Damn... 3.0 Scarlett would be nice and might solve really the only issue I could see anyone up to the most finicky of prosumers having which is the lacklustre latency (but I can reliably get my 18i6 down to under 10ms RT which is fine for my humble little one man set up).
 
Is that even possible from the driver level though? As in can USB2 hardware output what is needed for USB3 speed simply by tweaking the driver? I thought it was more a physical thing... but I know jackballs about this kind of stuff. I mostly just try to learn what pertains directly and immediately to me until it comes time to start buying stuff again and currently interfaces are low of the list because mine works well (and I have an Echo Layla as a backup... which unfortunately does not work quite as well due to the Layla's legacy PCI card on my modern MOBO, which is bridged PCI... much to my shagrin).
 
Anyway... I anxiously await the next, solid and universal high speed connection for audio but it all seems to be kind of stuck between the firewire stuff which is fast but may or may not be dying out (but is not universally compatible), the Thunderbolt stuff which was supposed to be the next wave but fizzled out (and is even less universally compatible the FW) and USB3 which for whatever bizarre reason the manufacturers have been dragging their feet on putting equipment out for (but WOULD be pretty darned compatible with most modern systems... even my crummy old laptop has a USB 3 port).
 
So I'll squat on my Scarlett for now because it will work well with whatever I buy system wise likely for a looong time and hope they sort this crap out. When it comes to computers I am no adventurous pioneer because the little pricks seem to hate me so I if something works I don't want to tempt fate and make myself miserable. Been burned enough with that crap and I'd rather just play my damned guitars (which of course give me a hard time as well... bastards).
 
;-)

You can't upgrade USB2 to 3 via drivers I'm afraid. It's onboard the interface.

Doktor Avalanche
You can't upgrade USB2 to 3 via drivers I'm afraid. It's onboard the interface.

Thanks for the clarification. 

Friggin' G.A.S.!! I sometimes want to jump on the next best thing just to have it when what I already own works just fine. My Scarlett has served me well. It sounds good, it's reliable... what more do I need? Lol. 
 
From what I remember reading on different forums Firewire/Thunderbolt is definitely the way to go for MAC computers while USB is the future for Windows. I thought by now there'd be more 3.0 interfaces. I think the general consensus is USB 2.0 is sufficient enough for audio interfaces so developers aren't in any rush to make USB 3.0 interfaces. I'm definitely not in the loop with all this stuff either Beepster. I just want to make music but these new shiny toys are always a temptation and get the adrenaline going.

Both technologies are Intel. Expect Thunderbolt and USB-C to be on most new PC's next year.

NO MACS HERE

Yes, USB 2 and 3 seem to be the way to go, even on Mac.  Mac does have TB, but it is damn expensive (I guess that doesn't matter if you pay for an Apple).  UBS seems to be, as the name suggests universal, even into the future.  And unless you are doing big rigs, over 32 ins/outs, USB 2 should be fine.
 
Did the problems w/ USB 2 on 3 computers ever get finagled?  Or does one still have to worry about 2/3 external compatibility?
 
thanks,
 
@

The biggest problem with USB2 units (when connected to USB3) is when connecting to 3rd-party USB3 controllers.
Prior to the Z and X series motherboards, all USB3 ports on *all* motherboards were 3rd-party controllers.
USB3 had not yet been integrated into the Intel chipset.
This lead to many compatibility issues (similar to using a non-TI chipset Firewire controller with a Firewire audio interface).
 
Many MIDI controllers and interfaces also have issues with 3rd-party USB3 controllers.
Dongles tend to work just fine...

Thanks Jim, I thought you had gone over that before but I couldn't find it or remember exactly the problem was.