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Was thunderbolt a big rip-off?

B

bungiefan89

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 5, 2011
565
76
Yes, a pretty inflammatory title, and I don't mean to cause any trouble here but this thunderbolt port thing seems more and more to be like a big rip-off.

I mean, every time I look at the back of my lovely 27" iMac, I can't help but think how much more useful an HDMI port would have been over these two thunderbolt ports. Or if my iMac came with a thunderbolt adapter for VGA out or something wold have been nice.

For six months we've had access to this technology, and all Apple has to show for it is a laughably over-priced cord and a crazy small amount of 3rd party devices that use the technology.

Thoughts?
 
USB 2.0 didn't take off in four months either, or did it?
Give it time.
Btw, have you looked at the cable a bit closer? It has its own firmware and chips built into it, does it costs a bit.
And adapters for HDMI can be had from Monoprice, and HDMI is limited to video/audio transfer, while TB can be used for a lot more.

But who cares anyway, TB will just lose I guess to many closed minds I guess.
 
simsaladimbamba said:
USB 2.0 didn't take off in four months either, or did it?
Click to expand...

Actually it did. Apple just took forever putting it into their machines in relation to other PC manufacturers.

It's funny. If you look at Apple when they were trying to recover, they were doing everything to plan ahead.

First to adopt USB mainstream in their computers.
DVD-RAM drive in my G4x2-500.
Optical audio in and out standard.
One of the first (if not the first) to use Dual-Link DVI on their video cards.

Now there are technologies that are more common in the PC world that they won't implement. Blu-Ray comes to mind. USB 3.0 (waiting on Intel with Ivy Bridge/Rockwell).

Thunderbolt will be nice if it takes off. I know it's early, but I remember when Apple did a lot more pre-emptive stuff to distance themselves from competitors. I miss those days.
 
Thoughts? How about the OP doesn't say a single thing I agree with? Thunderbolt didn't replace a port on the iMac or MBP, it uses the existing displayport connection and doesn't affect that functionality. It's not been six months, it's been four (slightly over) and Apple clearly got early access to it.

Now as for devices to support it they're just starting to arrive now and are clearly going to be high end pro kit (or enthusiasts with WAY too much money) for the immediate future.... or are they? Look at the new Sony Viao Z for a great example of what CAN be done with this technology. An external dock packing, amongst other things, a dedicated GPU. No, performance may not be quite on par with a built in chip but it's still a fascinating option. There are prototypes around of external PCIe slots running over Thunderbolt and a whole host of other possibilities.

And here's the thing... Apple right now don't have a simple USB3 path available, they're waiting for Intel to deliver that functionality with Ivy Bridge, but they haven't taken away USB2, they haven't removed a thing to include Thunderbolt and they haven't charged you extra for it. So how is it in ANY way a rip off? If you don't have a use for it, no problem, heck a lot of people probably never use the displayport connecter full stop on an iMac. If you do have a use for it, either now or over the life of the machine, then you've got the option built in. Really don't see the problem other than people yet again having utterly unrealistic expectations when it comes to product availability, time frames and cost.
 
@tsugaru

They needed people to buy. High end products can have high end margins.

Now that they are in no short supply of (over)paying customers, they can drag stuff down. Plus, if you buy a Macbook Pro today, it'll be that much quicker before it's obsolite. If it had USB 3.0, well, it could be useful a lot longer.

@smiddlehurst

There's no reason they can't use an add-in card for USB 3.0. Most consumer laptops that cost more than $500 are coming with USB 3.0 as standard these days, and this is a $1500 desktop we're talking about. It's definitely a rip off, in the same way that buyers guide would say not to buy a Macbook Pro if it still had a Core 2 Duo processor in it.
 
simsaladimbamba said:
USB 2.0 didn't take off in four months either, or did it?
Give it time.
Btw, have you looked at the cable a bit closer? It has its own firmware and chips built into it, does it costs a bit.
And adapters for HDMI can be had from Monoprice, and HDMI is limited to video/audio transfer, while TB can be used for a lot more.

But who cares anyway, TB will just lose I guess to many closed minds I guess.
Click to expand...

My bet is on TB losing. I think it'll go the way of firewire.

Great, but not standard, so it'll never takeoff outside the apple world.
 
OneMike said:
My bet is on TB losing. I think it'll go the way of firewire.

Great, but not standard, so it'll never takeoff outside the apple world.
Click to expand...

If it goes the way of Firewire, than we have at least fifteen years ahead of us I guess, as I mainly use FW800 external HDDs and dislike my USB 2.0 HDDs I still have to use and haven't yet upgraded as there aren't that many affordable FW800 cases for 2-5" HDD.
 
Kind of early, so it is a bit of a gamble. I'm happy to have a 27" imac that can take two extra screens, anything on top of that is just gravy.

The capabilities of the hardware, and Intel standing behind it makes its odds promising.

Betcha you'll start seeing more peripherals in the next few months, and becoming commonplace within a year.
 
In my daily use of the imac, the only "rip off" i feel is the lack of ability to accept video input from PS3 and Xbox 360 which was present in last year's imac.

Otherwise I'm not really interested in the Thunderbolt's ability to transfer data at near light speed.

Also some USB 3.0 ports would have been nice.
 
There'll be fewer peripheral choices and they'll cost 20-50% more.
SOP for Apple users.
Rip-off? Exclusivity doesn't come cheap.
 
Thunderbolt has only been around for 4 months and people are already singing the doom and gloom song. Naturally. :rolleyes:

Very, very premature.
 
I admit .. Thunderbolt may be a luxury item for most of us. The cable itself cost $50 (HDMI cable ranging from $5 up to a couple hundred bucks) .. but it has so many options for customer.

Still I think Apple try to innovate better than other. Many of us use bluray nowaday, thanks to Sony and friends. The analogy is the same. It was expensive, and people said it was useless and overpriced crap from Sony and PS3 in their favor to cheaper HDDVD. We mock them like crazy, and most of us feel shame now for being completely hypocrite, eat our own $#!T

Why Sony didn't just support HD-DVD for couple of years, implement it to PS3, make it standard, and in a couple of years launch Bluray for mass market, make a double dip and greedy fortune? That could happen right?

So does Apple, instead of develop and support mass-prefered USB 3.0, Apple and Intel develop new and quite better protocol. Yes it IS expensive, but you'd be thankful for that in the future. And there would be thunderbolt device laying around local computer shop in a various price and options.

It's good to have Intel as CPU too, they just better, while AMD now is a focusing on GPU, no way you can get something like Thunderbolt from AMD.
 
Icaras said:
Thunderbolt has only been around for 4 months and people are already singing the doom and gloom song. Naturally. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
I think people have a right to feel somewhat aggrieved. Although the writing was on the wall from the start. Apple's inclusion of TB in machines is not one of utility. It is about getting a critical mass of TB equipped machines out there so as to make it attractive to hardware developers as a viable platform. That is going to take a long time (if indeed it works). In the meantime consumers are left with ports which on the face of it are lacking in practical use when compared to other port options.
 
simsaladimbamba said:
USB 2.0 didn't take off in four months either, or did it?
Click to expand...
What? Backwards compatibility to USB 1.x made it a pretty much instantaneous hit.

Personally, I don't think Thunderbolt will catch on. It will be another FireWire in my opinion.
 
You guys are kinda getting this all wrong.

We know thunderbolt technology is impressive, but there hasnt been a huge commitment from manufactures. Doesn't matter if i invent something wonderful if no one is going to use it.

As it is know, thunderbolt is just for the prosumer.
 
.Andy said:
I think people have a right to feel somewhat aggrieved. Although the writing was on the wall from the start. Apple's inclusion of TB in machines is not one of utility. It is about getting a critical mass of TB equipped machines out there so as to make it attractive to hardware developers as a viable platform. That is going to take a long time (if indeed it works). In the meantime consumers are left with ports which on the face of it are lacking in practical use when compared to other port options.
Click to expand...

What is the big deal? Seriously? You want HDMI? Get a Monoprice MDP/TB to HDMI adapter. The bloody thing costs about $6. You guys are all getting your panties all tied up for nothing. You're telling me you would rather not have the inclusion of next generation technology in your machine? Even if you don't intend to RAID up an external 4TB Thunderbold drive, isn't it at least nice to know that you have that technology already built right in for future expandability and cutting edge bandwidth speeds that actually surpass USB 3.0 speeds? I swear people complain and complain and they have no idea what they are complaining about half the time.

I'm using said adapter right now to connect to my HDMI Sound system. No problems, no issues. Seriously, what is the big fuss here?
 
Icaras said:
What is the big deal? Seriously? You want HDMI? Get a Monoprice MDP/TB to HDMI adapter. The bloody thing costs about $6. You guys are all getting your panties all tied up for nothing. You're telling me you would rather not have the inclusion of next generation technology in your machine? I swear people complain and complain and they have no idea what they are complaining about half the time.

I'm using said adapter right now to connect to my HDMI Sound system. No problems, no issues. Seriously, what is the big fuss here?
Click to expand...
Seems to me there's only one person in this thread getting their "panties all tied up". Everyone one else is discussing the pros and cons of the topic quite calmly.


p.s. I have no problem with my TB on my machine nor did I say or imply that I did. I said I can see why others might feel somewhat aggrieved. We're all different.
 
(before you read this i have very bad grammar!)
Now every think is usb it will be very hard for any company even apple to try and get costumers to make the switch form what they all reedy have to somthing they dont know about and is more expensive.

To the mass market tb will die in under a year and usb3.0 will carrie on but to pro users that need to transfer lage files there is still hope.

apple dont rell what to give tb to the the mass market ether, overpriced, complicated, poor user base, poor produce base. Apple are not pushing tb any harder they selfs, can the get a tb cable to sync your iphone? NO, or dose the new time capitals have tb to make backing up faster? NO, apple cant expect 3rd partys and consumers to invest in there produce if they cant them selfs!

thunderbolt YOUR DIED TO ME!
 
Last edited:
i dont think its a rip off at all.
just reading about TB vs USB shows how superior it is.

Theoretical 4x the speed

In the real world USB is hampered from reaching these peak speeds

The benefit of common plugs and sockets on peripherals is somewhat negated by incompatibilities with all the different styles of USB plug and backwards compatibility.

daisy chaining rather than hub.

people are always complaining that apple are no longer Pro. Surely this is pulling in that direction. Go Thunderbolt.
 
dark knight said:
i dont think its a rip off at all.
just reading about TB vs USB shows how superior it is.

Theoretical 4x the speed

In the real world USB is hampered from reaching these peak speeds

The benefit of common plugs and sockets on peripherals is somewhat negated by incompatibilities with all the different styles of USB plug and backwards compatibility.

daisy chaining rather than hub.

people are always complaining that apple are no longer Pro. Surely this is pulling in that direction. Go Thunderbolt.
Click to expand...

did you not read any think i said?
 
88 King said:
In my daily use of the imac, the only "rip off" i feel is the lack of ability to accept video input from PS3 and Xbox 360 which was present in last year's imac.
Click to expand...
Oh I agree SO much.

I LOVE this iMac as a computer but it would be SO much better if I could use that BEAUTIFUL 27" display for something other than just using my computer, and gaming would be a prime example.
Otherwise I'm not really interested in the Thunderbolt's ability to transfer data at near light speed.
Click to expand...
Don't get me wrong, I think that's AWESOME. I can transfer the 3D HD version of Avatar in just a few seconds? That's really cool! Unfortunately, with a lack of any peripherals at a modest price available, it's just a feature that looks good on paper.
 
smoge said:
did you not read any think i said?
Click to expand...

I did and I still disagree. Just because it hasn't taken off this fast, doesn't mean it can still do. It could be a slow burner and may take a while. Interfaces like TB are the future, USB is just a bad protocol and interface that hampers the CPU, while TB is twice is fast and offers much much more. Most consumers are ignorant anyway, but as TB offers much more than even Firewire does, it has a much better chance to become mainstream.
Anyway, I am now getting one of those USB 3.0 fabled devices I guess.
 
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