Intel Thunderbolt in the new Apple Macbook

Ever wonder why Intel held back on USB 3 support in their south bridge chips?  It would seem they were holding out for the next big thing  (sound familiar?)

Thunderbolt is a unified connection technology (like USB and Firewire) that has transfer speeds up to 10GB bps which is is pretty damn fast.

Thunderbolt could compete with connector technologies such as USB, Firewire and HDMI (high-definition multimedia interface), which link PCs to external storage, audio devices and displays. Laptops and devices with USB 3.0 ports started reaching store shelves last year and offer data transfer speeds up to 5GB bps. Intel has held off support for USB 3.0 on its PC chipsets, which has been a topic of concern for PC makers, which have had to implement third-party controllers to add USB 3.0 ports to laptops.

It would also appear that Thunderbolt will not be based on fiber optics due to cost and thus will remain on copper until costs can come down or the next best thing comes along. 

The big news here is the rumor that Thunderbolt technology will be included with the new Macbook Pro.  Of course there is no indication that it will make the Macbook any better/faster but will ensure that Apple is in the news for the rest of the week and give Apple zealots a chance to gloat about having new Intel technology. 

Related Web URL: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9211179/Int...