USB Standards 1.1 vs 2.0

There are currently over 1000 USB devices that have been certified by USB.ORG. USB 1.1 is the current standard for the 12Mbps data transfer rate being used today. In an effort to increase the speed of USB and compete with FireWire, USB 2.0 has been developed. USB 2.0 gives the same plug-n-play compatibility of USB 1.1 but with a 480Mbps transfer rate.

Whether or not 480Mbps is needed for point-of-sale peripherals is open to debate. The important fact is that peripheral purchasing decisions need not wait for USB 2.0 implementation since the design of USB 2.0 allows for USB 1.1 device compatibility anyway. This means for example, that a scanner with a USB 1.1 controller will also work with a USB 2.0 host controller. Peripherals designed with USB 2.0 controllers will be backward compatible with all USB 1.1 host controllers albeit at the USB 1.1 data rate.

PoweredUSB.org and the USB.org

Products wishing to gain the USB.org seal of approval must meet the requirements as described in the USB.org product specification.

It was the intent of the developers of PoweredUSB technology to gain overall acceptance of the PlusPower USB specification within USB.org. Unfortunately, this has been a difficult process and currently is still not approved by USB.org. What this really means is that products developed using PoweredUSB technology cannot display the USB logo on their products. Acceptance by IBM and other large electronic equipment manufacturers have proven PoweredUSB viability even though it is not officially accepted by the USB.org.