Intel released draft USB 3.0 host controller specifications back in August, so we know a bit about what we can expect once we actually see some USB 3.0 devices entering play (ten times the USB 2.0 transfer rate and backwards compatibility sound nice). The final specs are due to be made formally available on the 17th of November ( which coincides with the Core i7 launch). It has been a good long while since USB 2.0 was introduced, so the prospect of USB 3.0 enabled ports and devices can't come soon enough.