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How long will it take Apple to add USB 3.0?


  • Total voters
    11

thejadedmonkey

macrumors G3
Original poster
May 28, 2005
9,240
3,499
Pennsylvania
Apple Computer once ignited the P.C. revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the P.C. in the 1980s with the Macintosh. It was one of the first computer companies to incorporate USB into their computers, but increasingly the advancement and ports they put into their computers have been driven by marketing decisions, rather then technological advancements.

Engadget is reporting that there's a USB 3.0 certified host controller.

So how long do you think it'll take until Apple manages to put it into their Macbook "Pro" or Mac "Pro" machines?
 

Hellhammer

Moderator emeritus
Dec 10, 2008
22,164
582
Finland
I say late 2010. I think Apple waits for some USB3 products to come so there's use for it. BTW, is USB3 backwards compatible?
 

Gav2k

macrumors G3
Jul 24, 2009
9,216
1,608
They will put the next generation of FireWire on before usb3.0 because it's better in everyway.
 

thejadedmonkey

macrumors G3
Original poster
May 28, 2005
9,240
3,499
Pennsylvania
USB 3.0 is backwards compatible. However, due to the changes since 2.0, you need a USB 3.0 host controller, a USB 3.0 peripheral, and the cables that you use, as well as any hubs, also need to be USB 3.0. Otherwise it'll downgrade itself to 2.0 speeds.

This means that even if I put a 3.0 PCI card into my tower, my front USB ports wouldn't be "superspeed" until I also upgraded the USB ports on the front of my computer, as well as the cable that connects them to the PCI card.

Simply, in a laptop with native USB 3.0... Yes :p

Gav2k said:
They will put the next generation of FireWire on before usb3.0 because it's better in everyway.
Do you have an article about it? I really haven't seen anything about the new Firewire at all.
 

Hellhammer

Moderator emeritus
Dec 10, 2008
22,164
582
Finland
Actually, FW3200 is slower than USB3 if I remember correctly. FW3200 can do up to 3.2Gbits/s while USB3 can do up to 4.5Gbits/s, though FW6400 is in horizon as well. Correct me if I'm wrong
 
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