[opendtv] Apple MacBook debuts Thunderbolt I/O
- From: "Manfredi, Albert E" <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2011 15:04:11 -0600
"The interconnect supports two protocols, PCI Express and DisplayPort, Intel
said. Apple suggested it can also handle Ethernet, FireWire or USB traffic for
external peripherals such as RAID arrays and works with adapters for HDMI, DVI
and VGA."
Perhaps, but this may not be enough to successfully introduce another redundant
new interface standard. FireWire was also touted as being a lot more flexible
than the lowly USB, initially meant only for keyboards and mice, and yet ...
Sounds like Apple and Intel are trying to combine the functions now met by HDMI
and USB, into a single interface. But doing so in a way that walls off Apple
products just a little more than they already are.
Bert
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http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-news/4213485/Apple-MacBook-debuts-Thunderbolt-IO?cid=NL_EETimesDaily
Apple MacBook debuts Thunderbolt I/O
Rick Merritt
2/24/2011 11:05 AM EST
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Apple announced its latest MacBook Pro notebooks will build
in Thunderbolt, the new high speed systems interface from Intel formerly known
as Light Peak. The move will send shock waves through a PC community gearing up
to support USB 3.0.
Intel said it developed the technology but collaborated with Apple on bringing
it first to the MacBook Pro. The interface sports two bi-directional 10
Gbit/second channels and has a flexible range of uses.
The interconnect supports two protocols, PCI Express and DisplayPort, Intel
said. Apple suggested it can also handle Ethernet, FireWire or USB traffic for
external peripherals such as RAID arrays and works with adapters for HDMI, DVI
and VGA.
The interconnect supports copper or optical cables, daisy-chaining of up to
seven devices and has its own native protocol drivers, Intel said. It can also
support power over the cable.
The copper versions support three meter lengths at 10W and optical links
support tens of meters, Intel said. Thunderbolt supports 8 nanosecond
synchronization.
"Thunderbolt technology is expected to be widely adopted as a new standard for
high performance I/O," Apple said in a press release. "Thunderbolt is a
revolutionary new I/O technology that can support every important I/O standard
which is ideal for the new MacBook Pro," added Philip Schiller, Apple's senior
vice president of worldwide product marketing.
Apple has a mixed history of embracing new system interconnects.
The Cupertino company was among the first to champion FireWire which never
gained traction beyond a niche of professional A/V systems and high end disk
drives, eclipsed by USB. However, Apple was also among the early adopters of
Wi-Fi now standard across all notebooks.
Intel first announced Light Peak in September 2009 as an optical interconnect
positioned as a successor to USB 3.0. Last September it said it had accelerated
its work and would deliver a controller chip by the end of 2010.
Then Intel went quiet about its plans. Reports emerged it had revised its work
to focus on a copper-based implementation. The adoption by Apple, which
apparently sought an exclusive deal to be the first OEM to use the I/O, likely
required Intel to keep its plans quiet.
The new interconnect could leapfrog work on USB 3.0 which aims to deliver about
5 Gbits/s max and has no capabilities for flexibly supporting multiple
protocols.
USB is assured a long life based on its broad adoption across computer and
consumer peripherals. However Thunderbolt could eclipse USB as the new high-end
interconnect in a similar fashion to what observers once expected would happen
with FireWire.
After lengthy delays, mainly attributed to foot dragging by Intel, both Intel
and AMD are now preparing PC chip sets that integrate support for USB 3.0 and
are expected to be in production in early 2012.
For that scenario to play out, Thunderbolt will have to establish a broad
ecosystem of chips and supporting systems and peripherals. Intel is expected to
detail its Thunderbolt technology and plans later today.
Intel said companies planning to support Thunderbolt include Aja, Apogee, Avid,
Blackmagic, LaCie, Promise and Western Digital. Intel aims to enable the
interface for use on other computers, displays, storage devices, audio/video
devices, cameras, docking stations and more, the company said.
The Apple MacBooks have also adopted Intel's latest dual- and quad-core
SandyBridge processors. They also sport Apple's FaceTime integrated camera and
video conferencing capabilities.
The new MacBook line includes a 13-inch model starting at $1,199 which uses
Intel Core i5 and Core i7 dual-core processors up to 2.7 GHz and Intel HD
Graphics 3000. Models with 15- and 17-inch displays use quad-core Core i7
processors up to 2.3 GHz and AMD Radeon HD graphics processors at prices up to
$2,499.
The MacBooks use Apple's Mac OS X Snow Leopard operating system.
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