Mainstream adoption of USB 3.0 is probably out of the question for this year, as Intel may not adopt the standard until 2011.
USB 3.0 is supposed to be 10 times faster than the existing standard. Some USB 3.0 hard drives have started to appear, along with a small number of computers that support them, but these require discrete motherboard controllers, which can be expensive. As a result, most PC makers are sticking with USB 2.0 for now.
In-Stat analyst Brian O'Rourke told CNet that mainstream adoption of USB standards, in this case "Superspeed" USB 3.0, doesn't really happen until they're integrated into the chipsets of computer processors. Support from Intel, the world's largest semiconductor chip maker, is crucial, but O'Rourke said the company isn't going to put USB 3.0 into its silicon until next year.
Intel won't go on record with a timeline for USB 3.0, but a company representative told Heise Online last month that mainstream adoption of USB 3.0 won't come until Microsoft's next client version of Windows, suggesting that Intel won't get in the game until late 2011.
The news echoes reports last year from EETimes, which cited an unnamed manager at a PC manufacturer, and TG Daily, which cited an Nvidia spokesman. Both said Intel is putting its USB 3.0 plans on hold until 2011. Tech watchers have referred to the scenario as "chicken and egg," because the lack of Intel support reinforces other companies' decisions not to move to USB 3.0, which in turn puts no pressure on Intel.
Where's AMD in all of this? According to VentureBeat, the company announced in March that its 890X chipset will support USB 3.0, but through a PCI Express slot rather than direct integration into the chipset. It's a start, at least, to cracking the egg.
