USB stands for 'Universal Serial Bus', and '3.0' refers to the latest release of this interface which also goes by the name of 'SuperSpeed USB'.

USB3 offers faster performance and improved power efficiency over USB2.0 while maintaining backward compatibility with USB2.0 interfaces.  The USB3 interface will mainly benefit devices with extreme bandwidth requirements,  for example those streaming high definition video.

What does the USB3 interface promise?

• USB3 has a 5 Gbps signalling rate offering 10x performance increase over Hi-Speed USB (USB2.0).
• USB3 has a Sync-N-Go technology that minimizes user wait-time during Syncing operations..
• USB3 will provide Optimized Power Efficiency. No device polling occurs and lower active and idle power requirements are seen.
• USB3 is backwards compatible with USB 2.0. Devices interoperate with USB 2.0 platforms. Hosts support USB 2.0 legacy devices.

Could USB Flash drives take advantage of USB3?

The Read/Write speeds of a USB flash drive predominately depends on the components used inside the drive. The grade of NAND flash memory used, the number of NAND flash chips and their configuration are of particular importance.

Currently, only USB flash drives in the very highest end of the price and performance spectrum would benefit from USB3. The components of most flash drives prohibit them from exceeding the capabilities of a USB2.0 interface.