Overview
- Statista reports a 42% drop in global USB flash drive sales over five years as cloud storage grew 85% and external SSDs logged roughly 12% annual growth.
- USB‑IF projects more than 70% of new devices use USB‑C in 2025, reinforced by the European Union’s universal‑charger rule that took effect in late 2024.
- Platforms such as Google Drive, OneDrive, iCloud and Dropbox are replacing physical file transfer with always‑available access, sync and collaboration.
- Portable SSDs are becoming the preferred high‑performance option, offering read/write speeds above 1,000 MB/s, USB4/Thunderbolt connectivity, multi‑terabyte capacities and better durability.
- Organizations are restricting unencrypted removable media—illustrated by SAT and CNBV guidance in Mexico—sustaining demand for hardware‑encrypted models as encrypted USB sales grow about 8% annually.