1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,760
USB, it's the one cable that we all use every day and somehow still don't

2
00:00:05,000 --> 00:00:10,600
understand. Why have there been eight revisions, at least five main shapes,

3
00:00:08,680 --> 00:00:14,280
plus four or five rare ones, a whole rainbow of colors, and dozens of

4
00:00:12,560 --> 00:00:18,560
different standards that are all still available today? Ever since Apple

5
00:00:15,880 --> 00:00:22,320
committed hard to it in 1998, USB has been the go-to standard for connecting

6
00:00:20,280 --> 00:00:25,000
peripherals. But obviously, needs of technology have changed a lot over that

7
00:00:24,480 --> 00:00:30,640
time. >> up on the 30-year anniversary of USB.

8
00:00:28,520 --> 00:00:38,480
So, if you could believe this, the original spec on USB 1.0,

9
00:00:34,160 --> 00:00:40,360
the data rate was 1 and 1/2 megabits.

10
00:00:38,480 --> 00:00:44,720
And there was little or no power. There was power, but it was very minuscule

11
00:00:42,480 --> 00:00:51,880
power. And 30 years later, right, we're doing up to 120 gigabit per second data

12
00:00:48,280 --> 00:00:55,080
rates, and we're delivering power up to

13
00:00:51,880 --> 00:00:56,880
240 watts of power over USB Type-C cable

14
00:00:55,080 --> 00:01:01,040
and connector. That was Jeff Ravencraft, the president of the USB Implementers

15
00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:05,800
Forum. One of the people responsible for why USB, its naming conventions, shapes,

16
00:01:03,720 --> 00:01:10,320
and supported capabilities are so confusing. And who's leading the charge

17
00:01:08,320 --> 00:01:15,160
to make it better? A general in the decades-long battle between capability

18
00:01:13,560 --> 00:01:18,800
and size. It all started with USB-A, whose shape

19
00:01:17,200 --> 00:01:23,080
has remained consistent throughout most of USB's history. But in the early

20
00:01:20,680 --> 00:01:27,160
2000s, it was the other end of the cable that was reaching its limitations as

21
00:01:24,960 --> 00:01:31,920
smaller devices like MP3 players, remember those, and early flip phones

22
00:01:29,240 --> 00:01:35,800
flooded the market. Mini and micro USB solved this problem by being a much

23
00:01:33,680 --> 00:01:40,560
smaller, but were still limited by that slow USB 2.0 speed spec. And by this

24
00:01:39,080 --> 00:01:45,680
point in the late 2000s, the world needed more power, baby. So, companies

25
00:01:43,320 --> 00:01:50,320
were scrambling to fit as many pins in their ports as possible, leading to a

26
00:01:47,680 --> 00:01:53,800
wide array of insane configurations that couldn't be clearly defined by shape.

27
00:01:52,360 --> 00:01:58,080
So, what do humans do when they get confused? Color coding. Just like the

28
00:01:56,360 --> 00:02:03,160
wizards in Lord of the Rings, color indicates capability. The original ports

29
00:02:00,440 --> 00:02:08,119
were white and black to signify USB 1.0 and 2.0 respectively, but if that square

30
00:02:06,040 --> 00:02:11,520
port on your computer is blue, that tells you it supports 5 gigabits per

31
00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:17,320
second, the standard people used to refer to as USB 3.0. If it's teal or

32
00:02:14,640 --> 00:02:21,920
red, it often signifies a port is running at a faster speed than the rest

33
00:02:19,120 --> 00:02:26,720
of the devices IO or has other features like BIOS updates or even standby power.

34
00:02:24,600 --> 00:02:30,640
You can start to see why color didn't catch on or at least have staying power.

35
00:02:28,720 --> 00:02:33,926
Most brands these days have co-opted color coding to make their products more

36
00:02:32,440 --> 00:02:38,200
aesthetically pleasing. >> [clears throat] >> Razer. Meaning USB colors are about as

37
00:02:36,040 --> 00:02:42,080
easy to understand as Silmarillion lore. But if we can't rely on numbers and the

38
00:02:40,680 --> 00:02:47,480
shapes are not really indicative of speed, then what about generations?

39
00:02:44,880 --> 00:02:50,640
Thankfully, we have the USB-IF who are getting to the bottom of it.

40
00:02:49,120 --> 00:02:55,800
>> We've done the focus group studies behind the two-way mirror with novice

41
00:02:53,480 --> 00:02:59,600
consumers, with intermediate consumers from a tech standpoint, from consumers

42
00:02:57,640 --> 00:03:04,680
who thought they were technically savvy. None of them had a clue about any of

43
00:03:01,959 --> 00:03:09,400
this stuff. So, what we've done, we've boiled it down to number one, consumers

44
00:03:07,360 --> 00:03:12,519
want to know how fast can it go? And how much power can it give me?

45
00:03:11,239 --> 00:03:17,640
That's all they want to know. And so, our marks today are focused on data rate

46
00:03:15,480 --> 00:03:21,280
and power. You might be thinking, I'm a genius nerd. What kind of dumb focus

47
00:03:19,840 --> 00:03:25,239
group couldn't tell all these names apart? Well, let us know if this makes

48
00:03:23,760 --> 00:03:29,320
sense to you. First, there's the original USB 1. We barely see it these

49
00:03:27,760 --> 00:03:33,760
days, but it's still compatible with newer generations. Then there's the

50
00:03:31,080 --> 00:03:38,040
high-speed USB 2.0 from way back in 2000. Being far more common than USB 1,

51
00:03:36,560 --> 00:03:43,280
you can safely consider this your baseline slowest USB speed at 480

52
00:03:41,239 --> 00:03:47,280
megabit per second. This is fine for a mouse, a keyboard, or a cheap flash

53
00:03:45,320 --> 00:03:51,800
drive, but potentially slow for modern data. The naming problem really started

54
00:03:49,680 --> 00:03:55,360
with the next generation, which wasn't known to consumers as USB 3.0, but

55
00:03:54,200 --> 00:03:59,640
rather as SuperSpeed. It hit a blistering 5

56
00:03:57,840 --> 00:04:03,560
gigabits per second and didn't slow down. Boy, howdy, was that fast. You

57
00:04:01,760 --> 00:04:08,320
could transfer a torrented Blu-ray quality version of the extended Lord of

58
00:04:05,560 --> 00:04:12,320
the Rings trilogy in 6 minutes flat. But, just because SuperSpeed might have

59
00:04:10,400 --> 00:04:17,959
been a legit description, doesn't mean it was understandable to consumers. And

60
00:04:15,200 --> 00:04:22,400
oh boy, the names only get wackier from here. We'll go through them all right

61
00:04:20,359 --> 00:04:26,280
after this message from our sponsor. Odoo, they make it easy to wrangle up

62
00:04:24,480 --> 00:04:30,840
all the aspects of business management into one platform. Whether that's CRM,

63
00:04:28,919 --> 00:04:36,000
project management tools, invoicing, running a forum, it can be all O done

64
00:04:33,640 --> 00:04:39,280
with Odoo. It has a user-friendly and customizable

65
00:04:37,760 --> 00:04:43,840
interface, so you can make sure it suits your needs best. And if you only end up

66
00:04:41,600 --> 00:04:47,120
needing a single application, Odoo's free.

67
00:04:45,720 --> 00:04:51,240
You can even book a demo with them before you decide to try it. So, use our

68
00:04:48,919 --> 00:04:55,480
link for a free 15-day trial with no credit card required. As technology

69
00:04:53,240 --> 00:04:59,440
improved in the mid-2010s, the USB Implementers Forum decided to constantly

70
00:04:57,640 --> 00:05:03,320
rename the standard each time they introduced a new speed. And they

71
00:05:01,320 --> 00:05:11,200
overshot a little. The original SuperSpeed USB 3.0 was renamed to USB

72
00:05:06,840 --> 00:05:12,760
3.1 Gen 1 in 2013. And then, 6 years

73
00:05:11,200 --> 00:05:19,000
later, when it became clear that the world wasn't ending, they updated the

74
00:05:14,880 --> 00:05:21,120
spec and renamed it again to USB 3.2 Gen

75
00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:25,280
1. It's the same speed, just three different internal names over 10 years.

76
00:05:23,640 --> 00:05:30,640
It's worth noting that these cables are supposed to be labeled with the logo

77
00:05:27,720 --> 00:05:34,600
denoting SuperSpeed USB on the connector itself. But, [music] like what

78
00:05:32,280 --> 00:05:38,960
eventually happened with colors, manufacturers didn't really care enough

79
00:05:36,840 --> 00:05:42,720
to follow the rules. Or, they just didn't want to pay the USB-IF for

80
00:05:41,040 --> 00:05:47,000
certification. When the technology doubled its speed to 10 gigabits per

81
00:05:44,760 --> 00:05:51,800
second, they updated the spec again, and the pattern repeated itself. This new,

82
00:05:49,200 --> 00:05:57,680
faster version was initially called USB 3.1 Gen 2 under the branding of

83
00:05:54,800 --> 00:06:03,640
SuperSpeed Plus. Then, with the release of the next standard, it was

84
00:05:59,280 --> 00:06:05,760
retroactively renamed to USB 3.2 Gen 2

85
00:06:03,640 --> 00:06:09,160
while still keeping its logo. Today, it's referred to as SuperSpeed 10

86
00:06:07,560 --> 00:06:13,120
gigabit per second. Rule of thumb, if you see Gen 2, you know it's a 10

87
00:06:11,280 --> 00:06:18,240
gigabit per second connection. The new 3.2 title on the box did not mean a new

88
00:06:16,000 --> 00:06:22,680
speed. It only meant the entire family of names had been updated. What is going

89
00:06:20,600 --> 00:06:25,919
on in that war room, Jeff? What's in your mind?

90
00:06:24,600 --> 00:06:29,680
You would think that after all this, they would finally get the hint. But,

91
00:06:27,640 --> 00:06:34,040
like Square Enix with Kingdom Hearts, the names got a little out of hand with

92
00:06:31,400 --> 00:06:38,640
the real speed breakthrough, 20 gigabits per second. This speed was a

93
00:06:35,960 --> 00:06:43,160
game-changer and a name-changer, kind of. Achieved by introducing dual lane

94
00:06:40,720 --> 00:06:47,360
technology that runs two 10 gigabit tunnels simultaneously, the standard

95
00:06:45,000 --> 00:06:54,619
body created a completely new, technical-sounding name, USB 3.2 Gen 2

96
00:06:52,160 --> 00:07:00,000
by 2. That 2 by 2 >> [music] >> is the key, meaning two generation two

97
00:06:58,000 --> 00:07:04,360
lanes. This is the first time the generation number actually described the

98
00:07:02,120 --> 00:07:09,280
new capability. But, that's not what the USB-IF actually wanted you to see on the

99
00:07:06,680 --> 00:07:14,560
packaging. They tried to make SuperSpeed Plus USB 20 gigabit per second happen.

100
00:07:12,680 --> 00:07:18,919
However, it barely ever shows up these days. It's also worth pointing out that

101
00:07:16,720 --> 00:07:23,880
they retroactively renamed the other revisions to have the number of lanes

102
00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:34,440
indicated in the title. So, now we have USB 3.2 Gen 1 by 1, USB 3.2 Gen 2 by 1,

103
00:07:30,320 --> 00:07:37,240
and USB 3.2 Gen 2 by 2 to denote their

104
00:07:34,440 --> 00:07:40,280
respective speeds and lanage. Most importantly though, 20 gigabit per

105
00:07:38,600 --> 00:07:43,040
second brings the transfer time on Lord of the Rings down to a minute and a

106
00:07:41,640 --> 00:07:48,080
half. That's not even enough time for second breakfast. Luckily, the USB-IF

107
00:07:45,560 --> 00:07:52,800
finally realized in 2019 that those names weren't catching on and all those

108
00:07:50,320 --> 00:07:58,440
3.2 versions have started to be superseded by USB4, spelled without a

109
00:07:56,400 --> 00:08:03,520
space and without a .0 just to be different. This upgrade unlocks truly

110
00:08:00,280 --> 00:08:05,960
high-end speeds with a mandatory base

111
00:08:03,520 --> 00:08:11,200
speed of 20 gigabits per second, but a top-tier version known by the name USB4

112
00:08:08,960 --> 00:08:16,400
40 gigabit per second that doubles the speed to, well, 40 gigabit per second.

113
00:08:13,720 --> 00:08:21,800
Like it says in the name. Holy They did it! THEY DID IT!

114
00:08:20,080 --> 00:08:27,520
AND IF THAT WASN'T FAST ENOUGH, the absolute latest spec, USB4 version 2.0,

115
00:08:25,400 --> 00:08:32,080
can hit a staggering 80 gigabits per second. [music] Wait, the version NAMES

116
00:08:28,919 --> 00:08:34,479
ARE BACK? OKAY, so the name on the

117
00:08:32,080 --> 00:08:39,919
spec is still bad, but thankfully, the USB-IF has simplified USB's required

118
00:08:37,240 --> 00:08:44,039
label to just state the speed. All you have to do is to look for USB and

119
00:08:42,120 --> 00:08:47,920
whatever speed you want on the cable packaging. Finally, some clarity, at

120
00:08:46,200 --> 00:08:52,640
least for the labels. And full transparency, our company does sell USB

121
00:08:50,640 --> 00:08:57,080
cables and ours do have [music] the specs right on the plug. To the USB-IF's

122
00:08:55,400 --> 00:09:01,839
credit, one thing they've refused to sacrifice as speeds and power continue

123
00:08:59,360 --> 00:09:06,520
to climb is backwards compatibility. Thank god. Can you imagine how crazy

124
00:09:04,520 --> 00:09:11,839
this world would be? Jeff explained why that's always step one when designing a

125
00:09:09,120 --> 00:09:17,560
new USB version. And by the way, USB4 version 2 is backward compatible all the

126
00:09:14,400 --> 00:09:19,320
way back to USB 1.0. First off, that

127
00:09:17,560 --> 00:09:23,280
makes it very simple and convenient [music] for

128
00:09:21,080 --> 00:09:27,640
consumers. Uh now, granted, it's only going to operate at the capabilities of

129
00:09:25,560 --> 00:09:35,600
the older product, right? But it doesn't require a consumer

130
00:09:31,480 --> 00:09:37,480
to re-buy all new stuff, right? And so,

131
00:09:35,600 --> 00:09:41,760
um that's our bread and butter is backward compatibility. Now, all these

132
00:09:39,680 --> 00:09:46,360
speeds relate to data, but an equally important standard has evolved alongside

133
00:09:43,960 --> 00:09:51,040
it. USB power [music] delivery, otherwise known as USB PD. A cable's

134
00:09:49,320 --> 00:09:55,720
speed is measured in gigabit per second, but it's charging capacity is measured

135
00:09:52,720 --> 00:09:58,840
in watts. With USB PD, a single cable

136
00:09:55,720 --> 00:10:01,120
can now safely deliver up to 240 watts

137
00:09:58,840 --> 00:10:05,320
of power to quickly charge a laptop. The ability to carry both high-speed data

138
00:10:03,400 --> 00:10:11,080
and high-wattage power is the true innovation of the USB-C connector.

139
00:10:08,840 --> 00:10:15,560
A huge upgrade enabled by the size of the port, but that topic is big enough

140
00:10:13,520 --> 00:10:18,640
for its own upcoming video. So, stay subscribed for that. If you're looking

141
00:10:17,080 --> 00:10:23,160
to dive deeper into the cable rabbit hole today, you should check out our

142
00:10:20,480 --> 00:10:27,600
video on Oculink. It's surprising how straightforward that cable is

143
00:10:24,560 --> 00:10:30,960
considering its niche use cases. Also,

144
00:10:27,600 --> 00:10:30,960
super powerful.