- USB?
USB stands for ‘Universal Serial Bus’ and is the next step in creating a computer interface that really works universally. It boasts cross-platform compatibility for Macintosh, Linux/UNIX, and all versions of Windows since 98SE. The USB connector ports are available standard on virtually every computing machine manufactured in the past eight years. - WHY?
As computer and peripheral device manufacturers strive to create standardized products, connectivity becomes easier and easier to manage. Previous interfaces such as serial and parallel connections required a fairly advanced knowledge of configuring DIP switches and IRQ settings, while newer methods like PS2 and ADB were improved but not hassle-free, and nothing compares to the nightmare known as SCSI configuration.
USB is the first cross-platform “hot-swappable” interface- no more operating system incompatibility, no more restarting before unplugging or plugging in, no more mess. After USB was accepted as the new standard for computer devices, operating system designers like Microsoft and Macintosh went extra lengths to include drivers for as many devices as they could with their new systems. Thanks to their preparations, many USB devices now don’t even require installation CD’s or driver disks… just plug it in and the OS will find and install the driver for you. Even if the driver is not found on the hard drive, many USB devices also feature self-contained drivers, so they can essentially install themselves.
- PRICES?
1 GB = 200 MN
2 GB= 350 MN
4 GB= 600 MN
8 GB = 1000 MN
- FAST?
USB currently exists in three stages: 1.0, 1.1, and the high-speed 2.0. The original USB rev. 1.0 was relatively slow, pulling in 1.5 Mpbs. Revision 1.1, first widespread USB release, jumped up to a hefty 12 Mbps. Looking around the peripheral market nowadays, you will notice the common advertisement of USB devices and cables as ‘High-Speed USB’, which means that these products meet the specifications of USB 2.0.
USB 2.0, by now the most common interface around, boasts theoretical speeds of up to 480Mbps, surpassing the 400Mbps of USB's rival interface, Apple's FireWire (or iLink). Real-world speed tests, however, still hold that FireWire is the fastest interface, with actual speeds generally running double that of USB 2.0.
