Apple's Beats brand in April unveiled the Powerbeats Pro, a redesigned wire-free version of its popular fitness-oriented Powerbeats earbuds.
Thunderbolt 3 and USB Converge With New 40 Gbps USB4 Specification
The USB Promoter Group standards body today announced the pending release of a new USB4 specification.
USB4 converges the Thunderbolt and USB protocols as part of Intel's goal to make Thunderbolt available on a royalty-free basis, which should result in wider and cheaper availability of Thunderbolt accessories like docks and eGPUs.
As USB4 is based on Thunderbolt 3, it offers data transfer speeds up to 40 Gbps, which is twice as fast as the bandwidth of the latest USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 specification. USB4's underlying Thunderbolt 3 protocol also means the specification supports up to two 4K displays or one 5K display over a single cable.
The simplest way to view USB4 is as Thunderbolt 3, but royalty free for manufacturers. Intel will continue to offer Thunderbolt 3 on a standalone basis with a few advantages over USB4, including more support with reference designs and technical issues for manufacturers, according to The Verge.
USB4 will use the USB-C connector design and will be backwards compatible with USB 3.2 and USB 2.0 specifications.
The USB4 specification is on track to be published around the middle of 2019. Over 50 companies are actively participating in the final stages of review of the draft specification, which should include Apple, Intel, and Microsoft, but it might take a few years until the first USB4 devices are released.
USB4 converges the Thunderbolt and USB protocols as part of Intel's goal to make Thunderbolt available on a royalty-free basis, which should result in wider and cheaper availability of Thunderbolt accessories like docks and eGPUs.
As USB4 is based on Thunderbolt 3, it offers data transfer speeds up to 40 Gbps, which is twice as fast as the bandwidth of the latest USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 specification. USB4's underlying Thunderbolt 3 protocol also means the specification supports up to two 4K displays or one 5K display over a single cable.
The simplest way to view USB4 is as Thunderbolt 3, but royalty free for manufacturers. Intel will continue to offer Thunderbolt 3 on a standalone basis with a few advantages over USB4, including more support with reference designs and technical issues for manufacturers, according to The Verge.
USB4 will use the USB-C connector design and will be backwards compatible with USB 3.2 and USB 2.0 specifications.
The USB4 specification is on track to be published around the middle of 2019. Over 50 companies are actively participating in the final stages of review of the draft specification, which should include Apple, Intel, and Microsoft, but it might take a few years until the first USB4 devices are released.
[ 159 comments ]
Top Rated Comments
(View all)
11 weeks ago
USB4.0 Gen 1 = USB 3.0 = USB 3.1 Gen 1
USB4.0 Gen 2 = USB 3.1 Gen 2
USB4.0 Gen 3 = USB 3.2 20Gbps
USB4.0 Gen 4 HyperSpeed 40 = Thunderbolt 3
USB4.0 Gen 2 = USB 3.1 Gen 2
USB4.0 Gen 3 = USB 3.2 20Gbps
USB4.0 Gen 4 HyperSpeed 40 = Thunderbolt 3
11 weeks ago
I find it hard to believe that apple will continue down this road for much longer.
They'll drop all the ports entirely first...
11 weeks ago
Seriously I said this in 2016 and 2017. ( I need to big that up ) And said we need USB 4 instead of all the mess we have with USB 3.2
Finally they are doing something about it!.
Edit:
This means USB-C will now be the only option. No more USB 3.0 / USB 3.1 ( Or as they are now called USB 3.2 Gen1 / Get 2 ) with Type A Connector. Every USB 4 will be USB-C.
And since USB 4 will mandate the 40Gbps and Thunderbolt 3, it means there is certain quality assurance to USB 4 cable.
Finally, there will be a possibility that iPhone will switch to USB 4, may be just USB 4 with 5Gbps Speed. And I am happy to see this change. ( That is assuming they don't mess up the USB 4 Spec )
11 weeks ago
This is wonderful news! Of course, by mid-2019, Thunderbolt 4 will be ready. I wonder if Thunderbolt will always be one generation ahead of USB, or if they'll full merge the two standards?
[ Read All Comments ]
A couple of months ago, Boss Audio debuted its latest aftermarket CarPlay receiver, the BVCP9685A, offering a relatively low-cost way to add wired CarPlay (and Android Auto) to your existing...
For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with Astropad to give MacRumors readers a chance to win a Luna Display adapter, a useful dongle that turns your iPad into a second screen for your...
Microsoft today announced "Minecraft Earth," a new game coming to iOS and Android in beta this summer that uses augmented reality to place virtual Minecraft blocks and characters into the...
Twitter today updated its TweetDeck for Mac app to introduce a new compose window with a refreshed look and new capabilities.
The updated window features a cleaner design with either a dark...
Apple Pay will likely launch in the Netherlands in the very near future, as the service has now been elevated to "beta" status internally at Apple ahead of its much-anticipated rollout in the...
B&H Photo is discounting the latest 12-inch MacBook in a variety of configurations and color options, with prices starting at $899 for the 256GB model. However, the highlight of the sale is...
DTS today announced availability of AirPlay 2 in select DTS Play-Fi products, including the McIntosh RS200 wireless loudspeaker system and the Arcam rPlay music streamer, with support for additional...
Direct for Instagram, the companion direct messaging app for the photo-sharing social media platform, is being killed off by Instagram in the next few weeks.
First spotted by social media...
