04/29, 6:30pm
Speedy OSX and Windows USB 3.0 RAID implementation tested
Apple was one of the first -- if not the first -- major computer manufacturers to provide then-fledgling USB support at the expense of legacy ports on its iMac line some 15 ago. Since then, the Mac maker hasn't always been the fastest at adding new USB protocols to machines, generally lagging six months or more behind, depending on the product line. The Mac Pro is languishing these days, awaiting a revamp -- but still has no USB 3.0 ports, despite an incremental update last summer boosting the speed of the computer somewhat. Highpoint Technologies has had strong support for the Macintosh and OS X despite only one current line of hardware having PCI-E slots. The latest offering from the company is the quad-channel Rocket-U 1144CM 4x PCI-E USB 3.0 card for the Mac Pro, and MacNN got a chance to test one out.
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03/25, 6:47pm
Each port slaved to individual USB 3.0 controller
HighPoint Technologies is now shipping the industry’s first USB 3.0 Storage Host Bus Adapter (HBA) available for Mac OS X 10.68 through 10.8.x -- the RocketU 1144CM. This third-generation, PCIe 2.0 x4 RAID HBA delivers 5Gb per second per-port performance and supports up to four external USB SSD’s, hard drives or enclosures.
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03/21, 9:55pm
Trayless enclosure allows for bus-powered hot-swap functionality
Storage solutions provider FirmTek, today launched the bus-powered miniSwap/U3 440MB per second USB 3.0 enclosure for 2.5-inch solid state and magnetic platter hard disk drives. The enclosure provides trayless, hot-swap, USB 3.0 external enclosure support for Mac and PC computers.
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01/07, 3:29pm
Flash drive with 1TB capacity accompanied by smaller drives
Memory manufacturer Kingston is to release what is claimed to be the world's largest-capacity USB 3.0 flash drive. The high-capacity DataTraveler HyperX Predator 3.0 will have a version shipping later this quarter with a total storage of 1-terabyte, while others in the range will ship at the same time at more standard capacities.
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01/06, 7:58pm
Higher data throughput, USB 2.0 compatability claimed
A faster version of USB 3.0 is in the pipeline, according to the USB 3.0 Promoter Group at CES. Expected to be completed by mid-2014, the development of a SuperSpeed USB enhancement will add a higher data rate to the USB 3.0 specification, allowing for up to double the date throughput of existing USB 3.0 connections.
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11/27, 6:35pm
New USB 3.0 solutions designed for Windows 8, OS X
Connectivity solution manufacturer Kanex, today announced two new USB 3.0 solutions. A new four-Port USB 3.0 Hub and a USB 3.0 Gigabit Adapter were both announced, and are listed as having both OS X and Windows compatibility.
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11/13, 12:58pm
Transfer speed claimed to be three times that of USB 2.0
Western Digital has rolled out a new version of the My Book Studio external hard drive, aimed towards users wanting more speed without switching to Thunderbolt. The update adds USB 3.0 connectivity, which provides data transfer speeds claimed to be three times faster than the USB 2.0 version, while also allowing for legacy connections through USB 2.0 and FireWire 800.
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10/22, 6:26am
Social network backup software also included
Seagate has unveiled a version of its Backup Plus portable and desktop drives for the Mac. The new release includes USB 3.0 support, which did not exist on Macs until the MacBook Pro with Retina was put on the market, though it can be upgraded to use FireWire 800 or a Thunderbolt connection if required, via Seagate's Universal Storage Module technology.
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10/16, 10:05am
New Diamond Multimedia 1080P set top box also revealed
Graphic card manufacturer Diamond Multimedia introduced today an addition to the Dual View line of products and PC to TV adapter. The DV100 is a USB 3.0 to DVI /HDMI 1080P external dual video card and display adapter for multiple monitors. The WPCTVPRO is a set-top box allowing for video and audio playback from a computer to a television, including support for popular media streaming services
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09/26, 12:10pm
USB 3.0 paired with FireWire 800
As notebook computers continue to grow in popularity, 2.5-inch hard drives have become one of the most popular upgrades. Most of the drives that are pulled out of a computer end up collecting dust, but Akitio's Neutrino U3+ enclosure promises to give life back to unused drives, or serve as a basis for custom external storage. In our full review, we take a closer look at the USB 3.0-equipped enclosure.
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09/12, 6:30am
9-pin connector dubbed Lightning, earphones dubbed Earpods
Apple’s much discussed and still rumored 9-pin dock connector is reportedly referred to internally as ‘Lightning,’ reports 9to5Mac. It is also believed that Apple will also market the new connector with that name lending weight to our earlier story that it is likely to be compatible with USB 3.0. Apple’s newest Ivy Bridge-based Macs support USB 3.0 and boast speeds of up to 5Gbps, half the speed of the Thunderbolt I/O, but much faster than the current USB 2.0 compatible connector.
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09/12, 2:35am
New cable unlikely to be just USB 2.0 or Thunderbolt
As details have clarified on the forthcoming iPhone and peripherals, various outlets have started to take a look at the synchronization cable as well. The nine-pin connector could point to compatibility with a USB 3.0 connector, such as those found on newer Macintosh laptop models from 2012, leading to substantially faster synchronization speeds across the newer interface.
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09/07, 7:12pm
Reworked storage gives alternative to Thunderbolt-only versions
LaCie has revealed two reworked additions to its desktop storage line. The 2big Quadra and 4big Quadra use a combination of high capacity RAID arrays and USB 3.0 ports, which LaCie has re-engineered to be optimized for computers that support the faster connection, and is a high-speed alternative to the company's Thunderbolt-only equivalents.
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08/30, 10:06am
Thunderbolt drive uses 10K RPM disks to match SSD performance
Hard drive maker Western Digital has revealed a new line of portable external drives specifically for Macs with capacities up to 2TB and USB 3.0 functionality, and has added a 2TB Thunderbolt-enabled drive that it says offers up to 400MB per second read speeds (and 380MB per second write speeds). When two My Book Velociraptor Duo drives are daisy-chained together, it doubles the speed capacity, rivalling consumer SSD drives at dramatically lower costs.
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08/06, 7:26am
LaCie optimizes USB 3.0 range for Apple MacBooks
LaCie has re-engineered its UBS 3.0 lineup for Apple's new line of USB 3.0-equipped MacBooks. According to LaCie, it has optimized its storage range to take advantage of Intel's Ivy Bridge processors, which support USB 3.0 natively for the first time. In this instance, LaCie has updated its range to support USB Attached SCSI Protocol (UAS) ensuring maximum data transfer rates.
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07/18, 9:39pm
Appears to fix USB 3.0 external drive mounting issues
Responding to complaints about CPU power use under load that eerily echoes a 2011 issue and also resolving a tricky issue regarding some USB 3.0 drive enclosures, Apple today issued a software update for just the latest models of MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. The "Pro Update 1.0" release notes do not specify the power consumption and USB problems in any detail, but reports of the machines losing battery while under high load even while plugged in have been spotted in support forums.
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07/16, 9:45pm
Problem isolated to inexpensive bridgeboards, chipsets
Almost immediately after USB 3.0-equipped Macs were announced by Tim Cook at the 2012 Worldwide Developers Conference, MacNN started receiving tips that there were sporadic problems involving USB 3.0 external drives not mounting properly. The reports were scattershot, with reports of one drive working fine on one machine, but not on the Retina MacBook pro, or alternatively, working on the 2012 MacBook Pros but not the just-refreshed MacBook Air. To get to the bottom of the problem, we contacted an independent lab to set up tests of various combinations of new MacBooks and USB 3.0 drives to look into the phenomenons and, hopefully, find a root cause.
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06/11, 11:36am
Sources suggest Apple objected to blue connectors
Apple's next Macs, which are widely expected to be unveiled within hours, may feature customized USB 3.0 ports. Several recent leaks have pointed to USB 3.0 support as a likely feature, however sources have told Electronista that Apple pushed to get its own exclusive grey-colored connectors for upcoming devices, rather than utilizing the existing blue connectors found on most USB 3.0 products.
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05/14, 9:58am
Long-awaited MacBook updates could begin in June
Apple will finally announce updated MacBooks in June, DigiTimes claims. The site quotes supply chain sources, who say that parts shipments are expected to pick up significantly that month as Apple escalates MacBook production. Shipments are predicted to peak in July, once capacity is reached; industry sources suggest that Apple will grow MacBook shipments by as much as 50 percent in 2012, vastly outdoing the pace of Windows PCs, even if the latter will likely still be the most dominant computer platform by far.
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05/14, 8:12am
Next-gen MacBook Pro 15-inch to lead redesign
More details have emerged about the next-generation 15-inch MacBook Pro, if 9to5Mac’s sources are correct. As with the first unibody MacBook Pro range, where the 15-inch model led the redesign, Apple is expected to reveal its latest MacBook Pro reboot with a 15-inch model. The inclusion of Intel’s Ivy Bridge processors will allow a thinner design, that will drop its optical drive, center on a new ‘jaw-dropping’ super high resolution Retina Display and also incorporate USB 3.0 ports.
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03/12, 9:00pm
Can use dual USB 3 port for up to 10Gb per second
HighPoint Technologies has launched two new Mac and PC compatible external storage solutions using USB 3.0 for a theoretical speed of up to 5Gb per second per port, or 10Gb per second total possible throughput in the dual-bay, "toaster" design RocketStor Smart Backup and RocketStore Smart RAID. The units can accommodate two SATA standard-size HDD and SSDs up to 6Gb per second in speed and can work with add-on USB 3 PCI-E cards.
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01/09, 5:05pm
32GB, 65GB USB 3.0 flash drives also announced
Toshiba announced two USB 3.0 accessories in its mobile lineup, a universal docking station and a 15.6-inch portable LED monitor. The dynadock U3.0 is a universal USB 3.01 docking station equipped with a total of six USB ports, four USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0. Two of the front ports allow users to charge other devices while the laptop is powered down, sleeping or undocked.
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12/15, 11:05pm
Statement confirms earlier reports
Confirming earlier reports, the USB Implementers Forum has made a formal announcement that Intel's upcoming Ivy Bridge chipset has received certification for USB 3.0. The confirmation notes that the company's i7-series chipsets will be capable of supporting up to four USB 3.0 ports.
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12/05, 6:00pm
Two-port card supports single disk and RAID
HighPoint Technologies is now shipping a USB 3.0 card designed specifically for Mac Pros and OS X 10.7 Lion, the RocketU Dual USB 3 for Mac. The two-port PCI-E 2.0 card supports both single disk and RAID configurations (0, 1 and JBOD) and is optimized for USB 3 hard drives and SSDs. The card features dual type-A ports, is fully backward-compatible with USB 1.1 and USB 2 devices and can be installed into any free PCI-E slot.
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11/17, 2:25pm
Kingston HyperX thumb drive is up to 256GB
Kingston has just unveiled the DataTraveler HyperX 3.0 USB flash drive. The fastest product of its kind from the company, it attains speeds of up to 225MBps when reading and 135MBps when writing thanks to its USB 3.0 technology and HyperX SSD. The drive is available in 64-, 128- and 256GB capacities.
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09/14, 6:05pm
Connects display at resolutions up to 2560x1600
DisplayLink, a chip maker which specializes in providing links between monitors and computers, demonstrated the first implementation of a USB 3.0 to HDMI graphics adapter. At the Intel Developer Forum (IDF), currently taking place, the company showed the simply titled USB 3.0 to HDMI adapter made by its partner Winstars. The adapter uses DisplayLink's DL-3500 chip.
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08/23, 4:20pm
More efficient USB 3.0 On-the-Go spec goes live
The USB 3.0 Promoter Group on Wednesday added the USB On-the-Go (OTG) 3.0 and Embedded Host supplement to the USB 3.0 Specification. It allows compatible SuperSpeed USB portable devices to communicate without the need for a PC. They can act either as USB host or USB peripheral through the same connection.
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08/23, 12:00am
Software stack aims to maintain compatibility
Microsoft has finally demonstrated USB 3.0 compatibility for Windows 8. In the company's engineering blog, Windows team leader Steven Sinofsky pointed out the challenges in adopting the new standard without compromising compatibility with existing hardware and software built for the USB 2.0 protocol. The company worked to design a new USB software stack for the new controller, while retaining the existing software stack for older controllers.
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08/22, 8:10pm
Four dedicated USB 3.0 ports
Mac Pro accessory maker HighPoint Technologies is now offering a quad-port PCI-E 2.0 USB 3.0 RAID HBA called the RocketU designed specifically for Apple's high-end workstation. Each port is capable of the theoretical 5Gb per second performance for a combined theoretical throughput of 20Gb per second (real world use of USB 3.0 tends to be dramatically lower). The card supports both single disk and various RAID configurations including JBOD and RAIDs 0, 1, 5 and 10.
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08/19, 10:20pm
Accepts five formats, works with Win/Mac
Photography accessory maker Phottix is offering a new, USB 3.0 (USB2 compatible) Turbo USB card reader that accepts a wide variety of cards in five main formats: Compact Flash (CF), xD, Memory Stick (MS), MultiMedia Cards (MMC) and Secure Digital (SD), as well as MicroSD. The plug-and-play device is compatible with Windows 2000 or later and Mac OS X. All five card slots can be used at the same time, according to the company.
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08/09, 1:40pm
USB 3.0 Power Delivery Spec to allow up to 100W
The USB 3.0 Promoter Group just revealed it is working on a new power delivery spec for USB cable bus power that will deliver much more power for charging or powering electronics devices. The standard will exist alongside the USB Battery Charging 1.2 specification and deliver up to as much as 100W of power. It will also continue to work with USB 2.0 and original USB 3.0 standards as well as current cables and connectors.
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06/01, 5:15pm
Z-Series aimed at Windows-based tablets
AMD has introduced several new chipsets, including the 9-series for desktop configurations and Z-series for tablets. The 9-series is said to serve as the basis for the company's 'Scorpius' desktop platform, based on AM3+ socket processors such as the eight-core Zambezi. The platform will also integrate six USB 3.0 ports and Radeon HD6000 discrete graphics cards, while allowing users to connect up to four Radeon GPUs.
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05/20, 7:30am
Lenovo sees USB 3.0 hitting its straps next year
Lenovo sees USB 3.0 going mainstream in 2012. "In 2012 USB 3.0 will be a mainstream technology," Jason Parrish, worldwide product manager for Lenovo ThinkPad, told CNET. "And we see 2011 as the transition year for USB 3.0 as it starts to come into more and more products," he added. However, Parrish also believes that there will be a place for the Thunderbolt interface although it will likely appear only on high-end notebooks.
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05/17, 9:35am
Could hurt adoption as standard
PC maker HP is, at least for the time being, choosing USB 3.0 over Thunderbolt, according to IDG News. "We did look at [Thunderbolt]. We're still looking into it. Haven't found a value proposition yet," says HP's worldwide marketing manager for desktops, Xavier Lauwaert. Whereas USB 3.0 is backwards-compatible with most USB devices, Thunderbolt is only compatible with native, PCIe and DisplayPort hardware.
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05/02, 1:25pm
System relies on single 3TB disk
I-O Data has quietly introduced an external hard drive, the HDCA-UT3.0K, with three terabytes of storage capacity. The drive is based on one drive, rather than using a multiple-disk configuration that is common to many high-capacity NAS systems. USB 3.0 support enables faster transfer speeds, though the drive is still backwards compatible with USB 2.0.
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04/12, 7:25pm
Intel still waits to jump on board
AMD has confirmed plans to offer several of its chipsets with USB 3.0 integration. The move is expected to provide momentum to USB 3.0 adoption among PC makers, as chipset integration eliminates the need for separate components to handle the newer standard. Market leader Intel, however, has yet to add the same capabilities to its chipsets.
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02/04, 4:50pm
PX-LB950UE Blu-ray writer, 12x speed
Plextor has introduced its PX-LB950UE Blu-ray disc burner. The drive is one of the first external Blu-ray burners to feature superspeed USB3.0 and eSATA connections to maximize data transfer rates for fast reading and writing performance. It is capable of writing to double-layer discs with a maximum capacity of 50GB, which is the equivalent of 10 DVDs, 72 CDs or 9 hours of HD video.
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01/25, 4:10pm
Intel Panther Point may finally add native USB 3
A leaked presentation (below) may have confirmed that Intel's Panther Point chipset will finally add native USB 3.0 support. The presentation refers to the platform supporting as many as four of the ports at full speed with ten more supplying USB 2.0. A dedicated controller, the XHCI, would handle just the 3.0 jacks and would give each of them the full 5Gbps of bandwidth, preventing one from slowing down the other.
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01/14, 5:40pm
Freecom shows magnesium bodied hard drive
Freecom has unveiled the thinnest external hard drive on the market with the Mobile Drive Mg range. It is designed specifically to match Apple MacBooks, and is housed in a lightweight magnesium enclosure. The drive is just 10mm (0.39in) thick, earning it the claimed distinction of being the thinnest in the world.
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01/04, 4:05pm
Feature faster transfer rate, improved security
Samsung has announced two new portable drive lines and one desktop external hard drive line for the consumer market. The new drives use the USB 3.0 interface, which can provide data transfer rates up to five gigabits per second. Samsung's premium portable drives offer up to 1TB storage capacity, 256-bit hardware based encryption, and can perform automatic or continuous backup. The premium portable drives also ship with software to perform encrypted backups. The drives will be available in Onyx black, Sapphire blue, and Coral pink.
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11/29, 5:45pm
Hub connects via SuperSpeed USB cable
LaCie has introduced a new USB hub, the Hub4, designed for USB 3.0-equipped computers. The hub integrates four USB 3.0 ports, supporting combined speeds of up to 5Gbps when connected to a single USB 3.0 port on a computer. Users can also connect via USB 2.0, but at the slower 480Mbps data transfer speeds.
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11/18, 3:10pm
LaCie USB 3.0 flash drive comes in 30, 60, 120GB
LaCie today merged SSDs with flash drives in the FastKey. It uses the USB 3.0 interface to deliver transfer speeds as fast as 260MBps, or up to 100 times faster than average USB 2.0 drives. A mix of the interface, flash drive design and DRAM cache gives the drive its speed edge.
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10/05, 10:50am
Available in a variety of colors and capacity
Western Digital today unveiled three additions to its external drive line. An updated My Passport Essential is Western Digital's smallest portable drive, and has a storage capacity of 500GB with USB 3.0 new to the group. The My Passport Essential SE portable drive comes in either 750GB or 1TB capacity and also uses USB 3.0. The My Book Essential desktop external drive also now reaches 3TB with the faster speed intact.
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08/24, 9:55am
Iomega eGo drives now sport USB 3.0
Iomega will soon release upgraded eGo USB 3.0 portable hard drives. Sporting an interface that's about 10 times faster than the older USB 2.0 standard, the drives are rare as they won't cost any more than their older, slower counterparts. Each has AES 256-bit hardware encryption and can withstand seven-foot drops thanks to a bundled Power Grip Band and skip protection in the drives themselves.
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08/10, 5:45pm
iBuyPower brings USB 3.0 to all its PCs for free
Gaming PC maker iBuyPower announced on Tuesday that it will offer USB 3.0 ports on all of its desktop PCs free of charge. This includes systems that do not have USB 3.0-compatible mainboards. The upgrade will let users transfer data at up to 5Gbps, or about 10 times faster than USB 2.0.
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07/26, 2:50pm
Gruber alludes new Mac desktop refresh tomorrow
Apple's rumored desktop Mac refresh may come as soon as tomorrow if a hint is any indication. Historically accurate John Gruber implied in the notice for a new podcast episode that the new iMacs, new Mac Pros and a 27-inch Cinema Display could all be available on Tuesday. The details are few but are expected, as the iMac would be a "speed-bump" while the display would have the same 16:9 ratio screen as the 27-inch iMac.
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07/26, 7:35am
Apple hints at iMac update coming soon
Recent word of thinning Mac Pro supply has been joined today by secondary reports of the iMac now facing similar shortages. Customers trying to reserve the all-in-one for an in-store pickup are finding some 21-inch and 27-inch models listed as "unavailable." The voided stock is considered a likely sign by AppleInsider and others that Apple is readying for new models expected soon.
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04/27, 3:35pm
LaCie intros Rugged USB 3.0 external hard drive
LaCie has added the Rugged USB 3.0 external hard drive to its lineup, offering 110MBps practical transfer speeds, or about three times faster than current USB 2.0 drives. The drive gets its power from the USB 3.0 connection as well, and is offered in a 500GB capacity. The USB 3.0 connection is backwards-compatible with USB 2.0 ports.
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04/26, 11:45am
Samsung shows STORY Station drive with USB 3.0
Samsung today refreshed its STORY Station external hard drives to add a full USB 3.0 interface. The 3.5-inch external hard drive will bring peak transfer speeds of about 5Gbps, or about 10 times faster than the common USB 2.0 standard. Like most drives of its type, it still works on USB 2.0 and 1.1 ports at their slower maximum speeds.
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04/14, 6:45pm
Intel suspects Light Peak will take over
Intel's upcoming Light Peak standard could take over from USB 3.0, company senior fellow Kevin Kahn said today at the Intel Developer Forum in Beijing. The 10Gbps peripheral standard was technically built to link up other standards but was seen by Kahn as possibly replacing 5Gbps USB 3.0 altogether in the next few years. He went so far as to treat Light Peak as a finality that may replace any other standard in the future.
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