Unnecessary Serious Bewilderment
Feb 27, 2019
Core 2 Duos and 2 Quads have got nothing on this naming disaster:
The USB standard has just gotten even more confusing for end users. If you're one of the three people in the world who actually knew the difference between USB 2.0, USB 3.0, USB 3.1 Gen 1/Gen 2, and so on, ...well, sorry: USB 3.2 has been announced, and all the names change once again.
- USB 3.2 Gen 1 (previously referred to as USB 3.0, or formally as USB 3.1 Gen 1) has a 5Gbps transfer rate and is officially known by the marketing name SuperSpeed USB.
- USB 3.2 Gen 2 (previously referred to as USB 3.1, or formally as USB 3.1 Gen 2) has a 10Gbps transfer rate and is now officially known as SuperSpeed USB 10 Gbps.
- USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (the latest spec) has a 20Gbps transfer rate and is now officially known as SuperSpeed USB 20Gbps.
What's really puzzling is why they want to go back and rename the older standards again! Had they continued with their simple numerical scheme, then the newest USB standard would be USB 5.0. Instead, we have this confusing, bloated convention that keeps getting modified every few years.
Then, on top of that, throw in the ten different types of USB connectors and you've got annoyed retailers and a lot of baffled customers.
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