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The new “SuperSpeed” version will provide data transfer speeds that peak at 4.8Gbit/sec, around 10 times faster than the USB 2.0 standard and six times faster than FireWire 800.

It also promises to address one of the drawbacks of both USB 1 and 2, by pushing more power to the connected device. This should enable more devices that are bus-powered and therefore do not require an external power supply.

On the downside, USB 3 will not be compatible with USB 1 devices. Given that the two versions of the technology are separated

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by more than 10 years, this is hardly surprising.

Hardware that supports the new version is unlikely to appear until 2010. Drivers are expected to be ready in the second half of 2009, with the first SuperSpeed USB devices appearing the following year.

Meanwhile, the 1394 Trade Association is pressing on with the development of the next version of FireWire. FireWire S3200 won’t boast the same nominal high-speed as USB 3, though past evidence has shown the Apple-developed standard to be faster in real world situations than the Intel-backed USB. However Intel has made changes to address this - one reason why USB 3 will not be backwards compatible with USB 1 - but the technology will still place heavier demands on the host computer’s processor, which FireWire doesn’t do, a chief reason for its greater efficiency.

That said, FireWire already appears to be losing the battle, with even Apple, its staunchest backer, dropping it from the new MacBooks unveiled last month. That may not have been a popular decision amongst Mac users, but would not be the first time that a superior standard has lost out.