USB
Technology & Computing abbreviation · Computer Hardware
| Stands for | Universal Serial Bus |
|---|---|
| Categories | Technology & Computing |
USB stands for Universal Serial Bus, a computer hardware abbreviation.
Standard for connecting keyboards, mice, drives, phones, printers, cameras and countless other devices to computers, and for charging them. Speeds range from 12 Mbit/s in USB 1.1 to 80 Gbit/s in USB4 Version 2.0, using connectors such as USB-A, USB-B and USB-C.
Example: Plug the flash drive into a blue USB port for the faster 5 Gbit/s speed.
Usage notes
A consortium of Compaq, DEC, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, NEC and Nortel released USB 1.0 in January 1996, replacing a jumble of serial, parallel and game ports; Apple's 1998 iMac, which offered only USB, helped it catch on. USB 2.0 (2000) reached 480 Mbit/s and USB 3.0 (2008) 5 Gbit/s. Repeated renaming, such as USB 3.2 Gen 2x2, confused buyers, so the USB Implementers Forum now recommends labels like "USB 10Gbps".
Related abbreviations
More computer hardware abbreviations
- TIM – Thermal interface material
- TLC – Triple-level cell
- TPM – Trusted Platform Module
- TPU – Tensor Processing Unit
- UFS – Universal Flash Storage
- UPS – Uninterruptible power supply
- USB-A – Universal Serial Bus Type-A
- USB-B – Universal Serial Bus Type-B
- USB-C – Universal Serial Bus Type-C
- USB4 – Universal Serial Bus 4
- VDU – Visual display unit
- VGA – Video Graphics Array