USB Drives – The New Winners?

It is not as cumbersome as the digital disks, and better in every way than a floppy. If CDs had been the cause of the downfall of the floppy, then the pen drive was definitely its death blow. This gadget had all those advantages that were needed to make it a new winner, and its rise to popularity almost instantly is a tribute to its design and utility values, as well as to its superb marketing policies.

A Bit of History

Like all inventions that have been born out of a mass demand, the credit of making the first USB drive is disputed between several companies. The truth of the matter is that several people were trying to develop this technology at the same time since all of them felt the same need, and knew that it could be answered by the same solution. While Trek was the first company to sell a USB drive in 2000, they did not describe it as so. M-Systems (which has been acquired by SanDisk) created a portal for their product the Disk on Key in 1999. In 2001, they won the IDEA Award for its industrial design, which shows the slim gadget as we know it today. Their patent meticulously describes the product. Meanwhile, in September 1999, an IBM patent describes the USB flash drive and calls it so too. As of now, all of these companies are into the USB market along with others, and Trek sued four companies, resulting in widespread disputes.

How does it Work?

The USB device is recognized by the operating system of the computer when it is plugged in. The system then assigns it a drive letter, and renders it accessible to the user. One may use it to save information and also edit files already saved in it with the help of the software in the OS. In other words, the USB combines the flexibility of the floppy with the reliability of the CD.

Why the USB Drive?

The USB drive has several unique advantages which make it a great choice as a portable digital storage device. These are being noted below.

The pen drives now have from 32 MB to 64 GB of space. This is more than the floppy ever had, and more than the average CD or DVD.
The pen drive is accepted by all commonly used OSs available in the market such as MS Windows, Linux, Unix, Mac and AMD.
The flash drive does not need a separate programme to boot, nor does it have to reboot the computer when inserted. In other words, you need not interrupt your activities to access the pen drive.
The USB drive is easy to carry as it is small, compact and light weight. Unlike the CD, where the disk surface on which the data has been written is exposed, the USB drive is encased in a protective plastic casing, so that it is also sturdier.
It is less prone to damage through dust and scratches. Some manufacturers claim that their casing is water-proof, but it won’t be a good idea to dip your drive in water to find that out.
The USB drive can be carried around easily and inserted into any system. This makes it easier and more convenient to share data.
The USB drive is able to save and read almost all kinds of file systems.
There are certain OSs that can be loaded into the USB. It is most useful as an installation drive from where software may be loaded on to a computer easily.

USB versus CD

The USB, if compared with the CD, according to some, cuts a better figure. It is true that the USB drive is much more easy and portable and spacious than the CD. While it has replaced the data CD to an extent, it is a fact that the CD still costs the least. The unbeatable pricing still makes it a viable choice for mass consumption. However, with the lowering of prices of the DVD and the USB drive, the CD market is about to be greatly affected. Now only time will tell who will be the winner.

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