While there are many uses for a USB port, USB 3.0 is the next generation of technology for the connection which will allow higher interface speeds. While this technology is still not ready for the general public, it is expected to be ready by 2010. USB 3.0 is called “Super Speed USB” by some because of its speed improvements over both USB 2.0 and 1.1. Universal Serial Bus (USB) 3.0 is the latest specification of the USB standard, introduced in August 2008 by a partnership of developers led by Intel. The much speedier protocol allows for data transfer speeds up to 5.0 gigabits per second (Gbits/s), or 625 Megabytes per second (MB/s), about ten times faster than the USB 2.0 protocol.
With greater demands for transferring larger files at faster speeds, USB 3.0 promises to be a welcome improvement from 2.0 technologies. For the first time, USB might not be a bottleneck for data transfer. Internal hard drives could be playing catch-up until “SATA 6Gb/s” (the next generation SATA with transfer rates of 6 gigabits per second) and solid-state drives become widespread. In the meantime, SATA drives with maximum data transfer rates of 300 MB/s (3 GB/s) will only be half as fast as USB 3.0, assuming it matures to its full theoretical potential. According to Symwave, a semi-conductor business involved in USB 3.0 cable design and production, the technology might max out shy of its rated throughout, falling closer to 250-300 MB/s.
For more details, refer to the attached presentation by Intel on USB 3.0