Apple may be preparing to offer full USB 3.0 support for the iOS devices, as they look to recruit individuals for USB testing on new iOS and iPod product lines. The company is today advertising for a Senior Software Quality Engineer (USB) to join the USB Connectivity Compliance QA Team. The individual is expected to have knowledge of high speed bus device testing including SuperSpeed USB 3.0 as well as USB 2.0.
USB 3.0 connectivity, while supported through USB 3.0 ports on newer Macs, is not currently supported by iOS devices. The new Lightning connector is thought to be able to support USB 3.0 data transfer speeds, although when plugged into the new USB 3.0 ports incorporated into the latest Macs, the data transfer is equivalent to that of USB 2.0, as stated on Apple’s specifications for the Lightning connector cables. With this hire, Apple may be looking to expand their testing team for implementing the new USB 3.0 connectivity standard within iOS devices.
Equally, with this new hire, Apple may simply be looking to evaluate data transfer performance between iOS devices and Macs using the existing USB 2.0 standard, but realistically, this is something that is already routine within the company. Essentially, if the USB 3.0 capability is included on new Macs, the company is likely developing ways for iOS devices to fully utilize it.
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