USB history and future development trends

USB is a well-known universal external interface. It basically covers all the categories of external devices we use daily at this stage. It is also the representative of external standards. Although many people use USB-related devices every day, they don’t know much about the history of USB development. Today, we will popularize the history and future development trends of USB.

 



Students who understand the principles of computer composition know that I/O devices are an important component of the von Neumann architecture. In the early days, the types of computer interfaces were uneven and there was no unified standard. It was not until around 1996 that Intel, Microsoft, IBM, HP and other leading technology and hardware companies designed and formulated the USB standard together, which gradually brought USB into the vision of the general public.

USB stands for Universal Serial Bus. It is a serial bus standard and the most common technical specification for input and output interfaces. It is widely used in all aspects of life such as PCs, mobile devices, photography, and digital TV.

  • USB 1.0 (1996)
Speed: Low-speed mode at 1.5 Mbps, full-speed mode at 12 Mbps.
Features: This was the first generation of USB standard, primarily used for low-bandwidth devices such as keyboards and mice.
  • USB 1.1 (1998)

Speed: Same as USB 1.0, but with minor improvements.

Features: Addressed some early issues with USB 1.0, making it more stable and reliable.
  • USB 2.0 (2000)
Speed: Up to 480 Mbps.
Features: Introduced high-speed mode, supporting larger data transfers, such as external hard drives and high-resolution webcams.
  • USB 3.0 (2008, also known as SuperSpeed USB)
Speed: Up to 5 Gbps.
Features: Significantly increased data transfer rates while maintaining backward compatibility. A new blue "SS" logo was introduced to identify USB 3.0 ports.
  • USB 3.1 (2013)
Speed:
Gen 1: 5 Gbps (same as USB 3.0)
Gen 2: 10 Gbps
Features: Further enhanced data transfer speeds and supported higher power charging (up to 100W).
  • USB 3.2 (2017)

Speed:

Gen 1: 5 Gbps

Gen 2: 10 Gbps
Gen 2x2: 20 Gbps (achieved through dual channels)
Features: Continued to increase transfer rates and introduced dual-channel technology, supporting even higher bandwidth.
  • USB4 (2019)

Speed: Up to 40 Gbps.

Features: Based on the Thunderbolt 3 protocol, supports multiple protocol tunneling (such as DisplayPort), and offers greater flexibility and scalability. USB4 also supports dynamic bandwidth allocation, allowing multiple data streams within a single connection to share the total bandwidth.

  • USB Type-C (2014)
Features: Although not a new USB version, Type-C is a new physical connector type that can be inserted either way, supporting USB 2.0, USB 3.x, USB4, and Thunderbolt 3 standards. It also supports Power Delivery (PD) functionality, providing up to 100W.

Future Outlook

As technology advances, USB standards will continue to evolve to meet higher data transfer rates and a wider range of use cases. For example, future USB versions may further increase transfer rates and support additional features.
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