USB4 devices are coming in 2020. The USB Implementers Forum said that the technical specifications for USB4 are now finalized.
Because the technical specifications for USB4 are now completed, they are now ready to be sent out to the relevant designers, engineers, and manufacturers. If everything goes smoothly, the first of USB4 products will already hit the shelves next year.
USB4 devices are truly a marked improvement from the USB 3.2s. Reportedly the new standard will have the capacity to run at 40Gbps speed. This is matching the transfer rate of Thunderbolt 3 and doubling that of the USB 3.2's.
When it comes to its appearance, Engadget reported that USB4 will have the same form factor as USB type C. It will also have backward compatibility, which means it will be compatible with the existing USB 3.2, USB 2.0, and Thunderbolt 3 devices. Users of USB type-C devices at the present need not worry.
According to CNET, if production goes smoothly, device makers will soon stop offering devices, chargers and other devices that utilize the traditional rectangular USB-A or the smaller USB Micro B ports. Whether this is good or bad news for people remains to be seen. Also, the new USB will also be featured into more electronic devices - chargers, laptops, airplane seatbacks, power strips, cars, and many more. Again, whether this is good or bad is too early to say.
Moreover, the new connection will be the same as that of the USB3. It will support both data and display protocols as well. While all these are well and good, TechCrunch reports that USB4 will take time to be released and it is naturally going to be so much more expensive.
The ports with their better features and capacities will certainly take time to make. Despite being reported today as ready, TechCrunch is sure that it will take at least a year before any of the products will really come out. The name "USB4," without space normally found with USB 3 and earlier versions, is also explained by USB Promoter Group CEO Brad Saunders. According to him, this is done in the bid to simplify things.
"We don't plan to get into a 4.0, 4.1, 4.2 kind of iterative path," he explained. "We want to keep it as simple as possible. When and if it goes faster, we'll simply have the faster version of the certification and the brand."
