USB 3.0

The USB 2.0 specification was released in April 2000 and was standardized by the USB-IF (USB Implementers Forum) at the end of 2001. It is also known as HighSpeed USB. Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Lucent Technologies (now Alcatel-Lucent following its merger with Alcatel in 2006), Microsoft, NEC, and Philips jointly led the initiative to develop a higher data transfer rate than the 1.0 specification (480 Mbit/s vs 12 Mbit/s).