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Light Peak to enter mass production early 2010
During last month's IDF, Intel showcased a high-speed optical cable interface for PCs. With a 10Gb/s transfer rate -- or twice the speed of USB 3.0 -- Light Peak's potential application is pretty broad. The technology could effectively consolidate the plethora of modern interface standards, including USB, FireWire, DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort, Ethernet and so forth. At the time, Intel said Light Peak-enabled devices could be ready to ship as soon as next year, but there weren't many details beyond that.
CNET is reporting that Foci, a Taiwanese optical networking company, is well on its way to selling Light Peak cables and other fiber-optic gear. According to Foci vice president of business development Janpu Hou, the company will have a pilot run ready by the end of November 2009, and will be ready to mass-produce at the start of 2010.
Foci's cables use USB connectors, and Hou said the cables themselves are flexible and strong, able to be bent in a loop just over an inch in diameter. Cost is still up in the air, though. While the company is trying to bring it down to an acceptable level for consumers, its attempts to reduce cost by using plastic fiber has produced poor results.
Intel is also continuing its push to roll out the technology, confirming Wednesday that it is working with the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) to standardize Light Peak.
CNET is reporting that Foci, a Taiwanese optical networking company, is well on its way to selling Light Peak cables and other fiber-optic gear. According to Foci vice president of business development Janpu Hou, the company will have a pilot run ready by the end of November 2009, and will be ready to mass-produce at the start of 2010.
Foci's cables use USB connectors, and Hou said the cables themselves are flexible and strong, able to be bent in a loop just over an inch in diameter. Cost is still up in the air, though. While the company is trying to bring it down to an acceptable level for consumers, its attempts to reduce cost by using plastic fiber has produced poor results.
Intel is also continuing its push to roll out the technology, confirming Wednesday that it is working with the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) to standardize Light Peak.
User Comments (15)
Post a comment| Guest on October 9, 2009 12:00 PM | twice speed of usb 3o is tremendeous! imagine the possibilities ... just everything could be hold extern, modular: the core sys is my cellphone which im carrying around, and if i am at home i will switch it to my home based, modular hardware pieces like bigger cpu, bigger graphics etc so i will have more power. YEE-HA!!! |
| tekkaraiden on October 9, 2009 5:22 PM | Anyone else think using USB ends might be a bad idea? |
| john_pulliam on October 9, 2009 8:11 PM | Damn skippy USB connectors are a bad idea... they aren't the best format to begin with, and can be pretty iffy at times. Inline jack-analogues would be best: simple, no particular direction, and easy to make precise connections for the optical interface. |
| DarkCobra on October 10, 2009 12:46 PM | Well aside from what is ultimately used for end connections . . . the speed of this technology is nothing short of astounding. USB 3.0 is due for introduction to the market in 2010. If Light Peak is also on track for a 2010 time frame and it's twice the speed of USB 3.0 . . . then the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) just might want to rethink the USB 3.0 platform. |
| Wendig0 on October 11, 2009 2:40 AM | This actually doesn't surprise me. Hardware is usually obsolete before it hits the market, but these speeds are tremendous... I'm curious why they chose usb connections though. |
| Badfinger on October 11, 2009 6:05 AM | My guess is that it can double as a USB cable, albeit a very
expensive one. |
| tekkaraiden on October 11, 2009 7:26 AM | That wouldn't be possible with out the signal getting converted from light in to an electric signal. There have been a few attempts in the past to adopt similar technologies but the cost of manufacturing has always been to much. |
| tengeta on October 11, 2009 3:39 PM | Yeah, I've never gotten analog audio to play over an optical cord... HA. |
| peas on October 11, 2009 11:30 PM | USB 3.0 will have plenty of market share for mainstream users. Copper wiring is always less expensive and more durable than optical. Light Peak will be for pure performance at a high price. The cabling might eventually get cheaper and more durable, but by then USB 3.0 will have served the market for many, many years. |
| grumpiman on October 12, 2009 12:03 PM | But can it power an external device? |
| Jos on October 12, 2009 2:04 PM | But can it power an external
device? Intel says it's working on bundling the
optical fiber with copper wiring so Light Peak can be used
to power external devices as well.
|
| SNGX1275 on October 12, 2009 2:52 PM | My guess is that it can double as a
USB cable, albeit a very expensive
one. That wouldn't be
possible with out the signal getting converted from light in
to an electric signal. There have been a few attempts in
the past to adopt similar technologies but the cost of
manufacturing has always been to
much. Yeah, I've never gotten
analog audio to play over an optical cord... HA. Not
really worth piling on a guy for saying something that you
didn't think was going to happen when it very well could be
a reality. As Jos said just above me, this thing is going
to have copper wiring with it, so you can run power and USB
3 over the copper.
|
| Guest on October 21, 2009 6:26 PM | The Light Peak is not a technology or something brand new
interface. Light peak it an idea how to consolidate
manufacturers and produce low cost fiber optic active
cable. USB 3.0 is almost dead, because of pure design – no future. The light Peak it is just an answer to Adnaco technology (PCIe over fiber optic). Adnaco has deployed its technology since 2006 and has the same functionality like Light Peak and works up to 40 Gb/s today, including PC-to-PC communications. |
| Guest on October 25, 2009 2:53 PM | What good is it if the cable costs as much as a
computer? If it is going to be popular, the cable has to be reasonable in price. |
| Darth Shiv on October 26, 2009 6:34 PM | Guest said: If they are
anything like HDMI cables (expense-wise), you'll get cheap
knockoffs on the market soon enough that drive adoption and
the rest of the market down.What good is it if the cable costs as much as a computer? If it is going to be popular, the cable has to be reasonable in price. |
