FEB 24, 1999, - The PC industry leaders who brought Universal Serial Bus
(USB) technology from concept to mainstream market acceptance within four years are developing a
next generation USB 2.0 specification that will extend performance by 10 to 20 times over existing
capabilities. Compaq, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Lucent, Microsoft, NEC, and Philips will jointly lead this
initiative which will enable new classes of high performance peripherals.
With the increased availability of USB-enabled PCs and USB peripherals on the market today, the
need for legacy dependent input/output (I/O) connectivity is decreasing significantly. USB 2.0 will be a
significant step towards providing additional I/O bandwidth and broadening the range of peripherals that
may be attached to the PC.
USB: Developed to Support and Simplify PC Peripheral Connections The Universal Serial Bus (USB)
specification, a standardized peripheral connection developed by Intel with other industry leaders,
supports multiple device connectivity, improves the performance of the PC peripheral connection and
allows for digital multimedia integration.
USB allows expandability of the PC's capabilities via an external port, eliminating the need for users or
integrators to open the system chassis. Since USB supports multiple peripheral devices simultaneously,
it allows users to run numerous devices such as printers, scanners, digital cameras and speakers from a
single PC. USB also allows for automatic device detection and installation, making connectivity a true
plug-and-play experience for end users. USB's quick proliferation as the replacement of serial and
other PC ports for I/O devices in peripherals such as digital joysticks, phones, scanners and digital
cameras has accelerated the production and availability of such devices. More than 100 were in the
marketplace at the end of 1998, with hundreds more expected during 1999.
Why USB 2.0?
USB 2.0 will extend the capabilities of the interface from 12 Mbps, which is available on USB 1.1, to
between 120-240 Mbps on USB 2.0, providing a connection point for next- generation peripherals
which complement higher performance PCs. USB 2.0 is expected to be both forward and backward
compatible with USB 1.1, and to result in a seamless transition process for the end user. USB 2.0 is
expected to lead to the development of higher performance peripherals that will bring new applications
to the PC. Due to these factors, USB 2.0 is expected to supercede USB 1.1, which is already a
ubiquitous connector on PC platforms. The rev 0.9 specification is expected to be available in second
half 1999. USB 2.0 systems and peripherals are expected in second half 2000.
USB 1.1's data rate of 12 Mbps, is sufficient for PC peripherals such as telephones, digital cameras,
keyboards, mice, digital joysticks, tablets, wireless base stations, cartridge, tape, and floppy drives,
digital speakers, scanners and printers. The higher bandwidth of USB 2.0 will permit higher
functionality PC peripherals, including higher resolution video conferencing cameras, and next
generation scanners, printers and fast storage units. The higher data rate of USB 2.0 will also open up
the possibilities of new and exciting peripherals.
Existing USB peripherals will operate with no change in a USB 2.0 system. Devices, such as mice,
keyboards and game pads, will not require the additional performance that USB 2.0 offers and will
operate as USB 1.1 devices. All USB devices are expected to co-exist in a USB 2.0 system. The
higher speed of USB 2.0 will greatly broaden the range of peripherals that may be attached to the PC.
This increased performance will also allow a greater number of USB devices to share the available bus
bandwidth, up to the architectural limits of USB.
As with USB 1.1, USB 2.0 is expected to eventually be in industry chipsets. Once these chipsets reach
high volume, it is expected that the relative cost of USB 1.1 vs. USB 2.0 will be minimal. USB 2.0 is
expected to fully replace the already ubiquitous USB 1.1 in system implementations. Also like USB 1.1,
USB 2.0 will satisfy the peripheral-interface needs of desktops, mobile systems and other classes of
host platforms. To satisfy the needs of power-sensitive applications such as notebook computers, USB
2.0 will provide power-management mechanisms to allow aggressive management of I/O power
consumption. This is expected to allow USB to find use even in demanding low-power systems.
Leading the Development of USB 2.0
The companies that are leading the development of USB 2.0 have the expertise needed to focus on a
specification that supports higher functionality peripherals. The USB 2.0 core team includes all four
members of the USB 1.1 core team (Compaq, Intel, Microsoft, and NEC), and three new members
(Hewlett Packard, Lucent and Philips). As with USB 1.1, members of the core promoters group do not
intend to charge royalties for essential patents required to implement the USB 2.0 specification.
I/O connectivity is being further advanced with the IEEE 1394 standard. USB 2.0 and 1394 primarily
differ in terms of application focus. USB 2.0 will support the full range of popular PC peripherals while
1394 targets connection to audio visual consumer electronic devices such as digital camcorders, digital
VCRs and digital televisions.
Intel has been a leader in USB since its inception - from working to develop the specification, to having
the first chipsets, motherboards and consumer products such as the Intel Create and Share Camera
Pack.
Intel, the world's largest chip maker, is also a leading manufacturer of computer, networking and
communications products. Additional information about Intel is available at www.intel.com/pressroom.
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