Which Usb?
Many of us older computer users remember the days when the only thing connected to a printer was the keyboard and a printer. In fact, those of us who are REAL old remember the days when the keyboard was part of the computer, as was the printer itself. More like a Telex machine than a modern-day computer, we typed on box-like keypads and it was printed out in dot-matrix.
At that time (well before USB or Firewire), we connected peripherals such as an external drive, a mouse, or a CD player by using an intricate procedure which involved turning everything off, connecting it, and turning it on again. And then we prayed.
In 1996, much of that changed for computer folks. Universal Serial Bus (USB) was developed to enable the ability to “plug and play”. This was a huge breakthrough in computers. By utilizing USB technology and internal USB drivers, users were able to switch devices simply by plugging them in. No more powering down, booting up, and waiting and hoping were involved.
For the next seven years, USB technology was phased in through the computer industry, with Apple adopting it fully in 1998. Once USB became standard, USB hubs began being produced. These USB hubs allowed users to connect more than one USB device (printer, mouse, keyboard, iPod, external drive, etc.) to a computer at a time, using only one USB driver and hub.
Early USB drivers were based on 1.0 technology, which now looks archaic. USB 2.0 technology was released in 2000 and added more functionality and a lot more speed. All computers produced today have a minimum of USB 2.0 drivers installed. In 2007, USB 3.0 was developed and is currently being integrated in computers.
Apple computers developed their own version of a faster USB technology, called “Firewire”. Firewire is considered to be faster, more reliable, and requires less computing power to function. Firewire 800 (or USB 800 as it is also known) is significantly faster than any USB and is particularly useful when used in conjunction with external hard drives and MP3 players.
USB 800 is also known for its power when moving large files between devices – movies, songs, photos. Anytime you download a movie or a collection of music to your Ipod, USB 800 is the best way to do it. The transaction will be faster and less likely to become corrupt.
Today there are a number of USB 800 manufacturers that provide drivers and input and output devices for computers. But remember, having USB 800 in your computer is not enough, you must have the cable to support it. By using a USB 1.0 or 2.0 cable, or even a cable equipped for USB 400, you are downgrading the power of your computer.
The purchase of USB 800 cables to support the speed of your computer is vital to take full advantage of its power. When purchasing cables, make sure the packaging states that it is USB 800 compatible, or you will miss out on the power your computer has.
USB 1000 is believed to be the next step in connectivity power. By ramping up the speed and performance of the traditional USB connectivity, computer makers are making it easier for you to run multiple peripherals off of one USB driver while maintaining excellent performance and reliability. USB 1000 is not industry standard at this time, but it is believed in years to come it will put the current USB speeds to shame.