I wrote to support at Cricut and inquired about the usb port after reading on another group that they have plans to let you hook it to a pc and cut out the fonts and shapes of your choice. Here is the response I received this morning:
Good questions! The USB Port is on the machine for 2 reasons. The first is that it can be used for downloading future software updates that govern the machine operations.
The second reason is that we have plans to make the Cricut compatible with a computer and take advantage of its strengths. However, the details of how, when and what this will be aren't known quite yet.
Keep an eye on the website and sign up for the upcoming newsletter. We'll have more information through that forum when the time comes. (Signup link: