5 ms·

FireWire also had a few port types which required different cables and connectors, while USB at the time only had one (this was before Mini and Micro USB). Appl

FireWire also had a few port types which required different cables and connectors, while USB at the time only had one (this was before Mini and Micro USB). Apple even included dongle converters with their iPods. USB also had the advantage of Intel pushing it, resulting in almost every PC with an Intel CPU (large majority) having USB ports.

mistersquid 7y ago
> USB also had the advantage of Intel pushing it, resulting in almost every PC with an Intel CPU (large majority) having USB ports. In the mid to late 1990s, USB was scarce. It didn't take off until after Apple replaced its ADB (Apple Desktop Bus) port with USB in the first iMacs. Once that happened, manufacturers flooded the market with consumer products (e.g. CDRW drives) and PC makers followed suit. Up to that point PC makers had standardized on the serial port. I don't have contemporaneous links at the moment but the second paragraph of a relatively recent (2015) article summarizes: > But Apple shocked the computing world when it swept its old connectors away with the original 1998 iMac. The bulbous computer adopted a then-struggling standard developed by Intel called USB (Universal Serial Bus). In a hint of what was to become the company’s ability to make or break certain technologies, USB would go on to live up to its “universal” descriptor and become the most prevalent connectivity standard in the world. The solid-and-hollow stacked rectangles of its “A” connector now appear in everything from alarm clocks to airplanes. [0] [0] https://www.fastcompany.com/3044088/apple-and-usb-a-history-of-adoption-acceptance-acquiescence https://www.fastcompany.com/3044088/apple-and-usb-a-history-...
- JackRabbitSlim 7y ago
  That neglects to mention that Microsoft Windows 95 OSR2 launched a few months before (97) and that entire release was centered around better USB support for a broader range of components. (e.g. CDRW Drives) I don't think its fair to say PC "Followed suit" in using USB.
  - mistersquid 7y ago
    > I don't think its fair to say PC "Followed suit" in using USB. I didn't say that. I said, specifically, "PC makers followed suit". Microsoft may have supported USB in their OS, but PC manufacturers lagged.
  - Gibbon1 7y ago
    If I remember at the time peripheral manufacturers had USB devices ready to go for the Win95 launch and Microsoft fucked up and couldn't get USB support ready in time. So Win95 shipped without it and peripheral manufacturers were utterly livid. The next couple of releases of Windows included totally redesigned USB support.
  - greyhair 7y ago
    Once Windows 98 hit though, USB was well supported on the platform. During a brief stint in late 98 through 99 I worked at a consumer electronics chip manufacturer (56K modems and DSL) and we had good support for USB on Windows 98 and Windows NT at that time.
- TheKarateKid 7y ago
  I doubt Apple had anything to do with pushing USB's widespread adoption. Apple was at one of its lowest points during this time period, and it was pre OSX. The poor support in Windows, as well as peripheral OEMs still using other ports slowed its adoption.
wh1t3n01s3 7y ago
I think the problem was that USB can charge only @ 5 v vs firewire @ 12 v

mistersquid 7y ago

> USB also had the advantage of Intel pushing it, resulting in almost every PC with an Intel CPU (large majority) having USB ports. In the mid to late 1990s, USB was scarce. It didn't take off until after Apple replaced its ADB (Apple Desktop Bus) port with USB in the first iMacs. Once that happened, manufacturers flooded the market with consumer products (e.g. CDRW drives) and PC makers followed suit. Up to that point PC makers had standardized on the serial port. I don't have contemporaneous links at the moment but the second paragraph of a relatively recent (2015) article summarizes: > But Apple shocked the computing world when it swept its old connectors away with the original 1998 iMac. The bulbous computer adopted a then-struggling standard developed by Intel called USB (Universal Serial Bus). In a hint of what was to become the company’s ability to make or break certain technologies, USB would go on to live up to its “universal” descriptor and become the most prevalent connectivity standard in the world. The solid-and-hollow stacked rectangles of its “A” connector now appear in everything from alarm clocks to airplanes. [0] [0] https://www.fastcompany.com/3044088/apple-and-usb-a-history-of-adoption-acceptance-acquiescence https://www.fastcompany.com/3044088/apple-and-usb-a-history-...

JackRabbitSlim 7y ago
That neglects to mention that Microsoft Windows 95 OSR2 launched a few months before (97) and that entire release was centered around better USB support for a broader range of components. (e.g. CDRW Drives) I don't think its fair to say PC "Followed suit" in using USB.
- mistersquid 7y ago
  > I don't think its fair to say PC "Followed suit" in using USB. I didn't say that. I said, specifically, "PC makers followed suit". Microsoft may have supported USB in their OS, but PC manufacturers lagged.
- Gibbon1 7y ago
  If I remember at the time peripheral manufacturers had USB devices ready to go for the Win95 launch and Microsoft fucked up and couldn't get USB support ready in time. So Win95 shipped without it and peripheral manufacturers were utterly livid. The next couple of releases of Windows included totally redesigned USB support.
- greyhair 7y ago
  Once Windows 98 hit though, USB was well supported on the platform. During a brief stint in late 98 through 99 I worked at a consumer electronics chip manufacturer (56K modems and DSL) and we had good support for USB on Windows 98 and Windows NT at that time.
TheKarateKid 7y ago
I doubt Apple had anything to do with pushing USB's widespread adoption. Apple was at one of its lowest points during this time period, and it was pre OSX. The poor support in Windows, as well as peripheral OEMs still using other ports slowed its adoption.

wh1t3n01s3 7y ago

I think the problem was that USB can charge only @ 5 v vs firewire @ 12 v