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• USB 3.0 will, of course, also require new USB hubs to allow connecting several devices through one physical connection. USB 3.0 hubs will be more sophisticated than USB 2.0 devices, as they will include two separate hubs in one single device: one SuperSpeed hub for USB 3.0 operation, and a second one for USB 2.0. This will be entirely transparent to the user, as all ports will be connected to both hubs. However, this approach does not increase the maximum amount of devices per USB host port, which remains 127. Will USB 3.0 Hubs Be More Expensive? The implementation of such a double-feature hub will most likely have a negative impact on first-generation USB 3.0 hubs, although we expect future product generations to be based on unified silicon, meaning that one controller supports both hub functions. We also want to point at compatibility issues with USB 1.1, as USB 3.0 devices are not supposed to maintain compatibility with the old 12 Mbit/s standard. Hence, USB 3.0 hubs will not cooperate with old USB 1.1 controllers. Market Penetration by 2010 The specification is set now, but it will take a few more months until devices are available in any significant quantities. The USB 3.0 Promoter Group expects USB 3.0 consumer products to be available by 2010, which is a year later than expected. Most companies will be busy implementing USB 3.0 for the rest of this year, but we expect controllers to be ready before 2009 closes out. Windows 7 Without USB 3.0 Support? Microsoft has already announced that it won't be supporting USB 3.0 natively when Windows 7 ships. The time between finalization of the USB 3.0 specification and the completion of Windows 7 appears to be too short to fit support into the Windows 7 production pipeline. However, Microsoft will definitely add USB 3.0 support via updates. It remains to be seen whether or not Windows XP or Windows Vista will be upgraded with USB 3.0 support, allowing current users to benefit from SuperSpeed technology. The delays also impacted the product development of other manufacturers, such as Intel. First, rumors said that the Ibex Peak chipset (P55) would be supporting USB 3.0, which is definitely not the case. Users will have to wait for Intel’s 2010 platform to get integrated USB 3.0 hardware support.

• Toshiba and SSDs Competing in a market that’s been targeted by the world’s largest semiconductor company is no easy task. Given Intel’s push into the SSD (solid state storage) market, Toshiba has tried to differentiate itself from Intel’s more commodity-like approach. For example, Toshiba offers a half-terabyte SSD, while Intel’s current largest SSD is 160GB. Now Toshiba is pushing into alternative form factors, such as a mSATA (mini-SATA) configuration in 30GB and 62GB sizes, suitable for netbooks or server boot drives. These drives plug directly into a mini-PCI interface and are substantially smaller (up to 1/7th the size of a 2.5-inch form factor). Toshiba will also be offering similar configurations in a “half-slim” form factor, smaller than a business card, with no actual case, that plugs directly into a SATA port. USB 3.0 Update We mentioned USB 3.0 (also known as “SuperSpeed USB”) in our day two IDF update. We’re updating that brief mention today with an update after a technical session on USB 3.0’s steady march towards actual products. Up to 10x performance increase--480 Mb/s to 5 Gb/sFast Sync-N-Go to minimize user wait timeOptimize power efficiency--uses 1/3 the power of USB 2.0; no device polling and lower active and idle power requirementsBackward compatible with USB 2.0. NEC announced the first SuperSpeed USB host controller, the uDP 720200. Asus had a PCI Express interface card based on the NEC chip, running in several PCs, connected to various peripherals. Asus is also showing its previously-announced P6X58 Premium motherboard with the NEC controller built directly onto the motherboard. The system was connected to a solid state drive streaming data off at 250MB/sec, around eight times faster than similar USB 2.0 products. Fujitsu demoed a laptop PC with the NEC host controller, too. Given Intel’s public roadmaps, it may be a good year before we see SuperSpeed USB embedded into PC core logic. Then there’s the issue of software support. At the USB 3.0 technical session, senior program manager Lars Guisti of Microsoft gave an update on how SuperSpeed USB’s XHCI driver stack might be implemented into Windows. It’s a fairly complex driver stack, given support for backward compatibility, the new power management features, and higher data speeds. Microsoft will be delivering native support for XHCI in some future Windows update, but the timing is uncertain.

• More Bandwidth with USB 3.0

  It took quite a while for USB 2.0, the second-generation Universal Serial Bus specification, to become as popular as it is today. Intel had launched USB back in 1996 as a replacement for serial RS-232 and parallel 25-pin connects. And although the benefits typically speak for themselves, it required broad support at a platform level to be considered successful. Even though Intel implemented USB support in its 440FX chipset for the Pentium Pro and Pentium II, it wasn't destined for broad adoption, due to missing software support in Microsoft's Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0 operating systems. Moreover, there were only few USB devices available back then, making the launch even more difficult. USB 1.0, at its 12 Mbit/s data rate, clearly started as a niche interface. Useless or Universal? Many users scoffed at the Universal Serial Bus when Intel updated the specification in 1998. Version 1.1 introduced interrupt transfers, which are important for HID devices (Human Interface Device, such as keyboards and mice). However, USB 1.1 did not enable faster transfer speeds, meaning that the throughput remained 1.5 Mbit/s at low-speed link mode and 12 Mbit/s at full speed. The Need for Speed: USB 2.0 Two more years later, in 2000, the USB specification received another update. This time it was USB 2.0, which brought a significant increase in bandwidth, as it offered 40x more bandwidth and peak gross throughput of 480 MB/s in high speed more. Fortunately, USB 2.0 was still compatible with USB 1.1, which was important to support first generation USB thumb drives, which initially were all based on the 12 Mbit/s USB 1.1. standard. True USB 2.0 devices hit the mainstream in 2002, which finally saw the interface come into its own. The bandwidth of 480 Mbit/s wasn’t only fast enough for thumb drives, but also for external storage devices, MP3 players, smart phones, and digital cameras, which require moving lots of data. Since its breakthrough, USB 2.0 has effectively replaced serial and parallel interfaces--a fact that is most noticable when you look at a sample of the latest motherboards. Only few products still come with parallel or serial interfaces, as these are no longer necessary for consumers products, and retain only a small presence in server environments and industrial computing. The success story of USB will continue soon, as USB 3.0 is prepared for mainstream consumption.