USB

Standard for computer data connections

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2025
USB hardware
USB-C connector officially supersedes earlier USB connectors, Mini DisplayPort, and Lightning connector.
2025
Ajay Bhatt
Awarded the Padma Shri, one of India's highest civilian honors, by the Government of India.
January 2025
Ajay Bhatt
Ajay Bhatt was awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian award, in recognition of his significant technological contributions to computer architecture.
January 2025
USB hardware
Ugreen introduced a 240 W (48 V 5 A) GaN USB PD charger with total output of 500 W.
December 2024
USB-C
New EU regulations mandating USB-C charging ports for small and medium-sized electronic devices took effect.
August 2024
USB4
As of August 2024, no USB4 controller has implemented support for USB3 Gen T tunneling, despite its introduction in USB4 Version 2.0.
March 2024
USB4
Windows 11 was upgraded to support USB4 Version 2.0, including 80 Gbit/s connectivity.
2023
USB-C
Apple replaced its proprietary Lightning connector with USB-C for iPhone 15 and AirPods Pro second generation.
2023
USB 3.0
USB-IF introduced a new branding scheme, replacing 'SuperSpeed' with simple speed designations: USB 5Gbps, USB 10Gbps, and USB 20Gbps, along with new packaging and port logos.
October 2023
USB hardware
USB PD promoter group launched revision 3.2 of the specification, expanding the Adjustable Voltage Supply (AVS) protocol to work with the standard power range (SPR), down to a minimum of 9 V.
October 31 2023
USB-C
USB Type-C specification Rev 2.3 was published.
September 2023
USB4
Intel announced Thunderbolt 5, an implementation of USB4 using the new 80 Gbit/s connection abilities and updated DisplayPort support.
June 2023
USB hardware
Framework introduced a 180 W (36 V 5 A) GaN USB PD charger with the Framework 16 laptop.
2022
USB hardware
Radio Equipment Directive 2022/2380 mandated USB-C as the compulsory mobile phone charging standard, effective from 2024, and extended to laptops from 2026.
October 18 2022
USB-C
USB Type-C specification Rev 2.2 was published, primarily enabling USB4 Version 2.0 with 80 Gbps speeds over USB Type-C connectors and cables.
October 18 2022
USB4
USB Promoter Group released USB4 Version 2.0 specification, introducing 80 Gbit/s symmetric connections and asymmetric connections supporting 120 Gbit/s in one direction and 40 Gbit/s in the other.
October 4 2022
USB-C
The European Parliament voted in favor of the Radio Equipment Directive 2022/2380, requiring USB-C ports for most electronic devices by the end of 2024.
September 2022
USB4
AMD announced USB 3.2 Gen 2×1 support for Zen 4 processors.
September 2022
USB 3.0
AMD implements USB 3.2 Gen 1x2 and Gen 2x2 in its LGA 1718 AM5 chipsets.
September 1 2022
USB
USB Implementers Forum released the USB4 2.0 specification, introducing updated standards for data transfer speeds and compatibility.
January 2022
BadUSB
FBI issued another warning about FIN7 group's BadUSB attacks targeting transportation, insurance, and defense companies. USB drives were sent in packages pretending to be from Amazon or the US Department of Health and Human Services, with letters about gift cards or COVID-19 protocols. When connected, the drives would emulate a keyboard and initiate malware download commands.
2021
USB-C
The European Commission proposed USB-C as a universal charger for electronic devices.
October 2021
USB hardware
Apple introduced a 140 W (28 V 5 A) GaN USB PD charger with new MacBooks.
October 5 2021
USB4
Windows 11 was released with support for USB4 Version 1.0.
May 2021
USB hardware
USB PD promoter group launched revision 3.1 of the specification, adding Extended Power Range (EPR) mode to support higher voltages of 28, 36, and 48 V, enabling up to 240 W of power delivery.
May 25 2021
USB-C
USB Type-C specification Rev 2.1 was published, introducing USB PD Extended Power Range with support for up to 240 W (48 V × 5 A).
January 2021
USB 3.0
Intel begins including USB 3.2 Gen 1x2 and Gen 2x2 in its LGA 1200 Rocket Lake chipsets (500 series).
2020 USB-IF announced updated USB Device Class Definition for MIDI Devices, Version 2.0, for MIDI 2.0 devices.
2020
USB4
Intel's Tiger Lake processors became the first products compatible with USB4, with more devices emerging towards the end of the year.
November 2020
USB4
Apple unveiled MacBook Air (M1, 2020), MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020), and Mac mini (M1, 2020), all featuring two USB4 ports.
November 12 2020
USB4
macOS Big Sur (11.0) was released with support for USB4.
July 2020
USB4
Intel announced Thunderbolt 4 as an implementation of USB4 40 Gbit/s, with additional requirements like mandatory backwards compatibility to Thunderbolt 3.
May 2020
Windows To Go
Windows 10 May 2020 update (version 2004) removed Windows To Go functionality, effectively eliminating the feature from the operating system.
March 2020
BadUSB
FBI issued a warning about FIN7 cybercrime group using BadUSB attacks to target companies in retail, restaurant, and hotel industries, aiming to deliver REvil or BlackMatter ransomware. Attacks involved sending packages with USB drives disguised as gift cards from Best Buy, which when plugged in, would emulate a keyboard and download malware to contact Russian servers.
March 29 2020
USB4
Linux kernel 5.6 was released, providing initial support for USB4 technology.
March 3 2020
USB4
Cypress Semiconductor announced new Type-C power (PD) controllers supporting USB4, specifically the CCG6DF dual port and CCG6SF single port controllers.
January 2020
USB4
During CES 2020, USB-IF and Intel announced their intention to allow USB4 products with optional Thunderbolt 4 functionality.
2019
USB-C
Linux kernel version 4.6 added support for USB version 3.1.
2019
USB-C
USB4 was released, becoming the first USB transfer protocol standard applicable exclusively via USB-C.
2019
USB4
The USB Implementers Forum originally announced the USB4 technical specification, marking the introduction of this new data communication standard.
August 29 2019
USB-C
USB Type-C specification Rev 2.0 was published.
August 29 2019
USB4
Release of USB4 Version 1.0 specification, defining 20 Gbit/s and 40 Gbit/s connections, with support for USB 2.0, USB 3.x, PCIe 4.0, and DisplayPort 1.4a tunneling.
May 2019
Windows To Go
Microsoft announced the discontinuation of Windows To Go with the May 2019 update (version 1903), citing lack of support for feature updates and declining OEM support for specific USB drives.
March 2019
USB4
USB4 was announced by the USB Promoter Group, with plans to base the specification on Thunderbolt protocol specification contributed by Intel Corporation.
March 29 2019
USB-C
USB Type-C specification Rev 1.4 was published.
February 2019
USB 3.0
USB-IF simplified marketing guidelines by excluding Gen 1x2 mode and requiring SuperSpeed trident logos to include maximum transfer speed.
2018
USB-C
iOS first supported USB-C with version 12.1-12.4.1 on iPad Pro (3rd generation).

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This contents of the box above is based on material from the Wikipedia articles USB Implementers Forum, USB4, USB mass storage device class, USB hardware, Windows To Go, USB 3.0, USB, BadUSB, USB flash drive, USB-C & Ajay Bhatt, which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

See Also