The first USB drives on the market held no more than eight megabytes. Today, a single high-definition image can fill that space, but in 2000 they represented a huge quality leap over floppy disks. A quick fast-forward to 2017 and we find Kingston announcing its new DataTraveler Ultimate GT with two terabytes of space. No, it's not a typo: Two terabytes.
With less than 48 hours to go before CES 2017 opens its doors, some manufacturers are sticking to the habit of getting ahead of the event with several announcements. Until next Sunday, the web will be full of news about hardware and accessories, including storage units in different formats. Portability is a critical factor for any user, and capacity too, which has led some companies to shatter limits. How much space could we need in a USB drive? The folks at Kingston aren't trying to answer that question, but rather to remove the “space factor” from the equation with their brand-new DataTraveler Ultimate GT.
The world's largest USB drive
In simple terms, it's the largest USB drive in the world. The “Generation Terabyte” series will offer two models with one and two terabytes, a capacity reflected in the external design of both units, with a zinc alloy casing to protect the contents from bumps and the elements. The company didn't provide details on transfer speed or durability, but we do know it's based on the USB 3.1 standard, with a Type-A connector. That connector still dominates the computing world in general, though users of newer laptops will likely need a “dongle” adapter.
Price and availability
Everything points to the DataTraveler Ultimate GT hitting shelves in February, but Kingston hasn't said anything about price. If we think about it, how much could such a drive cost? The HyperX Predator 512 GB doesn't exceed $300. Multiplying that price by four is too simple an approximation, but it gives us a starting point, and any new product carries a premium. The rest of the story will be known next month.
