[opendtv] Re: The case against Thunderbolt
- From: Craig Birkmaier <craig@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 1 Mar 2011 08:05:23 -0500
At 3:07 PM -0600 2/28/11, Manfredi, Albert E wrote:
http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-news/4213576/The-case-against-Thunderbolt
Thunderbolt brings new costs and complexity to deliver two
bi-directional 10 Gbit/second copper links that won't open up any
major new applications, they say. USB 3.0 is already available at
data rates up to 5 Gbits/s over copper and, like Thunderbolt, can
also ride optical links in the future.
Simply put, Thunderbolt "is a mistake," said one big Intel customer.
This point of view is not surprising for several reasons:
1. The PC market is now spiraling down around cheap commodity
implementations. These machines do not need the performance of
Thunderbolt, or even USB 3.0 for that matter.
2. There are business interests behind USB 3.0 that want it to
succeed rather than an alternative.
The PC is primarily focused on legacy applications. Not much
innovation here, which is why there is so much attention to mobile
devices - i.e. smartphones and tablets.
The markets for Macbook Pro are driven by performance and the
"elegance" of the design. If you want a less capable laptop, Apple
offers the new Macbook Air models that are both capable and
affordable... and a mini Displayport connector for external monitors.
As for space to add another connector...
This is the whole reason behind Thunderbolt - one small connector
that can handle displays and high speed external storage. The MacBook
Pro is a refined minimalist design; connector space is a premium;
even more of an issue on the very thin Macbook Airs.
I suspect this is one reason that Apple decided to implement
Thunderbolt, given the fact that they had already moved to
displayport and the mini displayport connector.
Regards
Craig
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