USB was agreed to as a standard by Microsoft, Compaq & all back in the 90s and a standard was issued in 1998. This was called USB 1.0 and then modified to USB 1.1.

Compared to Apples FireWire, it was too slow. A new standard was agreed upon, USB 2.0. A speed of 480 Mbps (compared to 12 Mbps) made it a real contender against FireWire.

Consumers noticed this, and demand for PCs with USB 2.0 rose. Few accepted USB 1.1.

The USB Implementation Forum obviously decided that this was a problem. The solution? Change the name of USB 1.1 to USB 2.0 Full Speed and 2.0 to USB 2.0 Hi-Speed.

A rather subtle distinction. And a natural question is: Is this beneficial for us customers - or an attempt to pull a fast one?