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Intel’s new high-speed port technology is called Thunderbolt. But what is it, exactly?

Think of Thunderbolt (formerly code named “Light Peak”) as two cables in one. One is a fast PCI Express cable for transferring data, and the other is DisplayPort, for driving an external display.

A Thunderbolt cable is capable of delivering data between a computer and a peripheral (say, an external hard drive) at 10 Gbps in either direction, Intel claims. That’s fast enough to transfer a full-length HD movie in under 30 seconds.

It’s also 12 times faster than FireWire 800 and 20 times faster than USB 2.0, according to Apple.

Because a ThunderBolt connector is also a DisplayPort connection, that means a single port on a notebook — such as the new MacBook Pros, which have Thunderbolt ports — can connect to an external monitor, which in turn can connect to storage devices via PCI Express. We call this “daisy-chaining” devices.

In theory, the monitor could also connect to a keyboard, mouse, additional displays and even a gigabit ethernet connection, with all the data for those peripherals going through the single Thunderbolt cable connecting the monitor and the notebook. The makers of these hardware devices simply need to add a small Intel chip to decode the Thunderbolt signal into its PCI Express and DisplayPort signals.

“All Thunderbolt technology devices share a common connector, and let individuals simply daisy-chain their devices one after another, connected by electrical or optical cables,” Intel’s press release states.

In short, a monitor could become a hub for PCIe peripherals to which you can easily dock your notebook with a single cable connection. For that to work, of course, you’ll need a Thunderbolt-compatible monitor — and none currently exist.

Fortunately for Mac users, Thunderbolt plugs have the same shape as the Mini DisplayPort connectors in all recent Macs, and it’s compatible with them, so you can plug an older monitor into a new Thunderbolt port (even using a DVI, HDMI or VGA adapter) and it will still work. You won’t have a data channel, but the video connection will function.

In the longer term, the speed of the PCI Express bus makes it possible for a variety of devices to be connected through simple, external cables rather than internal expansion cards, greatly increasing the expandability of notebooks and even netbooks. Video-capture devices, RAID arrays and who knows what will all be easy to add simply by plugging in a Thunderbolt port.

For now, Apple is the only company we know of offering Thunderbolt-compatible gadgets. Intel lists several other partners who will be using the standard, including storage makers LaCie and Western Digital, and says it is working with other companies to bring the technology to “computers, displays, storage devices, audio/video devices, cameras, docking stations and more.”

So, now that Intel’s fully revealed its proprietary high-speed interface technology and shoehorned it into Apple’s new MacBook Pro, wither the fate of barely-incumbent USB 3.0? Intel says the two ports will co-exist in the market, and not just because third parties will obviously continue to roll SuperSpeed devices out — Chipzilla’s actually pursuing a native solution itself. “Intel fully supports USB 3 and plans to integrate it in the future,” said the company’s Jason Ziller, which sounds like a fairly potent promise to us. Still, considering how long Intel’s been dragging its heels, we have to wonder if eventual support will be more than a token move — Intel could wait until Thunderbolt not only has a foothold, but also a dozen pitons and a nice big rope securing it to a mountain of peripherals.

Intel promises native USB 3.0 support someday originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 15:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Back in December, CNET let loose a rumor claiming that Apple would be ditching NVIDIA in favor of Intel and AMD graphics in its future MacBook lineup. Now, here we are with a credible leak showing an entry level 13.3-inch MacBook Pro sporting a Thunderbolt port, Core i5 Sandy Bridge processor, and Intel HD Graphics 3000 with 384MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with the laptop’s main memory. Today CNET is repeating its original claim while adding that the 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pro models will feature an automatically switchable AMD discrete GPU that augments the Intel graphics whenever more power is required. Of course, they’ll also feature that new Thunderbolt port and 32-nanometer Core i series Sandy Bridge processors for improved performance and power savings. We’ll see soon enough, since the whole thing is supposed to get official later today.

Apple switching to AMD graphics in 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pros? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 01:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There’s not a scrap of evidence to back this rumor, but everything seems to line up: CNET reports that Apple will announce “a new high-speed connection technology” soon — and Intel’s Light Peak seems to be a shoo-in for the job. We’ve long known that Apple’s been secretly backing the 10Gbps interconnect, but with a likely MacBook Pro refresh right around the corner and Light Peak allegedly due for a 1H 2011 launch, it seems the time for action could be right around now. It also doesn’t hurt that this latest rumor comes from CNET, actually, as we’re pretty sure the publication has an inside source. The very same reporter wrote that Light Peak would be downgraded to copper, a full month before Intel would admit anything of the sort.

Apple announcing new high-speed interconnect, Light Peak here we come? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 20 Feb 2011 08:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s hard to say if Intel CEO Paul Otellini was simply misquoted the first go ’round, or if he really had a change of heart in the course of 48 hours. Either way, the most recent quotes coming from the highest of highs at Chipzilla paints a very different story than the one we first heard, and it’s beginning to look like Intel and Microsoft may eventually wage some sort of war — even if it’s one that remains strictly at the software level. Reuters is reporting that Otellini had this to say when questioned about Stephen Elop’s decision to select Windows Phone 7 as the future of Nokia’s handset business:

“I wouldn’t have made the decision he made, I would probably have gone to Android if I were him. MeeGo would have been the best strategy but he concluded he couldn’t afford it.”

That contrasts starkly with comments made just days ago, where he was quoted as saying that he would’ve made “the same or a similar call” if found in Elop’s shoes. Continuing on the topic of differentiation, Otellini noted that “it would have been less hard on Android, [but] on MeeGo he could have done it.” That said, he’s confident that Intel “will find another partner,” noting that carriers “still want a third ecosystem and the carriers want an open ecosystem, and that’s the thing that drives our motivation.” Now, the real question: which Paul can be believed?

Intel CEO Paul Otellini flip-flops, says he ‘would’ve gone Android’ if he were Elop originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 Feb 2011 06:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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