Until the mid-1990s, using peripheral equipment with a computer often meant plugging one of a bewildering variety of computer connector cables, installing device drivers from 3.5” floppy discs or CD-ROMS, and slotting specialized expansion cards into motherboards. This all added up to a compatibility nightmare, and consumers had to check carefully to make sure their desired peripheral could work with their make and model of computer. Then, in 1996, Intel released the PIIX3, part of the first chipset for computer motherboards that implemented the Universal Serial Bus (USB) interfacing standard.
Initially used for relatively slow-speed communications with mice and keyboards, USB has since developed into the primary way computers communicate at high speeds with cameras, monitors, and other peripherals. It also created a beachhead for solid-state storage technology in personal computers, with the introduction of USB-based thumb drives in 2000.
It even contributed to Apple’s revival, when, in 1998, the company opted for USB over “legacy” ports in the G3 iMac and eliminated the floppy disc drive. Its distinctive Apple “Hockey-Puck” Mouse divided opinion, but the G3 iMac became Apple’s fastest-selling computer.
Having curbed the need for boxes of data cables, the current iteration of USB is now putting an end to the need to keep a collection of chargers for mobile devices. A mandate from the European Union went into force in December 2024 requiring all new small portable electronics to support charging via a USB-C cable, and all new laptops must support USB-C charging by April 2026, reducing electronic waste.
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Stephen Cass is the special projects editor at IEEE Spectrum. He currently helms Spectrum's Hands On column, and is also responsible for interactive projects such as the Top Programming Languages app. He has a bachelor's degree in experimental physics from Trinity College Dublin.
