Optical cable television service for Thunderbolt ports that enable faster data transfers over longer space on estimator such as Apple ’s Macintosh will be available after this twelvemonth , Intel said Monday .
Thunderbolt , bring out just over a class ago , is a high - speed connector technology that shuttles information among computers and with peripherals . Current Thunderbolt installations are based on copper , but optical cables could provide more bandwidth and foresighted cable run in the future , according to Dave Salvator , an Intel spokesman .
Thunderbolt was co - developed by Apple and Intel and is consider a faster alternative to USB 3.0 , with transfer speed of up to 10 Gbps ( gigabits per secondly ) . A full - duration , in high spirits - definition movie can be transferred from an external storage equipment to a laptop computer in less than 30 second .
The technology was introduced in 2009 with the promise of using beat of light to transfer datum . But because of the prohibitory cost of fiber optics , the first Thunderbolt installs on Apple ’s Macintosh computers last class came with copper cable . PC makers like Lenovo are due to offer Thunderbolt ports in Windows laptops later this year .
Intel has said copper cable are adequate for data transfers over short distances of up to six meter . Optical cables will be effective for data transfers over recollective distance of 10 of time .
The upside to optical is that it allows for long cable television run , and as the technology develops , more bandwidth , Salvator said in electronic mail . But when connected via optical cable , devices that necessitate power also require their own power supply . Running power over longer optical cable runs may not be practical due to impedance - hasten big businessman drib .
Copper has the reward of providing up to 10 watts of power , which saves a gimmick from requiring a baron mercantile establishment , Salvator said .
Intel did not provide a specific time frame on when optical cables will become available . The society also correct to provide guidance on pricing .
Existing Thunderbolt ports on Apple ’s Mac reckoner will be compatible with the approaching optical cable television . exploiter will be capable to buy existing product and switch from copper to optical without changes in computers . Circuitry insure that the Thunderbolt cables are transparent to atomic number 29 or fibre optic connections .
Intel ’s aim with Thunderbolt is to cut the number of ports and unite all data point - transfer , networking and showing protocols through a undivided connector . bombshell supports protocols include DisplayPort for show and PCI - Express 2.0 for peripheral like international storage devices . Thunderbolt devices portion out a common connexion , and devices can be can daisy - chained one after another by electrical or opthalmic cables .
Thunderbolt is still ecological niche technology that has mostly found specific uses in areas such as computer memory and networking , said Jim McGregor , primary technology strategist at In - Stat .
It ’s good to have Thunderbolt on computers , but it wo n’t make a difference until it reaches everyday devices such as handsets , cameras and MP3 role player , McGregor tell . However , twist shaper desire to get rid of cables , and many wireless engineering are taking over in consumer electronics .
Thunderbolt could also get more expensive with optic technology , which could stymie its adoption , McGregor say . expectant connector engineering science such as FireWire have come but not found success .
But just over a year after its institution , Thunderbolt is still mature as the technology finds acceptation on peripheral equipment and computers . Intel is also taking step to meliorate the technology .
Intel earlier this workweek said it was building support in Thunderbolt for PCI - Express 3.0 communications protocol , which would encourage data transfer of training pep pill . The flake maker is also get a Thunderbolt heir based on silicon photonics that will be able-bodied to move data up to five times faster than current Thunderbolt effectuation . The technology is slated to hit the grocery by 2015 .
