Parallel communication

The basic difference between a parallel and a serial communication channel is the number of electrical conductors used at the physical layer to convey bits.

Parallel communication is and always has been widely used within integrated circuits, in peripheral buses, and in memory devices such as RAM.

Serial ATA, and FireWire or Thunderbolt are now the most common connectors for transferring data from audiovisual (AV) devices such as digital cameras or professional-grade scanners that used to require purchasing a SCSI HBA years ago.

One huge advantage of having fewer wires/pins in a serial cable is the significant reduction in the size, the complexity of the connectors, and the associated costs.

Designers of devices such as smartphones benefit from the development of connectors/ports that are small, durable, and still provide adequate performance.