Apple may be considering incorporating USB 3.0 (Rumor)

Apple has always liked doing things their way, which can be a good or bad thing depending on how you look at it. On one hand, by doing their own thing Apple has managed to set themselves apart from the rest of the pack, but on the other hand certain aspects have caused some of their users a bit of headache. For example when the first iPod was released it used FireWire to connect to Macs exclusively, and now Apple has Thunderbolt, another piece of technology that isn’t available on the PC.

Granted that Thunderbolt does not belong to Apple but rather Intel, the amount of Thunderbolt peripheral devices available in the market is not a lot and they can cost quite a fair bit. USB, as the “Universal” in its name suggests, is widely adopted across PCs and Macs, but the latest version USB 3.0 has yet to make its way to Apple computer, but now it  has been reported that Apple is looking to add USB 3.0 ports to their computers by sourcing it from third party host controller chips instead of waiting for Intel.

While there are benefits to Thunderbolt technology, the fact of the matter is there are more USB 3.0 devices available in the market that don’t necessarily cost more than their USB 2.0 counterparts and instead of looking at USB 3.0 as competition, it should instead be looked at as complementary technology.

Given how the MacBook Air, Mac Mini and iMac have seen a refresh not too long ago, we expect USB 3.0’s to make their way to the next refreshes, assuming of course the reports are true. What do you guys think? Would USB 3.0 be a welcome addition to your Mac? Or are you still holding out on Thunderbolt reigning supreme?

Tyler Lee
Categories: Apple, Computers, Rumors
Tags: Mac (Apple), thunderbolt, USB, USB 3.0