Apple, Get Ready For The USB 3 Release!

As you probably know, Apple decided to remove FireWire support of the latest MacBooks, and most users weren't exactly happy with that decision. While I won't say anyhing related to that decision now, today I will have to ask one simple question: will Apple move to USB 3 as soon as possible, or not?


The reason for asking this question is pretty simple - according to the information we all have at hand right now, the next-gen USB standard should become available for commercial applications in 2010, and Apple should be one of the first companies to embrace it. Why? First, because people missing FireWire may not be happy with USB 2.0, and second...

...just think about the USB 3 specifications: speeds up to 4.8 Gbit/s (600 MB/s), as well as a powering system which intelligently cuts power when your USB 3 device is idle! Pretty cool, don't you agree?

Since the USB 3.0 Promoter Group has announced the completion of the USB 3.0 specification and the USB 3 release is, practically, a part of the past, but if you're one of those working in a company that's going to mess with this new technology, you may want to take a look at the specification and adopter agreement, both available here. After all, there's still enough time left until USB 3.0 arrives in consumers' hands, but you wouldn't like to miss the USB 3 train, would you?

Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Microsoft, NEC, ST-NXP Wireless and Texas Instruments worked together to develop USB 3.0, and now - as I was saying earlier - is only a matter of time until the first USB 3 devices will hit the market. While most of them will be large flash drives and external hard disks, I think the iPod would put to good use a data interface about 10 times faster than USB 2.0...