
USB 3.1 specs launched, offers 10Gbps transfer speed - jor-el
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/08/usb-3-1-spec-finalized-horns-in-on-thunderbolts-turf-with-10gbps-speeds/
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magoon
I love USB 3.0, but the problem is the (now) fat connector. Lightning would be
a much nicer physical interface.

Aside from the connector, there are no slim USB 3.0-capable flash drives a la
Cruzer Fit.

~~~
taspeotis
I wasn't aware the connector changed dimensions, just that some pins were
moved around [1].

Care to explain?

[1] [http://images.techtree.com.s3-ap-
southeast-1.amazonaws.com/t...](http://images.techtree.com.s3-ap-
southeast-1.amazonaws.com/ttimages/story/110144_usb-3.jpg)

~~~
Casseres
I think magoon is talking about the Micro B connection [0].

[0] [http://ecx.images-
amazon.com/images/I/71sFrK-H7ZL._SL1500_.j...](http://ecx.images-
amazon.com/images/I/71sFrK-H7ZL._SL1500_.jpg)

~~~
Someone
USB 3 is an example of using market power to force adoption of a new protocol.
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB_3.0#Implementation_differen...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB_3.0#Implementation_differences_compared_to_USB_2.0):

 _" The USB 3.0 specification is similar to USB 2.0 but with many improvements
and an alternative implementation. Earlier USB concepts like endpoints and
four transfer types (bulk, control, isochronous and interrupt) are preserved
but the protocol and electrical interface are different. The specification
defines a physically separate channel to carry USB 3.0 traffic."_

That's what lead to those Frankenstein connectors, glueing the existing USB
2.0 connector to a new part that is used for 3.0 traffic. To see that in all
its glory, look at a drawing instead of a photograph:
[http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:USB_3.0_Micro_B_plug....](http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:USB_3.0_Micro_B_plug.PNG)).

IIRC, two pure 3.0 devices cannot negotiate a connection's properties without
the 2.0 part, but after that, they don't use it anymore. USB 3 truly is a new
interface borrowing terminology from 2.0. This, on the other hand, seems just
a speed bump. As the commenter on the AnandTech article states, that may mean
it gets adopted sooner.

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ck2
USB seems to evolve like super-saiyan levels, ha.

They should just get it over with and make it a fiber-optic cable surrounded
by copper wires for backward compatibility.

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TazeTSchnitzel
Ah, now there's a format for 1Gbps WiFi dongles ;)

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gizmo686
You still need to get the WiFi itself up to 1Gbps. Seeing as Wifi Chips still
have not exceeded 54Mbps, it seems like the barrier is in the air, not in the
connection.

~~~
oakwhiz
There are already 802.11ac chipsets available which go up to 1.3Gbps, it's
just that nobody seems to have bothered to put them into a USB device.

