The USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) today published the official USB4 specification, which is based on Thunderbolt 3.
“The USB4 specification is a major update to deliver the next-generation USB architecture that complements and builds upon the existing USB 3.2 and USB 2.0 architectures,” the organization announced. “The USB4 architecture is based on the Thunderbolt protocol specification recently contributed by Intel Corporation to the USB Promoter Group. It doubles the maximum aggregate bandwidth of USB and enables multiple simultaneous data and display protocols.”
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To be clear, this is a good thing: Thunderbolt 3 functionality has been available via USB-C for several years now, but adoption has been spotty, with some PC makers mixing and matching between traditional USB-C ports and more powerful USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports. (Only one PC maker, Microsoft, has completely ignored Thunderbolt 3 for some reason.)
So what USB4 will provide is what we see today via USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports, a single, reversible connector that can deliver power, display, storage, and peripheral connectivity at speeds of up to 40 Gbps. It will be backward compatible with USB 2.0, USB 3.2, and Thunderbolt 3, too.
You can expect new PCs based on USB4 to begin appearing in the market as soon as early 2020. With the obvious exception of Microsoft, of course.
Stooks
<p>I own two laptops with USB-C thunderbolt ports since 2017 and I have yet to use a native USB-C device.</p><p><br></p><p>I would wager that 98+% of the USB devices in the world use a USB-A connector and can't take advantage of anything over USB 3.0 (480 megabits) speed.</p><p><br></p><p>I am not against technology moving forward but I am not a fan of things like my 2017 Macbook Pro that only has USB-C ports when the world is barely even using that technology. If the Surface devices do finally support USB-C/Thunderbolt, lets hope they still include a USB-A port because buying lots of dongles….sucks.</p>
Stooks
<blockquote><em><a href="#455998">In reply to wright_is:</a></em></blockquote><p>I have many USB memory sticks. One of them (Samsung?) has both a USB-A and USB-C connector but I only use the A side since it works with everything I use it with. I bet your phone barely uses more than USB 2.0 speed. </p>
dontbeevil
<p>"You can expect new PCs based on USB4 to begin appearing in the market as soon as early 2020. With the obvious exception of Microsoft, of course" </p><p><br></p><p>Any proof? </p>
dontbeevil
<blockquote><em><a href="#455735">In reply to StevenLayton:</a></em></blockquote><p>Let's wait for next surface after usb 4 is available… And we'll see</p>
dontbeevil
<blockquote><em><a href="#455786">In reply to karlinhigh:</a></em></blockquote><p>I don't care about "copycat" products, I care about different treatment when it's up to apple or someone else on this website</p>
dontbeevil
<blockquote><em><a href="#456526">In reply to curtisspendlove:</a></em></blockquote><p>"Gmail No Longer Gives You an Excuse to Send Emails With Spelling and Grammar Mistakes"</p><p>For some reasons they forgot to say that outlook.com already provide the same feature for ages, but when it comes to MS, they really pay attention to put the emphasis on copy</p><p>"Microsoft Copied the iPhone’s Animoji and Made It More Accessible"</p><p>Oh they forgot to write copy also when it comes to</p><p>"In-Display Fingerprint Scanners Will Make a Debut on the iPhone in 2021"</p><p>And</p><p>"Apple Introduces New Migration Feature for iPhones"</p><p>And</p><p>"Apple Testing Face ID and Touch ID Sign-In for iCloud.com"</p><p>And</p><p>"Google Services Going Passwordless on Android"</p><p>But suddenly they remembered again that apple has something similar to point out here:</p><p>"Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo Announce New AirDrop-inspired File Transfer feature"</p><p>(and of course there was nothing similar before airdrop…ehm bluetooth/nfc file transfer)</p><p>And they forgot to mention products with similar features again</p><p>"Apple Watch Reportedly Getting Built-In Sleep Tracking"</p><p>"Apple’s Tag Device for Tracking Personal Items Detailed in New Leak"</p>