The USB 1.0 specification was introduced in 1996. It was intended to make it fundamentally easier to connect external devices to PCs by replacing the multitude of connectors at the back of PCs, addressing the usability issues of existing interfaces, and to simplify software configuration of all devices connected to USB, as well as to permit greater bandwidth for external devices. The original USB 1.0 specification had a data transfer rate of 12 Mbit/s.
USB was created by a core group of companies that consisted of Compaq, Digital, IBM, Intel, Northern Telecom, and Microsoft. Intel produced the UHCI host controller and open software stack; Microsoft produced a USB software stack for Windows and co-authored the OHCI host controller specification with National Semiconductor and Compaq; Philips produced early USB-Audio; and TI produced the most widely used hub chips. One of the co-inventors of USB was Ajay Bhatt, who was later given credit in an Intel television advertisement, though this overstates Intel's role in the development of USB. Compaq and Microsoft played roles equal to Intel, and Microsoft in particular focused on improving the user experience and enabling hot Plug and Play of devices.
The USB 2.0 specification was released in April 2000 and was standardized by the USB-IF at the end of 2001. Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Lucent Technologies (now Alcatel-Lucent following its merger with Alcatel in 2006), Microsoft, NEC, and Philips jointly led the initiative to develop a higher data transfer rate than the 1.0 specification (480 Mbit/s vs 12 Mbit/s).
