USB, has been one of the biggest and most widely used success story in the history of computing. When the USB’s came into existence, the slow serial and parallel cables used for transferring and storing data was replaced by faster technology, which came at a cheaper cost and with an added advantage of low power usage.
USB 1.1 was replaced by much faster USB 2.o, which by all standards is faster. The USB fans were all happy about it, but they have more to celebrate about now. USB 3.o should be out in the market sometime soon and yes it definitely will be much faster and efficient than its predecessors.
USB 2.o had capacity to handle bandwidth upto 480 Mbps but with USB 3.o, the bandwidth is roughly scaled up to 4.8 Gbps, which accounts to 10 times faster than what the USB 2.o had to offer.
This new standard was recently demonstrated, and the demonstration made use of a optical cable. Best features - it is compatible with older USB formats and it’s better power efficiency techniques will help decrease the load on portable devices. This is a good sign for me as my “Reliance Netconnect” can longer now ;).
Possibly in the works: Better ability to charge devices over USB, some of which still require an A/C adapter or two USB connections to draw enough juice.
Specs are planned to be delivered early next year with commercial availability for 2009.