Type in USB cable, dongle or flash drive on Amazon
and your eyes will be assaulted with products from hundreds of companies,
some well-known, others not so much.
What is a Q, Q, Q, Q, can I?
So how exactly do you know which ones to trust and spend your money on?
This is a question the USB Implementers Forum tries to help you answer
with its special certification program. In case you didn't know,
USB IF is responsible for developing the USB specification.
It's kind of like a blueprint that all USB gadgets are supposed to follow.
But what's the difference between a certified and non-certified product?
And why does it take so long for certified options to show up
when a new lightning fast USB version hits the internet
along with hot takes about its naming scheme?
To find out, we spoke with Jeff Ravencraft, the president of USB IF.
So he's kind of like the head of the USB universe.
And we'd like to thank him as well as Joe Baylake for helping us out with his episode.
So USB IF certification process is voluntary,
but many companies choose to pay and have their product certified
to gain a leg up on competitors. They get to use one of those little logos
you've probably seen on product packaging before, and also they benefit from USB IF's advertising,
which tells customers to look for that logo when shopping online.
In 2021, those ads got over 305 million impressions.
And if even a small fraction of those customers are convinced to buy a certified product
instead of a non-certified one, that's a big difference in sales.
But the USB IF certification process involves more
than just taking money to slap on a sticker.
Testing is required to ensure the product is built to spec
and won't unexpectedly give you poor performance or be shoddily constructed.
Companies such as underwriters laboratories contract with USB IF to do the testing.
And these companies also have to submit to audits to make sure the testing is being done correctly.
Testing the testing, otherwise is it really a test?
The USB IF also runs special workshops where products from member companies can be certified,
as well as the platform interoperability lab in Oregon,
where lots of big industry players like Intel and AMD have their products tested while they're still in development
to ensure proper operation, or as I call it, preparation.
But the certification process can take quite a long time, which you've probably noticed
if you're looking for a certified product compliant with the latest and greatest spec.
So why does it take USB gadgets so long to get certified
or even to come to market in the first place? Now it turns out that once a new spec is published,
it typically takes manufacturers 12 to 18 months
to start getting products on store shelves. So part of that delay has nothing to do
with the certification process itself. It's not their fault.
Additionally, although the spec gives companies a blueprint as to how to properly implement
the new version of USB, the certification process actually has to get developed
after the spec comes out, since as companies find quirks and snags
with a new revision, testing protocols get designed to make sure those things don't end up
affecting the final product. But if you can't wait for a certified version
of the PowerAdapter or external SSD or eyeballing, how do you know if a non-certified product is any good?
I mean, almost 3 billion USB-C devices have been shipped in 2022.
So as many good products as there are out there,
there's also a lot of crap to sift through as well. The answer is actually quite simple.
Try to buy from brands you trust and thoroughly read reviews,
especially if it's a more expensive purchase. But if you can, it's typically safer to buy certified,
especially as the USB IF is finally ditching
those terrible labels that say things like USB 3.2 Gen2 by 2
and just putting USB with a speed beside it.
And that's fantastic because one thing is easy to understand
for even the most technically challenged among us. Bigger numbers are better.
I love those big, big, beautiful numbers. There they are.
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