USB holds steady as 'most successful interface ever'
Although HDMI is exploding as one of the default connectivity options in electronics, USB is still the strongest standard for the near future.
A new report from market research firm In-Stat asserts that USB-enabled device shipments will approach six billion in 2015. Currently, more than 3.5 billion devices with USB onboard are shipping worldwide in the PC and PC peripheral, consumer electronic, communications, and automotive product sectors, making it the "most successful interface ever."
That's not terribly surprising when you consider that USB has become so prevalant that it is being include next to traditional wall power sockets.
In-Stat research director Brian O’Rourke explained that SuperSpeed USB, in particular, is being integrated more quickly than anticipated thanks to the new standard on core logic chipsets:
USB will grow at over 7% through 2015 with most of that growth coming from SuperSpeed devices, particularly after 2011. Both low-/full-speed and high-speed USB will remain relevant throughout the forecast period as well. Low-/full-speed will remain the interface of choice in HIDs, and high-speed will remain in many PC peripheral and CE applications.
We should be seeing much more of SuperSpeed USB in the next few years. In-Stat reports that SuperSpeed USB will have an attach rate of 70 percent on Blu-ray players in 2013, and by 2015, 28 percent of all USB-connected products will have SuperSpeed USB power
We're definitely shifting away from the lower end of the spectrum finally as low-speed and full-speed USB devices peaked last year with over 870 million units shipped. But in 2015, over 38 million broadband routers will still ship with high-speed USB capabilities.
Thus, it is probably safe to say that manufacturers should bet on USB when it comes to designing their products.
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