Recently the naming conventions used in USB 3.0 and 3.1 have changed and this has unfortunately lead to some confusion with consumers. Here we will provide some clarification so you may make an informed decision when purchasing USB 3.x parts.

USB 3.0 was initially released in 2008 with a "SuperSpeed" transfer rate of 5 gigabits per second. Five years later, in 2013, USB 3.1 was released offering a new "SuperSpeed+" transfer rate of 10 gigabits per second along with new power standards. At this time there was a clear delineation of USB 3.0 providing 5gbps and USB 3.1 providing 10gbps and a wider array of power options.

More recently however, USB 3.0 has been renamed to "USB 3.1 Gen 1" and the original USB 3.1 has been renamed to "USB 3.1 Gen 2." This means that going forward if you require features that were present only in the original 3.1 requirements you will now need specifically a "USB 3.1 Gen 2" capable device at each point in your connection - that is...

HOST (PC, laptop, etc.), <-> CABLE <-> DEVICE (drive, phone, etc).

Furthermore, unless explicitly defined as "Gen 2" all USB 3.1 devices should be presumed to be "Gen 1" 5 gigabit parts. We will make our best effort to label parts as "Gen 1" and "Gen 2" going forward.

The official naming details can be found here:

http://www.usb.org/developers/ssusb/USB_3_1_Language_Product_and_Packaging_Guidelines_FINAL.pdf