Thunderbolt?!
- Thread starter JW1993
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Associate
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Apparently its able to carry multiple signal types at the same time, enabling power, display and peripherals to use a single cable.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12570323
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12570323
Yup have to agree. But as much as I don't like mac's I have to say it is a shame. You have to admit, USB is way too slow for today's demand.
USB3? It's much faster than most external storage is currently, including flash pen drives. Light peak or Thunderbolt will go the way of Firewire
Soldato
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I'd be surprised if you can't get some sort of light peak USB3 hub at some point in the future... It is based on PCI-e afterall!
At what cost? Price will make or break Light Peak or whatever they want to call it now. USB = Cheap and cheerful, known devil and works with existing devices,
This will find a niche with NAS products and such
Soldato
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Indeed, it will be interesting to see how many new things use Light Peak or USB, but I think that many things may offer both connections in a similar way that many existing products offer both firewire and USB connectivity.
I get the impression that you may have written Light Peak off too early, if Intel are behind it then it will probably become standard sooner or later... but my crystal ball is broken right now so don't quote me on that!
Caporegime
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Firstly, look how USB 3 is doing, Intel still won't intergrate it on chipsets while AMD have had it for ages, but not in the chipset(or is it I can't remember anymore).
Intel still control the mass market, if they refuse to fully accept it then they have every capability to kill it, or make it pointless.
LIght Peak started out as silly speed fibre optic connector that would have been awesome but had a rumoured $40 cost per mobo, ie , fail.
So its removed the optics and still done something fairly useful, though with display port you have a fairly similar interface, considering with display port, 1.4 or something, you can daisychain 6 screens already, its a bit awesome in terms of bandwidth/connectivity.
Though you can see applications for THunderbolt and Intel can push it easily, at the moment its seemingly a bit pointless.
Just had to check and Anandtech suggests Display port 1.2 can do 17.5gbps(bi directional, not sure) while Thunderbolt can do 20gbps each way, using cables very similar to display port.
It feels like display port supports a lot of whats going on anyway but Intel have slapped a controller on it to merge signals from a whole host of things together.
Really don't know how useful it could be, having one rig with 6 monitors, 6 virtualised users/copies of windows running, 6 mice/keyboards and so loads of people at work or a internet cafe all sharing resources with very few cables involved due to daisychaining, bandwidth and compatibility.
We'll see, it could be useful but most home users I can't see any valid use at all. Okay, it could give you maybe very fast networking.
Hands down Thunderbolt smashes USB 3.0 to pieces in terms of speed, versatility and simplicity of having really any devices all connected by the same type of cables and the ability to reduce cabling by daisy chaining everything up but we're years away from that being useful and every device you buy/have supporting it.
As with so many things in computing being first is often better than being "best".
The one real advantage is Intel really are slowing USB 3.0 as much as possible by refusing to support it fully, it costs mobo makers extra to add usb 3.0 to a mobo, rather than being free.
If the market was intel mobo's all have usb 3.0 for free, and $5-10 extra for Thunderbolt, it would be dead, as is, $5-10 gets you a choice and one is clearly better than the other, though has nothing available for it.
Intel still control the mass market, if they refuse to fully accept it then they have every capability to kill it, or make it pointless.
LIght Peak started out as silly speed fibre optic connector that would have been awesome but had a rumoured $40 cost per mobo, ie , fail.
So its removed the optics and still done something fairly useful, though with display port you have a fairly similar interface, considering with display port, 1.4 or something, you can daisychain 6 screens already, its a bit awesome in terms of bandwidth/connectivity.
Though you can see applications for THunderbolt and Intel can push it easily, at the moment its seemingly a bit pointless.
Just had to check and Anandtech suggests Display port 1.2 can do 17.5gbps(bi directional, not sure) while Thunderbolt can do 20gbps each way, using cables very similar to display port.
It feels like display port supports a lot of whats going on anyway but Intel have slapped a controller on it to merge signals from a whole host of things together.
Really don't know how useful it could be, having one rig with 6 monitors, 6 virtualised users/copies of windows running, 6 mice/keyboards and so loads of people at work or a internet cafe all sharing resources with very few cables involved due to daisychaining, bandwidth and compatibility.
We'll see, it could be useful but most home users I can't see any valid use at all. Okay, it could give you maybe very fast networking.
Hands down Thunderbolt smashes USB 3.0 to pieces in terms of speed, versatility and simplicity of having really any devices all connected by the same type of cables and the ability to reduce cabling by daisy chaining everything up but we're years away from that being useful and every device you buy/have supporting it.
As with so many things in computing being first is often better than being "best".
The one real advantage is Intel really are slowing USB 3.0 as much as possible by refusing to support it fully, it costs mobo makers extra to add usb 3.0 to a mobo, rather than being free.
If the market was intel mobo's all have usb 3.0 for free, and $5-10 extra for Thunderbolt, it would be dead, as is, $5-10 gets you a choice and one is clearly better than the other, though has nothing available for it.
Don't write it off too fast. It has the potential to gain momentum slowly, and it will eventually be a fibre optic standard, that moves us one step closer to having 'one cable for all' which I imagine Apple in particular would strive for.
Intel don't seem to be putting much behind USB 3.0, neither is it taking off very quickly. USB 2.0 is still the perfect balance and will be for some years yet. The public still don't need anything better. Perhaps us OcUKers would, but we do have things like eSATA, which is based on a similar ethic (use existing hardware controllers) to Light Peak/Thunderbolt, and I find it much more convenient than moving to USB 3.0, where possible.
USB 2.0 will stop these standards from reaching widespread ubiquity any time soon. The question is - when the time comes, will USB 3.0 take over, or will Thunderbolt? Perhaps there'll even be something else by then.
Intel don't seem to be putting much behind USB 3.0, neither is it taking off very quickly. USB 2.0 is still the perfect balance and will be for some years yet. The public still don't need anything better. Perhaps us OcUKers would, but we do have things like eSATA, which is based on a similar ethic (use existing hardware controllers) to Light Peak/Thunderbolt, and I find it much more convenient than moving to USB 3.0, where possible.
USB 2.0 will stop these standards from reaching widespread ubiquity any time soon. The question is - when the time comes, will USB 3.0 take over, or will Thunderbolt? Perhaps there'll even be something else by then.
Associate
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I'm with the notion that it will eventually make it.
Apple absolute love originality and I can definitely seeing them upping the game with this.
Not had much practice with USB 3.0, I do have it on my board but I am yet to purchase anything that is 3.0 compatible. But AFAIK it is still pretty un reliable speeds right?
Apple absolute love originality and I can definitely seeing them upping the game with this.
Not had much practice with USB 3.0, I do have it on my board but I am yet to purchase anything that is 3.0 compatible. But AFAIK it is still pretty un reliable speeds right?
Firewire never really took off, I doubt this will either until there's a real need for the bandwidth, but it still wont stop Apple using it as a selling point despite USB 3.0 being more than enough.
MW
This video is interesting, shows off what thunderbolt can do...
http://www.macrumors.com/2011/02/25/notes-of-interest-on-thunderbolt-and-macbook-pro/
For apple to adopt it so quickly they must see it as something for the future...
http://www.macrumors.com/2011/02/25/notes-of-interest-on-thunderbolt-and-macbook-pro/
For apple to adopt it so quickly they must see it as something for the future...
Like FireWire