USB 3.0 specification to be formally unveiled this month
By Darren Murph 
posted Nov 6th 2008 9:56AM
posted Nov 6th 2008 9:56AM
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?
Hmm, chunky. That looks like another USB connector which will fill Macbook Air users with sorrow.
WARNING
Hi speed USB 3.0 product has been plugged into a low speed USB 2.0 port. Device may not work correctly [X]
Yeah, it's pretty bulky, but I doubt the final products are going to look like that.
Macbook air still has a normal sized slot?
anyway. this has taken WAY WAY WAY too long to come out. USB 4 2018 FTW!!!
Firewire FTW! :)
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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?
Backwards compatible or there will be bloodletting.
BC was in the specs since the very beginning
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...
@Stephen
If they were to change the shape of the port, they could make a dongle to connect older devices.
.... what about wireless USB??? who wants plugs?!?
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
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.
fine... ill take it but i dont have to like it
@bob sakamano:
"fine... ill take it but i dont have to like it"
How very diplomatic of you. :P
People who want to recharge things and not drain the battery during data transfer?
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.
lol like we need usb 3 still kl though!
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.
In the meantime, I'm quite happy with eSATA.
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.
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
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
A sata drive is 3.2Gbps.... seems pretty standard to me.
Putting these in place of the USB 2.0 in the Macbooks would lessen the blow of losing firewire.
Assuming that semi-pro audio/video equipment switches to USB 3.0, I agree.
As a musician, however, the lack of Firewire kills.
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.
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.
spot on
@star when i read your reply i realized my mistake. 480mbits is not the same as say.... 480ks/s my bad..
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)
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.
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.
Yesssssssssssssssssssss...USB3 is pure sex, mmmmm.
If that is what you think....then you need REAL sex.