped with USB 3.0 in 2010...so don't hold your breath until then. I would be bet we see some devices in Q4 2009 begin o hit the market, but 2010 will be the year it goes mainstream.

[star @ Nov 6th 2008 2:19PM]

spot on

[thazlett @ Nov 6th 2008 2:23PM]

@star when i read your reply i realized my mistake. 480mbits is not the same as say.... 480ks/s my bad..

[Sam Zebian @ Nov 6th 2008 2:40PM]

I can't wait until this is available on most PC's, then I'll build my new system (with most likely some other new tech coming out soon, like SATAIII and bigger SSd's on the cheap)

[kylewbaker @ Nov 6th 2008 3:02PM]

USB 3.0, SanDisks "extreme" SSDs, new proc generation from Intel... I don't need any of this stuff. But I want it so bad.

Every new generation of technology makes it harder to comprehend two things for me: How can we keep this pace up and where is the usefulness threshold? Yet it keeps chuggin' on without missing a beat, and enthusiasts like us will always push our systems to their limits.

I guess I don't really have a point.

[Eli Gundry @ Nov 6th 2008 4:10PM]

I can't help but have bittersweet emotions for USB 3.0. On the one hand, as a consumer, I like faster speeds, backwards compatibility, and universal support for my devices. But, as a geek, I can't help but feel a little flustered with USB's architecture. I am no Firewire elitist, but I like it because both devices contribute to the sharing of data. USB just uses the computer's resources while USB just sits there and chills. Seems somewhat ineffective.

Think of USB like a fat, bitchy girlfriend that makes you drive you to the movies, take her to dinner, and buy her shoes and has the audacity to tell you that she's waiting until marriage and that she wants another bowl of ice cream in the same breath.

If anyone has a Firewire analogy, go for it, cause I'm about to cry about my past memories.

[Jeff @ Nov 6th 2008 6:20PM]

Yesssssssssssssssssssss...USB3 is pure sex, mmmmm.

[Laughing Man @ Nov 7th 2008 2:36AM]

If that is what you think....then you need REAL sex.