The USB cable standard allows for these advantages over serial cable types:
1. USB cable is "hot-pluggable", in other words, you can connect and disconnect the cable while the computer is running without worrying about freezing the computer.
2. USB cables are fast, transferring up to 480Mbps. Compare that to serial communication which transfers data at about 20Kbps.
3. USB cables can not only transmit signals, but also transmit power. This allows for "USB-powered" gadgets as well as battery charging for cameras and other USB peripherals.
4. USB cables are designed with several distinct connector types, making it easy to identify which plug goes into the computer and which plug goes into the peripheral device.
5. USB cables are a universal standard and are fairly easy to find and to afford.