Its 2011 and none of the Apple MacBooks carry a USB 3.0 yet. Thats fishy for sure. Apple is known to move to newer technologies before the masses, be it SSD only notebooks or multitouch displays on a phone. So why is USB 3.0 missing in the MacBooks line-up? Well as it seems, Apple is teaming up with Intel to push LightPeak aka Thunderbolt. Debuting with the new MacBook Pros that we saw earlier today, Intel’s Thunderbolt doubles the data transfer speeds to 10Gbps, compared to 480Mbps (approx 5Gbps) on USB 3.0. We are yet to see too many USB 3.0 devices or systems come out yet and Apple has pushed out Thunderbolt at the right time for sure.
Apple isn’t pitching Thunderbolt for just data transfer. Its all set to be the standard for HDMI output and facilitate super fast audio/video editing as well. As Apple says: MacBook Pro now gives you access to a world of high-resolution displays and high-speed peripherals with one compact port. That’s because Thunderbolt is based on two fundamental technologies: PCI Express and DisplayPort…To connect a DisplayPort, DVI, HDMI, or VGA display, just use an existing adapter.
While Intel denied delaying USB 3.0 on purpose, the introduction of Thunderbolt (which was said to be a future technology) sure raises som eyebrows. Intel walks a tough path and avoids mentioning USB even once on its Thunderbolt page, yet shows off industry support for Thunderbolt and speaks of compatibility with existing hardware with or without adapters.
Getting traction for any new standard is a slow process, USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt are slated to go head-on. Bundling Thunderbolt with Mini DisplayPort may be the right move here for Intel/Apple to push something that threatens USB dominance. For now, we wait and watch as accessory makers start to push out converters / adapters for compatibility 🙂
