New, Powered-Up USB Spec In Development
New, Powered-Up USB Spec In Development
Posted 08/10/2011 at 11:29am
| by Brad Chacos
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If you're looking solely at transfer rates, the USB 3.0 specification – with its 5Gbps speeds – may be plenty fast, but it already can't push the same amount of raw data as, say, Thunderbolt. New specifications coming down the pipeline, like SATA Express and external PCIe, are promising speeds that flat-out blow USB 3.0 out of the water. The USB Promoter Group's aiming to stay in the race with an innovative tactic; rather than compete solely with transfer rates, they're also turning the familiar USB connection into the equivalent of a 100W power cord.
We know, plenty of devices can already be charged via a USB connection – we've seen those coffee warming devices on ThinkGeek, too. The new specification being developed by the group will be able to deliver up to 100 watts of power, though – enough to charge larger items like external HDDs. The USB 3.0 Promoter Group outlines several key features of the upcoming spec in its press release:
- Compatible with existing cables and connectors
- Enables voltage and current values to be negotiated over the USB power
- pins
- Enables higher voltage and current in order to deliver power up to 100W
- Switchable source of power delivery without changing cable direction
- Coexists with USB Battery Charging 1.2 and works equally well with both
- USB 2.0 and USB 3.0
"Charging the battery of a notebook PC, or simply powering that notebook PC while actively using the USB data connection, would be possible," Brad Saunders, USB 3.0 Promoter Group Chairman, explains. "Conceivably, a notebook PC could rely solely on a USB connection for its source of power.”
Don't expect your PC to power your laptop anytime soon, though; the new specification isn't even expected to head into the peer review stage until later this year. The Promoter Group hopes to start implementation of the standard early 2012.
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win7fanboi
August 11, 2011 at 6:15am
they included extra juice ability in usb 3 but it fell short imo. If it could at least power 3.5" external hdds it would give people compelling reason to adopt it. Knowing this feature will be far away in future .... meh. I just hope that this doesn't become part of the core specs and get included in every usb ports. Also it better not require additional hardware / cpu cycles to manage. If that's the case usb will be committing suicide.
BlazePC
August 10, 2011 at 2:34pm
What the interface *may* be rated to handle/provision in the future has more to do with a specialized off-shoot application AND top-end rating than anything remotely conceived/developed for the consumer market in the real world. Are you guys seriously down with this stuff anymore?
This is just another blatant (and feeble) editorial-ionista piece from the guys who spoon feed you this type of cr*p on a daily basis. Just ask Paul.............. Samsung and Seagate mistakenly substituted in the same SHORT piece covering hybrids? Multiple times?
Quit with the energy drinks for crying-out-loud.
winmaster
August 10, 2011 at 12:40pm
"Enables higher voltage and current in order to deliver power up to 100W"
...and all of a sudden that kilowatt power supply is underpowered.
bloodgain
August 10, 2011 at 12:30pm
This seems like a cool idea until your USB port accidentally lets the magic smoke out of your smartphone or electrocutes someone. I think low power connections are better for data transfer, and I personally prefer them that way. How many people use their fingers to find their ports? Running my fingers past a wall outlet doesn't make me fear an unexpected shock, but USB ports are significantly more exposed.
I Jedi
August 10, 2011 at 12:09pm
I think the lesson here is that no matter what "specs" we are currently drooling over for, there is always something new and exciting on the horizon. I wants my USB 3.0 now, though! I'm still planning to hold out for USB 3.0, just until Intel gets off its ass and supports it.
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