Why is USB3.0 so messed up?

I'm really not pleased with the current state of USB3.0 implementation; I want to know why things are the way they are. I feel like I'm missing something.

First off, USB3.0 was introduced in 2008, and now it's 2013 and not all mobos/systems are being shipped with USB3.0, with lower end platforms not getting it at all. Five years after the release of USB2.0, in 2005, did we have new computers that still came with USB1.1? What happened to USB being universal? Why call it USB3.0 if it's not actually universal? Why is it being treated like a mid-range to premium feature(decisions of implementation-wise)? If simply due to cost, then in your opinion do you believe that USB3.0 has abandoned the ethos of being universal and transitioned to being reserved for "real" PCs? Does this mean that low end platforms will never get USB3.0 and will be stuck with 2.0 for the next decade? When will manufacturers see that it's time to move on from USB2.0? This in my opinion is one of the major barriers USB3.0 faces in gaining usage over USB2.0.

Even on mobos/systems that have it, not all USB ports are USB3.0. For Sandy Bridge I can forgive this due to it being a transitional period with third party controllers, but now even new systems with Ivy Bridge don't have all ports being USB3.0. There are always a few that are still 2.0, why? How long are we going to keep seeing USB2.0 ports before ALL usb ports on mobos are USB3.0?

There are recurring problems with USB3.0 ports transferring files at USB2.0 speed, even with proper USB3.0 cables and USB3.0 hardware. I'm afraid to buy a USB3.0 hub due to multiple hubs from multiple manufacturers having serious problems with user reviews saying they randomly disconnect, devices not being detected when plugged in, unplugging devices causing other devices connected to the hub to momentarily disconnect, not working with USB2.0 devices(!), not reconnecting when resuming from hibernate, not detecting USB3 to SATA adapters, and even killing HDDs, speakers, and USB mice! I don't see many highly rated USB3.0 hubs on newegg. How hard is it to build a decent USB3.0 hub? I don't recall having these problems with USB2.0 hubs, do you guys? Anecdotally, the USB 3.0 ports and cables I have are very loose and frequently drop the connection, though this may be a problem with my own hardware.

If USB3.0 will be sticking around anywhere as long as USB2.0 then what everybody would like to do is purchase USB3.0 peripherals and keep those in use for as long as USB3.0 is relevant, but the USB Implementers Forum keeps playing around with the spec. First, we had USB3.0, then we had USB3.0 with Battery Charging Specification (Version 1.2 – December 2010), increasing the power handling capability to 1.5A, and now we have 10Gbits/s USB3.0. Fragmentation within a single spec is unfortunate, causing a decrease in market adoption of peripherals while everyone waits for peripherals to get these new spec upgrades.

I really want to purchase additional USB3.0 peripherals(hubs, flash drives, external HDDs, external HDD cases, etc) but these hardware problems and revisions with significant changes are making it difficult to justify getting this gear now.

 

There was something about USB3.0 utilizing more of the available PCIe Lanes leading to the PCH. I.e. for a given lane, you can implement more USB2.0 ports than USB3.0. Additionally, there is fragmentation at the high end with competition from Thunderbolt, if anyone is to blame, its Intel.

 

I do recall reading that Intel's late USB 3.0 support (with Ivy Bridge, for being part of the platform) may have been influenced by their desire to boost ThunderBolt. AMD, on the other hand, was a year ahead of Intel on USB support.

Late 2008 was only when the spec was approved, though. I don't know how fair it is to say USB 3.0 has been released for five years.

You have some good questions that I can't answer. It does seem odd that, with increasing volumes, there are still many new computers that have just one or two USB 3.0 ports but another one to three (or more, on desktops) USB 2.0 ports. If I had to guess, I'd say that it's still marginally cheaper to get USB 2.0, so companies that are cutting corners for profits now are shipping with 2.0 where possible. Kind of like how you can still buy some laptops (though fewer than in years past) with 100 Mbit Ethernet instead of gigabit Ethernet.

 

not necessarily, its simple who uses thunderbolt will use USB3, who uses USB3 may not use thunderbolt. Why? aside the large cost difference, they are designed for different purposes

aside that, its also simple, some OS dont enable boot from usb3

regarding the fragmentation I dont really have a clue, for me they shouldnt have done it, release it when its "finished". There is the charging thing that can get 100w into a single USB3 port, that would make chargers obsolete, or the "higher" super speed usb, the 10gbs that you mentioned, its simple for me, that would be the obvious choice, now that does take more resources from the pch, and currently the ivy pch for mobile only holds a grand total of pcie 2.0 x8, the cpu however does support pcie 3.0 x16, another change in haswell is that if Im not mistaken the pch will change from 65nm to 32nm and with broadwell for mobile they will be removed, dunno if in all of the cpus

 

The thing is (I believe) that USB3 has other costs aside from integrating into the board, there's not that much of a demand for it with normal users, especially when 3.0 devices cost more than 2.0 (for the moment) and everyone thinks 2.0 is "good enough". 3.0 will probably come into play once device manufacturers stop using 2.0 except for simple devices like keyboards and mice (and novelty flash drives?).

 

Yes, Intel didn't help matters at all. Why? Because they get zilch in return for adding USB 3.0 to a chipset, but they get money from Thunderbolt licensing fees. They also want to charge more money for the chipsets they sell that have USB 3.0 on them, even though it costs them the same to make the chipset with or without it.

 

Last I checked, most wired mice (and probably a lot of keyboards, too) these days are still USB 1.1, because it has a thinner cable and they don't need the higher speeds of USB 2.0.