Most USB specification speeds are shown in Mbps (megabits per second), but nearly all users reference data storage in MB (megabytes) or GB (gigabytes), so this post converts the Mbps rate to MB per second and presents the information in a picture graph. Scroll down to see the image.

In 1995, seven companies came together to develop USB (Universal Serial Bus). The overall goal was to create a uniform way storage devices would connect to computers. (The seven companies were: Compaq, DEC, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, NEC, and Nortel.)

• USB 1.0 was introduced in 1996.
• USB 2.0 was introduced in 2000.
• USB 3.0 was introduced in 2008, with the next generation of USB 3.0 called 3.1 introduced in 2013.
• USB 3.2 was released in 2017.
• USB 4.0 specification was released in 2019.

USB speeds shown in MB per second are shown below as a picture graph. The graph shows the MB/second in relationship to the USB version. In addition, the USB connector type is highlighted for the versions where applicable.

The adoption rate of USB specifications typically has a two-year delay from the time of specification release to products becoming widely available. The duration for those technologies to become fully saturated in the market takes even longer. For example, the USB 4.0 specification may take another four years before the majority of products available will support those transfer speeds.

The data transfer speeds of USB 4.2 will be welcome, as moving 10,000 MB/s will easily satisfy the human expectation of “is it done yet!”

Two things to consider when it comes to expectations versus reality:

1. The transfer speeds listed in these specifications (or any specification like PCI or SCSI) are always theoretical speeds. Actual, real-world speeds will be lower.
2. Although USB 4.2 sounds incredibly fast, the likelihood of files increasing in size is about as exponential as Moore’s Law. Meaning our MP4 video file of today that is 100 MB in size will be higher resolution with better sound a year or two down the road and may balloon in size to 500 MB or more.

The device market for all USB technologies in the year 2021 was valued at an estimated $35.3 billion US dollars.

The growing use of consumer electronics such as smartphones and laptop computers in developed and developing countries is primarily due to rising disposable income, population growth, and increased internet penetration. Significant technological advancements have resulted in increased adoption of these devices across many economies. According to the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), smartphone sales in the United States totaled 152 million units in 2020.

USB devices have emerged as a dominant interface for meeting the growing demand for fast data transfer between end devices such as laptops, smartphones, PCs, and digital cameras. As a result of increasing demand for consumer electronics and data transmission products, global USB device market players are focusing on launching new products to achieve sustainable growth and differentiate themselves from competitors, thereby contributing to overall market growth.