Buffalo Announces Line Of USB 3.0 Memory Sticks

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The phenomenon of USB 3.0 is still gaining ground in a lot of places–many computers don’t even have the new ports yet–but the more I hear about it, the more it seems like it’ll completely supplant USB 2.0 before it’s all said and done. After all, what’s not to like about faster transfer speeds? And that’s the frame of mind Buffalo’s apparently in with its announcement of a line of USB 3.0 memory sticks.

The Japanese firm announced that they were looking to bring out a line of four such memory sticks, offering transfer speeds of up to 71 megs per second when used with USB 3.0 ports on machines running Windows XP, Vista, or Windows 7. Macs, meanwhile, would only get USB 2.0 speed, leading me to wonder if there will be a new “I’m a Mac / and I’m a PC” commercial explaining why it doesn’t really matter that your memory sticks are so much faster on a PC.

And in a special plus, the prices won’t even be terribly out of line, especially on the smaller sizes, with Buffalo set to offer up an eight gig version for $33, the 16 gig version for $59, the 32 gig version for $113 and a sweet 64 gig version for $213. They’re set to be released in Japan December 1st, and since Buffalo gear is already in wide sale all over the planet, chances are it’ll make its way out pretty soon, and there’s a decent chance that they’ll hit stores in time for Christmas. It’s only a chance, mind you, but a decent one all the same.

I don’t know how much leeway consumers will be willing to toss this hardware, considering that I can get a 500 gig hard drive stuffed inside a replica of Doc Brown’s DeLorean for about $40 more than they want for a 64 gig memory stick, but those higher transfer speeds are tough to ignore. Though holding out for a year or so might well see every portable hard drive packing USB 3.0, and seeing the prices on these plummet accordingly.