Products Can Now Receive SuperSpeed USB (USB 3.0) Logos

Can you feel the excitement? We can. USB 3.0 is inching closer and closer to reality, which means your current PC is inching closer and closer to being a token of yesteryear. USB 2.0 has been around for years now, and by and large, it has been sufficient. Transfer rates are fairly quick, and industry support couldn't be higher.

But hey, this industry is all about progress, and we aren't about to complain about newfound speed. The USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) today announced the availability of the USB 3.0 (SuperSpeed USB) Compliance and Certification Program, which basically means that companies can have their products tested to receive the SuperSpeed USB logo/certification. Jeff Ravencraft, USB-IF president and chair, was understandably elated about the news:

"The availability of the Compliance and Certification program is a significant milestone, and means consumers are one step closer to seeing certified SuperSpeed USB products on store shelves. When consumers see the SuperSpeed USB logo, they will have the assurance that the product interoperates with existing USB 2.0 products and provides all the speed and power efficiency enhancements that SuperSpeed USB offers, while continuing the ease-of-use consumers have come to expect from USB."

There's still no definite date on USB 3.0 products, but considering the time line here, we'd expect to start seeing some near-final or final products ready by the time CES 2010 rolls around. Any ideas on what some of the first USB 3.0 products might be? We're guessing external hard drive makers are chomping at the bit to take advantage of more speed, and high-res scanners could probably handle the bump in bandwidth too. Exciting times we're living in, no?