USB 3.0 to get 20x more "powerful"

Finally, I will be able to ditch the bulky proprietary power supplies that come with my notebooks.

According to a press release by the USB 3.0 Promoter Group, a new and improved USB 3.0 will “enable higher voltage and current in order to deliver power up to 100W”.

What does this mean? You can power:

Notebooks
Monitors
External Hard Drives
Lamps
Printers

Basically almost anything you have to plug in to an external power source today, may be able to be powered by a USB connection. A post by ars technica says it all, “Since the new spec raises gives USB 3.0 more than twenty times its old power input and output, the slate of products the ports could power is much larger and includes monitors, desk lamps, and even notebook PCs.”

Think of how much lighter and less bulky your backpack or briefcase would get. I know mine would. All you would need is your computer and a USB cable, assuming USB charging stations start showing up at Starbucks, Airports, in your car, anywhere.

The spec is due out by early 2012, and if this takes off and becomes mainstream, perhaps it could spell the end of proprietary external power supplies & cords for a whole host of peripherals. After all, mobility and simplicity is not just about being thin and light and connected anywhere at anytime. It’s about lightening the load, and this is a step in the right direction.