USB 3.0 cables go on sale one year early
By Thomas Ricker 
posted Apr 27th 2009 7:15AM
posted Apr 27th 2009 7:15AM
Here you go, the first USB 3.0 cable that we're aware of has gone on sale over at USBfever. Interestingly, the cable's feature list says, "it is 10 times faster than USB 2.0." Sure, as long as it's hooked up to a USB 3.0 SuperSpeed host which it won't be until 2010. USBfever: So hot we're hallucinating.
is it possible to have this comment delivered with 1 year delay?
Who cares.. I gots da USB 4.0 and to go with your MP4 players nub!
You mean MP5 players (search Engadget archives)
MP4 = Typically iPod formatted videos/QuickTime videos... aka MP4 players are very real... iPods and iPhones are all MP4 players (technically speaking).
@Schweppes
there's no such thing as USB 4.0 and MP4 is a video format, if you're talking about those shit, chinese quality ripoffs then, you could call that an MP4 but technically it's not. -_- n00b...
@feraligatr8: I don't think you seem to understand sarcasm.
Its interesting that these cables are already being manufactured. I hope they have somewhere big to store them for the next 12 months
Certainly not in the backseat of a Volvo.
They're keeping them in the backseat of a Cadillac.
+1 for Mallrats reference :D
It's a VOLKSWAGEN. The back seat of a Volkswagen. Think of it... Volvo's are huge. (in comparison)
Have either of you seen the movie?
-10000 for all of you.
Well if anything you can use them until 2010 becasue they are backwards compatable with 2.0
Touche, guy.
Put it in Alfa Romeos
than you would found that there had never been any"backseat"or "trunk"
but tiny areas where the front seats don't fill only.
I guess this is a win, but...
1 - The technology isn't out yet.
2 - USB 3.0 devices aren't out yet.
3 - Write speeds aren't even close to up to par for this stuff yet.
Personally, I don't see the harm of waiting until next year.
We're close enough to the release that the plugs aren't going to be changed. People are developing USB3.0 devices right now. Engineers need standard USB3.0 cables to connect things they're designing, so it's not entirely silly that they're selling them. They have to get them from somebody!
The earlier the cables pop out to market, the cheaper they'll be next year. Can't be a bad thing.
Har har har. -_-
Ok so at first I thought.. don't feed the trolls; but Bill has a point here (sort of)
Male/Male cables, but no (listing on here for a) Female/Male? I guess it might be a moot point since USB 3 isn't even out yet but I guess I expected all cables to be on this post...
It looks like Bill's comment was crushed by the mighty fist of Engadget. I guess we know what roads not to go wandering down when it comes to commenting.
Never got what one would use male/male A/A cables for, I know of no device that uses it, and yet you see them in stores everywhere (for USB2).
There must be some secret world of devices that use them that I'm barred from.
Yeah I don't get it. I thought I was Engadget's favorite commenter.
I have two hard drives on my desk right now that use male/male cables. Although many drives use the mini-USB connector now instead of the typical male cable.
Female plugs are reserved for devices and hosts, so you will hardly ever see a male/female cable unless you are looking for a USB extension cable like what I have in the lab.
They got the fever...the fever for more USB!
You messed up a great joke by removing the word cowbell. Your comment would have been hilarious if you would have kept it original and said "They got the fever...the fever for more COWBELL!"
Yeah, I know I put my pants on just like the rest of you; one leg at a time. Except, when my pants are on, I make gold records!
Is USB-A to USB-A even a permitted topology?
It beaks the brains of people who know because they know it shouldn't be.
It breaks the brains of consumers because they assume it's normal.
It's not normal, and i don't like it.
No, it is in fact expressly forbidden in every USB spec out there.
It creates a hole in the universe that sucks in the planet and destroys life as we know it. That's why it's immoral to use such cables.
I was thinking the same thing. A-male to A-male is a bigger red flag than the USB 3.0 spec is. This cable isn't early because it is never supposed to exist, not even in 2010.
Retailers love to sell cables with higher numbers on them at higher markups, especially when there's no real difference. I'm surprised they aren't selling cat8 cables for $50 yet.
These cables are going to be 'monstrously' fast...
See what I did there? ;)
Just peachy. ;)
Would you like some COOOOL HWIP? MMMMmmmm?
...so u cant get sued.
"The-Cable-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named"
Or if we used that word enough, we can petition to genericide the trademark and have it revoked.
Walmart Priced!
I was thinking the same thing. Walmart still charges over $30 for Dynex USB cables.
@themovielife: sure, and since a number of people who shop there thinking that they're automatically getting the lowest price on everything, I'm sure WM is making a killing on them. Doesn't hurt me, so I don't really care.
Fever you say?
I see, it's spreading faster and faster.
I've got a feeling that these cables are not going to perform as well as later cables. They don't even have USB 3.0 devices to test the transfer speed.
Sigh-- I'm building my new PC next month. Am I going to regret not waiting until I can get native USB 3?
Only if you were willing to wait another year to build that PC. Or hate adding cards.
In short...yes. If you can wait next year you'll enjoy such benefits as: USB 3.0, PCI Express 3.0, DirectX 11-capable video cards, SATA 6.0Gbps, as well as reasonably-priced DDR3 memory and Blu-Ray drives. With Windows 7 and Office 2010 also being released in that vicinity, it's hard to think of another year when so many new specs were released simultaneously. Your computer is always obsolete as soon as you build it, but it will be considerably less obsolete if you build it next year.
It is your patriotic duty to build it now!
This is always the issue with building a new PC. If you look 6 months to 1 year out there is always going to be something new. Always. So I guess it depends on how badly you need a new PC, but at some point you just have to pull the trigger or you'll always be waiting for that next technology on the horizon.
Why? WHY!!!!!
I suppose it's comforting that the cables (hopefully A to B) will be readily available when the time comes. I remember having a difficult time getting the better video cables for both the Wii and the XBOX360 because the supply just wasn't there.
Only if you were willing to wait another year to build that PC. Or hate adding cards.
That was meant for Freddie, oops.