You are here: Home > About
> Why USB?
USB:
Fast, Standardized, User-Friendly
What is USB?
The Universal Serial Bus (USB) is today’s standard
for communication between personal computers and peripherals (such
as digital cameras, keyboards,
printers, MP3 players, etc.). USB is a connectivity standard that enables external devices
to be connected to a computer without reconfiguring the system or opening
the computer box to install specialty interface cards. The computer automatically
recognizes the device and installs the appropriate drivers without user
intervention. USB enables plug-and-play and hot-swapping (removing and
adding a device while a computer is on), letting users to quickly and easily
connect devices to their PCs. USB replaces the need for multiple external
ports, (such as serial ports, parallel ports), allowing up to 127 peripheral
devices to be connected sequentially into a single external USB port, giving
users the ultimate in scalability.
A Short History
Though having gained mass adoption coinciding with the popularity of the
World Wide Web, USB was officially introduced in 1995 by a consortium
of seven computer and telecommunications industry leaders, including:
Compaq, Microsoft, NEC, Digital Equipment, IBM, Intel, and Northern Telecom.
The consortium established the USB Implementer's Forum (USB-IF) to help
speed the development of high-quality compatible devices using USB. The
USB-IF published the original USB Specification in 1996, and continued
development in the field, releasing version 1.1 in September 1998.
Does USB Have Time Delays?
At 12 megabytes per second, USB transmits data nearly instantaneously.
Technically, each byte of data takes 0.00000008 seconds to move from
the USB device to PC, so there is actually no humanly perceivable delay
in transfer — making USB the perfect technology for most real time
voice or data applications.
What Are the Limits to USB?
Due to its reliability, widespread adoption by manufacturers and ease
of use, USB technology is the interface of choice for scores of devices.
The only practical limit to USB is that it cannot handle the bandwidth
required for uncompressed live video. Otherwise, USB technology continues
to be the most popular format for connecting
computer peripherals of all types.
For
more information about USB, please visit:
www.usb.org
USB Implementers Forum, a non-profit corporation founded by the developers
of USB.