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Because of its reliance on a host CPU

Fred Fredrickson 18th Nov 2008

USB is fundamentally flawed because it relies on a host CPU. It is OK for USB 1 devices like mice and keyboards, but where high speed data transfer is reqired. FireWire, on the other hand, uses an independent controller so 2 devices can exchange data independently of a host CPU so FireWire 400 outperforms USB 2, even though its theoretical maximum throughput is lower.

Anyone who cares about speed for external devices is already using eSATA or FireWire 800, both of which are very much faster than USB 2. FireWire3200 and eSATA are probably faster in actual use than the proposed USB 3 standard.

eSATA will have their 6Gb/s spec finished by the end of the year, FireWire should have their equivalent available next year. What is USB?s schedule for keeping up?