Sign up for a new account or log in here:
also @ TechSpot: Watch Microsoft's next-generation Xbox reveal event live
Intel is reportedly pushing for wider adoption of its high speed Thunderbolt interconnect in 2012. According to DigiTimes, the company will "fully release" its I/O technology in April -- which happens to coincide with Ivy Bridge's launch -- and already several first-tier PC and component manufacturers are looking into adding Thunderbolt support to their motherboards, notebooks and desktop PCs.
Sony and Asus are mentioned among the companies expected to adopt the technology in their high-end notebook products, although we should note that the former has been offering a Thunderbolt-equipped Vaio Z notebook for a while. Meanwhile, Gigabyte, which has been aggressively adopting new I/O technologies into its product line, is also expected to add Thunderbolt support to select motherboards in April 2012.
Originally known as Light Peak, Thunderbolt is Intel's high-speed interconnect that can transfer data between host computers and external devices such as displays and storage products at speeds of up to 10Gbps. The interface supports hubs as well as daisy chaining up to seven compatible devices.
Up until now only Apple has implemented the technology across its product lines, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, and LED Display.
Thunderbolt still has a few hurdles to clear, such as the limited availability of supporting devices and the fact that it is more expensive to implement than USB 3.0. However, the hope is that in mass production the cost of adopting Thunderbolt will go down in the second half of 2012 and the technology becomes standard.
Related Products from Product Finder
Apple MacBook Air 13.3 inch Summer 2011 - Core i5/i7
The 13-inch MacBook Air models get a 1.7GHz Intel Core i5-2637M processor, 4GB of RAM, and either 128GB or 256GB of flash storage for $1,299 or $1,599, respectively. Configure to order options include a 1.8 GHz Core i7-2677M processor and additional flash storage, but unfortunately no discrete graphics, only the built-in HD 3000 from Intel.
Apple MacBook Pro 15.4 inch - Winter 2011 Edition MC721/MC723
Read expert reviews, pros & cons, and product information about Apple MacBook Pro 15.4 inch - Winter 2011 Edition MC721/MC723. There are 60 reviews available so far.
Apple iMac 21.5 inch - Spring 2011 Edition - Intel Core i5
The Apple iMac 21.5 inch / Spring 2011 Edition is outfitted with a 1080p LED-backlit display, a 2.5GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 processor, an AMD Radeon HJD 6750M discrete graphics chip, and a 500GB 7200RPM HDD. It features a built-in "FaceTime HD" camera, integrated speakers, a slot-loading DVD burner, an IR receiver, an SDXC card slot, four USB 2.0 ports, audio in/out jacks, one FireWire 800 port, Gigabit Ethernet, as well as 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1. The 21.5-inch iterations receive a single Thunderbolt port
Apple Mac Mini - Summer 2011 Edition - Intel Core i5
Read expert reviews, pros & cons, and product information about Apple Mac Mini - Summer 2011 Edition - Intel Core i5. There are 51 reviews available so far.
User Comments: 4
Got something to say? Post a comment-
stewi0001 said:
This is the one thing that annoys me about hardware companies... They can't agree to standardize and end up screwing over consumers.
So what's it going to be, USB3.0 or thunderbolt????
-
They definitely have a problem with the new technology given that USB 3.0 is cheaper, backwards compatible with USB 2.0, and there are almost no devices that can come even close to filling the pipeline of a USB 3.0 connection (5 Gbits/sec). What device in the next 5 years can max out a connection of a USB 3.0?
SSD HD's -- max is 300-400 MB/sec burst.
1080p video -- 1080p at 16 bit, 2.97 Gbits/sec
Computer to computer -- given the HD speed max of 300-400 MB/sec...
Camera/phone -- SD cards are 20-30 MB/sec max
Yes, you CAN get storage hardware that can hit 1+ GB/sec, but those are enterprise solutions that will run on 10 GB Ethernet and not a consumer hardware device.
So at this point it looks like the Thunderbolt is a technology solution in search of a problem and is in the middle of a classic chicken vs. egg dilemma, no device manufacturer is going to do a thunderbolt interface if there are no computers that have the interface, and the computer will not have the interface because the customers don't need it because there are no devices that use it -- oops.
P.S. At this point it is not the communication between the devices that is the bottle neck, but rather the internal components within the devices that is the issue. You can have a beautiful 20 mile, 8 lane autobahn, but if you have to drive 2000 miles over dirt road to get to the autobahn, well, do you REALLY need another 20 mile 12 lane autobahn when you still have the 2000 miles of dirt road to content with?
-
On these days, USB 3.0 is enough for me !!!
-
external graphic card capability for laptops eliminating need for desktops completely
Most Popular
| Trending | Featured |
Subscribe to TechSpot
Get free exclusive content, learn about new features and breaking tech news.