At the end of the last century, one of the biggest revolutions in mobile data storage and computer files appeared. After decades of dominance by Floppy and with the CD’s unable to replace its practicality, the world finally received the first USB sticks (or ‘flash drives’) in 1999. Do you know how much capacity they offered? The answer will surprise you.
Currently, there is still dispute over which company was the first to develop the first USB memory device. Traditionally, two models are considered, one Asian and the other related to a patent created by an Israeli company together with IBMbut the truth is that there are many other companies and inventors who claim to be the pioneers.
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Who invented in PenDrive?
According to the TechSpot portal, at least in Malaysia, Pua Khein Sengan electronic engineer from National Chiao Tun University (and later, CEO of the Phison Electronics company) as the inventor and father of the USB flash memory.
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Two theories and a minimum capacity
Many other similar stories exist in other countries like China, Singapore and different parts of Asia. Even so, some portals like Xataka assure that the first company to launch a device of this type was Trek 2000 International of Singapore, who launched the thumb drive at the beginning of the year 2000.
Its price was just 28 dollars and it had a capacity of 8 MB. Of course, its quality was not the best and, at that time, it even needed to install drivers to work on a computer, even if the operating system was compatible.
The DiskOnKey and the ThumbDrive are vying to be the first ever developed USB flash drive. Photo: Professional Review
Another of the models that dispute to be the ‘first USB in history‘ is the popular DiskOnKey, created by a collaboration between IBM and M-Systems. His design was patented in April 1999, giving rise to the dispute as to whether they were ahead of Singapore.
The DiskOnKey (which literally means “disk on key”) had a design that included a key ring so you could carry it on the go, as well as a cover that protected the connector. According to a CNET report at the time, the device came in three flavors: 8MB ($50), 16MB ($70), and 32MB ($100).
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USB flash drives displaced floppy disks
Despite its high price, its quality was recognized as superior to previous models, because it did not need to install drivers to work, as long as it was inserted into an operating system compatible with USB such as Windows ME, Windows 2000, Mac OS 9 and Linux 2.4.0.. Windows 98 users needed to install specific drivers to use it.
The rest is history: Hundreds of brands designed their own models, and USB became the new favorite storage device for computer users, ending years of floppy disk dominance.