Thunderbolt Strikes Apple's MacBook Pro

BY SAMUEL JOSEPH

You're watching multisource tech video news analysis from Newsy.

Fast as lightning -- that’s what CNET is calling the new Thunderbolt port for the latest line of Macbook Pro laptops.

Dan Ackerman: “That is the Thunderbolt Port, and that is the final brand name of Intel’s Light Peak technology. It’s a new, super fast type of connection made for pretty much anything. Storage, peripherals even displays...”

That all sounds nice, but what is this really designed for? The Times of India reports...

“The vision for Thunderbolt technology is to move media faster, simplify connections between devices, and foster new and exciting ways to build and use PCs. ...Thunderbolt technology is designed to meet the demands of serious HD media creators.”

Right now, only Macbook Pros will be able to utilize Thunderbolt. Intel and Apple struck an agreement to bring the technology to the market. But is it a shot at the USB port? ZDNet says, not quite.

“...Intel said more than once that it saw Thunderbolt as ‘complementary’ to USB, not a replacement.... ‘Thunderbolt is targeted at applications that can't be supported very well using existing connections.’ ...So Thunderbolt is not the new USB, it's the new Firewire.”

Except supposedly much faster. Intel claims the Thunderbolt port is up to twelve times faster than a Firewire connection. But a writer for Financial Times Techhub says Intel and Apple are limiting their users by ignoring another new port already on the market.

“USB 3.0 ports seem set to be introduced as standard this year on many laptops and PCs, which makes it a little odd that the new line-up of MacBook Pros announced on Thursday... come equipped with only USB 2.0 ones, when Mac users for example could find plenty of external hard drives that will support USB 3.0’s higher transfer speeds.”

And CNN says newsy.comIntel’s exclusive partnership with Apple will have another consequence for consumers -- mainly the MacBook Pro’s pricetag.

“...Those high-end computers are pricey, ranging from $1,200 to $2,500.”

Silicon Valley Insider says tech companies may be slow to adopt Thunderbolt, but some manufacturers have already indicated they intend to create new compatible hardware.

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1. By: newsydotcom
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4. Added :26-Feb-11
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