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You've probably heard of Light Peak, Intel's new high-speed data transfer I/O, but unless you follow the Apple scene, you probably never heard of Thunderbolt. They're one in the same, with Intel and Apple introducing Thunderbolt today on an updated line of MacBook Pro laptops. But don't worry, though Thunderbolt strikes the Apple platform first, it's also coming to PCs.
An Intel rep showcases a Mac using lightpeak to play four, simultaneous 1080P videos at the same time, in a single screen. The footage was streaming directly from a storage device and was also streaming onto a larger monitor simultaneously.
Companies have already lined up to support Thunderbolt, including Aja, Apogee, Avid, Blackmagic, LaCie, Promise, and Western Digital. You'll eventually find this technology infused on a range of devices, from computers and computer displays, to storage devices and digital cameras, plus a whole lot more.
The Thunderbolt cable.
What Thunderbolt does is bring together high-speed data transfer and high-definition display to a single cable. The bi-directional spec is capable of 10Gbps and according to Intel, you can transfer a full-length HD movie in less than 30 seconds via Thunderbolt.
Jason Ziller and Aviel Yogev, Directors of Intel's Thunderbolt team, take questions from the press in downtown San Francisco. "You're able to essentially extend the backbone of your computer to distributed devices," said Ziller. "It's very powerful and desginers will find very creative ways to utilize it."
"Working with HD media is one of the most demanding things people do with their PCs," said Mooly Eden, general manager, PC Client Group, Intel. "With Thunderbolt technology, Intel has delivered innovative technology to help professionals and consumers work faster and more easily with their growing collection of media content, from music to HD movies. We've taken the vision of simple, fast transfer of content between PCs and devices, and made it a reality."
The Thunderbolt enabled storage device came from Promise Technology, though other device makers, like AJA, Apogee, Avid, Blackmagic, LaCie, Universal Audio, and Western Digital Corporation, are on board as well.
As for compatibility, Thunderbolt technology is compatible with existing DisplayPort displays and adapters. You can also daisy-chain devices connected by electrical or optical cables, with the first device still receiving 10Gbps of bandwidth.
Image Credit: Intel
Comments are closed on this article
schneider1492
February 25, 2011 at 10:26pm
correct me it I'm wrong but this is not just Intel's technology, I believe it was developed by a group of corporate entities. I don't think they will block anyone from access to this tech or charge insane licensing fees as that would only help illegitimate manufacturers of low quality peripherals in china.
stop fighting about apple vs Intel because it is retarded. Intel makes hardware! OSX is an operating system, it runs on hardware made by Intel! the Macbook air runs a Intel Core 2 Duo!
i think the optical cable will probably Carry the name Lightpeak while the copper wire will carry thunderbolt.
the speeds shown here are for the copper version not the actual optical cable.
usb 3.0 cannot "daisy-chain", and the hubs for usb 3.0 are more complex than usb 2.0. usb 3.0 is also vary limited by range, while optical lightpeak can span miles without data corruption or interference.
all this may be moot as a new less hyped tech is coming out soon that can do the same thing if not better using cheep cat6e cable. one big thing here is going to be cost of integration and so far HDBaseT seems to have everybody beat. the other is hype. nobody hypes things up like apple, that's why they get it first to get the name out there in hopes of wider spread adoption.
storm
February 25, 2011 at 5:28pm
I don't buy the 10gbps thing.
As for the boast about being able to play 4 hd movies off an external drive simultaneously-
I can do that with my usb 3 external hard drive and computer, so I'm not at all impressed there.
Again, in reference to the transfer speed- I can transfer a 4gb file from my external usb 3 drive to my computer in 30 seconds, so I am really not seeing why this new light peak thing is so special.
Seems like the only thing it provides is a slight convenience- needing one cable for audio, data and video, instead of 2 to 3. Not too exciting.
i7_DOMINATION
February 25, 2011 at 3:23pm
Honestly, this is gonna end up just like E-SATA, Firewire, and DisplayPort; just another "cool" and "special" port that manufacturers will be pressured into including on their motherboards and computers.
monkeyboyx
February 24, 2011 at 9:37pm
Apple needs to give it its own name so that people will believe they invented it and it’s the best thing since slice bread. Then the fan boy will rub you face in it since your PC or laptop does not have it yet and your behind the times....blah...blah...blah....
mcspeedy
March 02, 2011 at 10:52am
Intel is the one that changed the name to ThunderBolt.
Do you have an actual reason to hate Apple products or is it simply an irrational dislike of what you don't know?
aarcane
February 24, 2011 at 6:56pm
Why the rebranding/name confusion? they shoulda stuck with the established name, Lightpeak, that we've all been hearing about for over a year now so we wouldn't be like "WTF is Thunderbolt, where's lightpeak?"
tekknyne
February 24, 2011 at 5:13pm
I agree with most of the posters. Kudos to Intel for being ahead of the curve. While nothing uses light peak atm, it will open the doors for alot of future devices. I just hope intel does not charge a ton for licensing so that all developers can get on board. I doubt they would be so short sighted to shut out AMD or anyone willing to cough up the dough for that matter.
crazitrain02
February 24, 2011 at 2:17pm
I'm planning on getting the HTC Thunderbolt when it comes out. Apple picked crap ass timing for this name to be announced. Now when I tell everyone that I've got the new Thunderbolt people are going to associate that will an apple product that I dispise....
SmartyPantsGuy
February 25, 2011 at 2:51pm
So what? So Apple beat 'em to it. That's business. Business is business. Get over it.
MrBlueCheese
February 24, 2011 at 10:20pm
I believe Apple picked the right time to do it.
However, i don't agree with their timing.
Maybe Intel should have move the timing up a day to avoid this kind of confusion.
Dwood15
February 24, 2011 at 1:47pm
I'm still... wary of this, to say the least. For a number of reasons. First, is that USB is an open interface, anyone can use it and make their peripherals use it. With this, it's being run by Intel, and they are licensing out the spec. If there is any problem with this "Light Peak" that I have, it is with that point alone, that Intel's going to keep it a strapped down format close to their chest in order to snuff out competitors. (AMD not allowed to work with this format, anyone?)
And another thing, 10 gigs per second. I honestly don't see the point for this for anything except high-end video editing. First thing: Not even hard drives can write at that speed.
Second thing: IF this were included with every iPod then the times for the uploads would still take incredibly long. Why? Because for Pete's sake an iPod can only write so fast 5200 rpms or so last I checked, as well as the part where the user wouldn't be allowed to d/c as it is written to the drive, because of HDD limitations. And I'm not paying 250 for a 16 gig ipod of FLASH//SSD memory. Nuh-uh no way.
Third thing: This is only practical for Video displays and video editing. I don't know about you guys but tbh 3 gigs a second as (last I checked) USB 3.0 offers, I'll take that until something can at least use the speed.
BlazePC
February 24, 2011 at 10:47pm
The point here is this sets the bar really really high for individual "bus" transfer/transaction goals. Sure no storage device in the eyes of the regular joe would come close to exploiting this. But the point being missed here is that this is like a super multi-lane highway, a bus with more than enough bandwidth to handle a gobb of multitasking over one cable. One freaking super fast bus. Think of the possibilities...
A mirrored, stripped raid NAS box in a small office environment or as a home media/data backup server? Are you kidding me? I would kill for one of those without some gigabit ethernet cable getting in the way, and so would a lot of other people.
This stuff has to start somewhere and needs swift defintion and broad adoption. Let's not forget just how many computer related buses and interfaces went through long, grueling consortium discussions with specifications and standards swingin every which way, like a drunken fool behind the wheel. I'm glad to see this getting nailed down quick in comparison to how long it took USB 3.0 to get formalized, or any number of other examples in PC/computing worlds illustrious 30 year history.
Parallel processing coupled with blazing high speed serial connections is where it's at...
MrBlueCheese
February 24, 2011 at 10:33pm
I rather have open interface product over proprietary types of interfaces.
I agree with you that AMD would probably be left out in all of this.
10Gbps however is the theoretical maximum, so i doubt any device (present and in the near future) would achieve anywhere close to this. It seems to be a waiting game and whether or not there are any decent products that utilize this new peripheral. Also, because no device utilizes 10Gbps speeds, doesn't mean that in the future they won't. We thought that using NTFS would create large enough hard drive space for well until the future.
I agree with your next point that the device would be the bottleneck, but with Flash and SSD technology costs going down, it doesn't seem farfetched that the next generation iPod devices would utilize the new technology.
Lastly, i don't agree with your last point. the 5Gbps promised by USB 3.0 won't ever be reached, its just a theoretical maximum.
bpstone
February 24, 2011 at 12:34pm
This is good news. I can see this being very beneficial to PCI-e 2.0/1 + PCI-e 3.0 lanes. You can run Quad SLI or Crossfire at x16 x16 x16 x16 instead of x16x16x16x8 or x16x16x8x8. You could also have more than one thunderbolt chip on a motherboard. Meaning 10GB x2 bidirectional connections from the internal hardware to your outside connections... including USB3.0. Not sure what else it could be used for, but I'd imagine a similar Intel technology could be used for a new CPU quick-path.
ShyLinuxGuy
February 24, 2011 at 11:22am
Is anyone thinking what I'm thinking...? Technically illiterate users will think this is high voltage because of the symbol, lol.
USB is great as it is, IMO. I hope that USB doesn't join the ranks of the serial, SCSI and parallel ports at least yet. This Thunderbolt technology sounds promising, though.
GJEMaximumPC
February 24, 2011 at 12:06pm
That's a valid pointing out of the Thunderbolt symbol resembling high voltage. Perhaps if they added something else to the symbol or put the initials "TB" next to the symbol. However, simply having the symbol alone always looks better visually.
Taz0
February 25, 2011 at 1:35am
It not only resembles the symbol of high voltage, it IS the symbol. From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_voltage:
International safety symbol "Caution, risk of electric shock" (ISO 3864), colloquially known as high voltage symbol
BlazePC
February 25, 2011 at 8:02am
"it IS the symbol". Say what?
The official symbol, as pictured on the wiki, is distinctly different.
Square peg in a round hole much?
bloodgain
February 24, 2011 at 12:05pm
I'm with you. My first thought was, "Why do we have to give it a stupid name like Thunderbolt? Isn't Light Peak good enough?" My second thought was, "That seems like a poor choice for an icon -- it looks like a symbol for electric current."
Plus, Light Peak uses light to transfer data, so why is it being associated with atmospheric electrical discharge?
Archtard
February 24, 2011 at 12:59pm
From what I have read it won't actually be using light to transfer the data, they opted for copper connections over optical. So 'Light Peak' is kind of misleading.
Keith E. Whisman
February 24, 2011 at 12:04pm
Well as you know, when it comes to technology, it's the fastest and most popular connector that gets to live on, so long Firewire. So this could mean the death of USB to be one of those ports that motherboards come with only one of to make room for the more popular ports.
GJEMaximumPC
February 24, 2011 at 12:16pm
Yeah, Firewire was already on life-support it seems. This will finally terminate and make it a museum piece. The only people I know who still use Firewire reguarly are video-editing users. Thunderbolt will make their lives so much easier and versatile. Then again its gonna help everyone in tech in the coming years.
Archtard
February 24, 2011 at 10:42am
For the general user this is irrelevant. I am a pretty avid gamer and a new PC enthusiast and I have yet to use any USB 3.0 or even SATA 6 devices. Every external device I have uses USB (excluding my monitors).
However I love seeing any kind of hardware progress.
DogPatch1149
February 24, 2011 at 10:41am
Haven't we heard these "one to rule all" claims in the past about other technologies? Light Peak, Thunderbolt, or whatever the hell they end up calling it will eventually be replaced by (to quote "The Hitchhiker's Guide" series) something even more bizarre and inexplicable...just like serial, parallel, FireWire (almost), and USB (on the way).
Unless you're a first adopter or rabid Apple fanboi, I just don't see a reason yet...as chipmunk said, nothing uses 1.25GB/sec of bandwidth. It'll take time before devices that take full advantage of LP's high bandwidth show up.
GJEMaximumPC
February 24, 2011 at 9:10am
Why is that Apple just outpaces and outshines the Linux and Windows-based computers? I mean seriously, WTF, it doesn't take that much to realize that you have to visualize the future and take steps to get there before everyone else to be seen as the de facto leader. Apple does it every friggin iteration of their line-up of products it seems and has a top-notch, can't be outdone PR machine going. I mean, it's been close to a decade now and Apple has been the focus of most computer related thoughts of the general population since then. Ask the average buyer of a computer device if they can name more than two other companies in that respective industry and its branches.
I really like the Thunderbolt labeling of this new tech. It abilities will be vast in about 1 years time when the Light Peak/Thunderbolt devices are fully available on the market. Secondly, with Intel leading this baby it's almost a given that Light Peak/Thunderbolt tech will dominate the world of peripherals in the coming years. It almost seems silly to have invested in the supposed false hope of USB 3.0 technology now. I'm sure AMD fans aren't happy with this development because they are now gonna be second fiddle to Intel in this area too.
Finally, it seems Gordon, senior editor of Maximum PC, was very correct in his conspiracy theories with Intel not wanting USB 3.0 tech to get a chance to breathe and develop. USB 3.0 is going to be DOA within the first 2 years of its lifespan.
MrBlueCheese
February 24, 2011 at 10:54pm
"Why is that Apple just outpaces and outshines the Linux and Windows-based computers? I mean seriously, WTF, it doesn't take that much to realize that you have to visualize the future and take steps to get there before everyone else to be seen as the de facto leader. "
Being there first doesn't necessarly mean your going to be the "de facto leader". Even Apple is a testimate to that statement.
"Apple has been the focus of most computer related thoughts of the general population since then."
Just curious, how are you basing that off of? Because where i'm standing, Apple has been focusing a lot more on its Apple products rather then the Computer market. (MacHeads). More and more people own Apple iPods then the computers themselves.
"I really like the Thunderbolt labeling of this new tech. It abilities will be vast in about 1 years time when the Light Peak/Thunderbolt devices are fully available on the market. Secondly, with Intel leading this baby it's almost a given that Light Peak/Thunderbolt tech will dominate the world of peripherals in the coming years. It almost seems silly to have invested in the supposed false hope of USB 3.0 technology now. I'm sure AMD fans aren't happy with this development because they are now gonna be second fiddle to Intel in this area too. "
I think your jumping the gun a little. Intel controls who is going how others are going to use this type of technology. If Intel opens the device up to a variety of makers, then its going to be a competitive market. However, if Intel is going to be strict, then the interface is going to die too early to get any sort of usefulness out of it.
Also, you seem to be forgetting a few things. Like USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 are all open interface, so USB 3.0 has a leg up in this arena. Also, there are already a variety of USB 3.0 devices ready and able to utilize the new technology. Lastly, USB 2.0 and 3.0 arleady have a vast market presence. Because of this, i find it hightly unlikely that USB open interface, market presence technology is going to go down just like that because of some 10Gbps proprietary interface that just came out today.
DJSPIN80
February 24, 2011 at 10:01am
Because Apple's philosophy on computing is simplicity. Jobs' philosophy on computing is that of total simplicity; that's why apple outpaces Windows-based PC's. Linux isn't even in that category because Linux's philosophy is for a free (not free beer, but free as is freedom) operating system, not controlled by some large entity. I switched to Apple about 2 years ago, and you know what, from a programmer's perspective: it just works.
USB 3.0 is pointless; it's DOA. USB 3.0 is the ceiling for USB, IMO. I think that Thunderbolt is the future, because it simplifies interconnects, it's scalable and it really does make for a simple interface. One interface to rule them all? Say it ain't so!
Thunderbolt will solve several problems in computing, notably in mobile computing. It provides a solid platform for speed for mobile users. It provides a single interface which means simplified motherboard wiring. Who wouldn't want this? I know I do.
win7fanboi
February 24, 2011 at 9:59am
Which alternate universe did you wander out from?? No seriously...
"
I mean, it's been close to a decade now and Apple has been the focus of most computer related thoughts of the general population since then.
"
Wha..aat? http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/1594230/windows-gaining-market-share-apple-falls
Cite me any source that shows Mac OS market share over 15%... Go on I dare you...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"
It almost seems silly to have invested in the supposed false hope of USB 3.0 technology now.
"
Are you fucking clueless... USB is here and now... millions of devices use this interface. You have your legs cross trying hard not to pee when you look at Thunderbolt. Ok so a 1000$ + notebook has this interface... big bleeping whoop. By the time devices that it can connect with start showing up, the notebook with the same specs as this Macbook will sell for half that. Do you get it? I agree there are suckers willing to bend over before Apple and camp outside like hobos to get the first opportunity to fork their $s over but those are by no means general population.
rideabonzaco
March 24, 2011 at 11:36am
I think this new technology is a great idea, but I am also going to go out on a limb here and state that I believe USB 3 will be around for much longer than some are predicting.
I have been in the industry for about 13 years now, which is not that long, but it was still pre Pentium 3 days, so I have seen quite a few things come and go, more coming than going. There are still manufacturers that produce DB9 serial devices that I use regularly (RS232, 485, etc), for SCADA and telemetry and such. There are still many Legacy devices that operate today in fact.
USB has been here a long time, and USB 3 is backwards compatible to USB 2 and many USB 1 ports. I have been using a USB 3 device for about 6 months on my Gigabyte GA-X58A and it is pretty dang fast. I have also unplugged it on the fly and took it with me on road trips with my USB 2 laptop with no hiccups, but of course with USB 2 speed, which is ok. USB is here to stay, even if it doesn't get any better than it is now, it is not going anywhere any time soon, and people will continue to use it. I bet Manufacturers will still sell it for at least another three years. I remember when HD-DVD and Blu-ray came out, many experts in the field were saying that holographic disks were just around the corner so don't waste $300 to buy a Blu-ray or HD-DVD. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holographic_Versatile_Disc. Well Blu-ray has been mainstream for almost five years now and will continue to be here for at least a few more. It was worth it to buy one then, even if prices have dropped tremendously. I think it is worth it to buy USB 3, but it will also be worth it to buy Light Peak when it gets some kinks worked out.
The average turn around for most business desktops is 3-5 years, and that means businesses who are purchasing computers today equipped with USB 3 ports will still have them 3 years down the road. People will be more likely to buy USB 3 devices today because it IS backwards compatible to their current USB 2 machines, and when they upgrade that machine they will not have to upgrade their external device. I have been in charge of purchasing products for businesses for the past 7 years, and this is the philosophy most buyers look at. “What is the best bang for my buck?” or “What is the least amount I can spend on a quality item for the longest duration of time possible?” I think these questions are answered by new technology that continues to emerge, but also by technology that has stood the test of time. Will Light Peak or Thunderbolt continue to grow and eventually take over USB and many other interfaces? I surely hope so, as it seems to be a great idea. It can combine many other interfaces into one and streamline a lot otherwise bulky projects. But let’s not jump the gun and sell USB 3 short so quickly. These are just my opinions, so go ahead and debate, its ok.
SmartyPantsGuy
February 25, 2011 at 4:34pm
Sounds like someone's a bit angry at the pretty girl who doesn't know someone doesn't exist. Grow up.
GJEMaximumPC
February 24, 2011 at 12:12pm
Wow, win7fanboi, your Maximum PC forum name itself speaks tons about your little troll attack on me and my statements. Sad that you are so emotional and bitter that it keeps you from being objective on the topics. If you actually go back read what I and the other poster said, we stated that the new technology of USB 3.0 is basically going to die relatively soon. We didn't say anything about USB 2.0 technology which you falsely tied in with USB 3.0. Why don't you take a chill pill and learn not to be a fanboi of anything, whether its Apple, Linux, Android, or Windows and start to see the world how it truly lies and not how you wish it to be.
chipmunkofdoom2
February 24, 2011 at 8:29am
This = useless, until we get peripherals that actually USE 1.25GB/sec of bandwidth. Even SSDs aren't pushing that yet.
bahrrt
February 26, 2011 at 9:55am
And who will support this?? http://www.tweaktown.com/news/18967/intel_directs_its_lightening_fast_thunderbolt_technology_at_consumers/
DJSPIN80
February 24, 2011 at 8:56am
I disagree. It's not useless, not at all.
Light Peak was designed to consolidate the number of busses around. So USB, Firewire, eSATA, Displayport, etc. can all be consolidated into one port. Light Peak can daisy chain and run video through the same port.
This also means that there could be fewer PCIe slots on your PC for high-speed peripherals. Which means that they can add more PCIe lanes and utilize them better.
I totally see value in this; for movie people, they can edit on the road w/out the need to sacrifice performance or their backs because they can do it on their laptops. This also has good value for photographers as now we can access our photo collections faster and be able to do post-processing faster, on the road. As a programmer, well, if I can run all of my apps on an external drive and have the performance of an internal drive, that would be nice too.
