Intel says USB 3.0 chipsets won't be ready until 2012

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The adoption of USB 3.0 has hit a major setback with news that Intel is delaying the release of its compatible chipset until 2012.

It has given no reason for the delay.

USB 3.0's specification was first introduced in November 2008, with the existing 2.0 spec proving increasingly inadequate for coping with the explosion of high-capacity external devices such as portable hard drives and digital camcorders.

For their part, device manufacturers have been quick to respond to the 4.8Gbps potential offered by third-generation USB, with a large number of compatible peripherals having made their debut at this week's Computex show in Taiwan alone.

But with USB 3.0 devices needing a compatible chipset on the other side of the bus to realise that speed potential, the news that such hardware is as many as two years away is unlikely to impress already frustrated vendors.

Critics have pointed to the development of Intel's own Light Peak high-speed optical technology as proof of a potential conflict of interest.

Light Peak is expected to arrive on the market towards the end of the year, and delaying what is likely to be its primary competitor for at least another year could significantly affect how willing consumers will be to adopt it.

Indeed, with Intel now having pushed back USB 3.0 support several times, vendors have had little choice but to explore their own alternatives. Asus, Gigabyte and Asrock have all incorporated USB 3.0 support onto selected motherboards.

However, until the arrival of mainstream USB 3.0 chipsets from the world's largest chip maker, the high speeds promised by the standard are likely to remain a pipe dream for most users.

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