USB or Universal Serial Bus technology has become a popular, simple and cheap way to connect all kinds of devices. Its popularity has come extremely fast as the history of USB dates back to the mid-1990s. This article provides an overview of USB technology, its history, and its future.

History:

USB technology was developed to present a standard means by which devices, particularly those related to computers, could interconnect and communicate. It was created by a collaboration of Intel, Compaq, Microsoft, Digital, IBM, and Northern Telecom. In the early days of the IBM PC, there were a plethora of connections for different types of devices, including AT, serial, parallel, joystick, SCSI, and PS/2. None of these ports were compatible with each other and each served essentially the same function. Enter USB. USB not only provided an interface, it provided power for some devices and allowed users to connect a large number of devices on a single machine.

Preliminary releases of the USB standard occurred in 1994, and the final USB 1.0 specification was released in November 1995. The standard was enhanced in September 1998 with USB 1.1, which fixed many of the problems identified in the original standard.

USB could run at 1.5 or 12 mbps, but with competition from Firewire and more bandwidth demanding technology, USB 2.0, released in August 2000, could handle speeds of 480 mbps.

Adoption:

All connectors faced an adoption issue and USB was no different. There is only a market for a device that is interconnectable if there are other devices on the market that it can be connected to. This network effect can make it difficult for all devices to adopt (if you’re the only person with a phone, it doesn’t do much good, but if you’re one of millions with the same standardized system, the increased market for the standard does more affordable). and more attractive to others).

The iMac gave USB a real boost, offering only USB ports and no legacy options. This meant that there was a market in which USB could gain a foothold.

The present:

USB devices perform many functions extremely well. Devices can be hot swapped – that is, they could be connected and disconnected without the need to reboot a PC. Devices from many thousands of manufacturers can intercommunicate, many devices can be installed without a specific device driver, some devices can be connected to computers without the need for an external power source, and others can be recharged by connecting via a USB device.

USB connectors are robust because they don’t rely on pins that are easy to bend or break. USB cables are designed so that static electricity is discharged before a connection is made, making the standard more durable.

The connections are extremely handy and it’s easy to plug in USB devices or realize you have the wrong end of the cable. By design, the cables are easy to connect and remove, no screws are needed, which means that everyone can easily access them.

Future:

The future of USB is the USB 3.0 standard which will run at 4.8 gbps, ten times the current speed. This new standard will only be compatible with USB 2.0, but will include some power conservation features. Higher speeds and better power consumption will help USB compete with other standards on the market, including Firewire 800 and eSATA.

To put the performance of the new USB standard into perspective, it would currently take 15 minutes to copy a 27GB HD movie; the new standard will mean this can be achieved in 70 seconds.

The USB standard is extremely useful and durable and is very popular. Many mobile phones have a USB connection, and USB flash drives make transferring large amounts of data an extremely simple process. A USB gadget subculture has sprung up in recent years with weird and quirky gadgets like USB fridges, vacuum cleaners, toasters, slippers and back massagers all hitting the market with great interest and varying degrees of success. Interestingly, while it was the brainchild of several companies, including Microsoft and Intel, it was Apple that gave USB its popularity. Windows machines didn’t handle USB well, even in Windows 98, but the iMac showed how USB devices could be used to provide great variety through extreme simplicity.