Lenovo sees USB 3.0 hitting its straps next year

Lenovo sees USB 3.0 going mainstream in 2012. "In 2012 USB 3.0 will be a mainstream technology," Jason Parrish, worldwide product manager for Lenovo ThinkPad, told CNET. "And we see 2011 as the transition year for USB 3.0 as it starts to come into more and more products," he added. However, Parrish also believes that there will be a place for the Thunderbolt interface although it will likely appear only on high-end notebooks.

Lenovo’s anticipated X1 notebook will incorporate one USB 3.0 port. Apple originally championed the USB format when it first appeared in its V. 1.0 form and integrated it into Apple’s original iMac line, ahead of many other manufacturers. In its V. 2.0 form, it has become the universal connectivity standard featuring on a wide array of devices from mobile phones, PVRs, to TVs and game consoles.

Intel has said that although it is promoting its proprietary Thunderbolt port in partnership with Apple at present, it will begin shipping Ivy Bridge chipsets with USB 3.0 support in 2012. It has maintained that it does not see the one format as being necessarily pitted one against the other. Rather, it sees to the two connectivity options existing side by side, much like USB 2.0 and FireWire ports have done in recent years.

By Electronista Staff