Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Closer Look Photo of Thunderbolt (Light Peak) Port
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I wonder if apple is going to introduce a new ACD with a built-in thunderbolt hub so you can daisy chain multiple TB devices or even run two or three more ACDs. Now that would make more sense.
some signal amongst all the noise
Yup. It seems to be a great way to increase the value or attractiveness of adopting the mini-display port standard. (apart from the obvious esthetic one).
Are you suggesting the no one should innovate because it might not yet be compatible with what is currently out there? Seriously?
Right. And aren't the iphones, along with other cell phones, eventually going to all have universal connectors given the recent legislation in Europe? Regardless, it would make sense to have a smaller port on the iphone and ipod lines.
Exactly. This is the first step to making a single connector to use with Apples external monitor. Here they will drop the need for the USB. NExt iteration will drop the need for the power cord as well (remember the recent patent application rumor) giving us just a single cord to plug our lap-tops into our cinema displays. Sounds esthetically pleasing.
Yup. It seems to be a great way to increase the value or attractiveness of adopting the mini-display port standard. (apart from the obvious esthetic one).
Are you suggesting the no one should innovate because it might not yet be compatible with what is currently out there? Seriously?
Right. And aren't the iphones, along with other cell phones, eventually going to all have universal connectors given the recent legislation in Europe? Regardless, it would make sense to have a smaller port on the iphone and ipod lines.
Exactly. This is the first step to making a single connector to use with Apples external monitor. Here they will drop the need for the USB. NExt iteration will drop the need for the power cord as well (remember the recent patent application rumor) giving us just a single cord to plug our lap-tops into our cinema displays. Sounds esthetically pleasing.
Ha! so true, you would sound like a fool.
What a terrible name; sounds like something a child would come up with if you asked them to come up with the name of a something really fast.
Surely not apple? Deffinatly have to refer to it as the TB cable, but even that isn't great (tuberculosis)
I think you guys complaining about no devices lack creativity. Next week Apple with announce iPad 2 including TB and then you'll sync your music and apps in a minute and all people will be blown away and say "gimme more of this" and manufacturers will try to satisfy TB-spoiled consumers.
Don't forget Apple's customer base is quite big, especially concerning iPhones...
Lust but not least: I think Steve Jobs chooses his technologies wisely, look how he justifies dropping Flash support:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPb9eRNyIrQ
I guess Steve thinks TB is its spring season
Don't forget Apple's customer base is quite big, especially concerning iPhones...
Lust but not least: I think Steve Jobs chooses his technologies wisely, look how he justifies dropping Flash support:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPb9eRNyIrQ
I guess Steve thinks TB is its spring season
No. Years ago USB 3.0 was going to have a separate fiber based "Super Speed" link bundled with the USB 2.0 link. The industry didn't bite. Fiber would make it too expensive and USB 3.0 "Super Speed" went copper. Intel was left with prototypes that pumped fast data down a fiber and nothing to do.
Apple too probably had been looking to recreate ADC (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Display_Connector) . they have a long track record in trying to create the "Holy Grail" of a single connector to displays. Intel had a fiber looking for a solution. So the problem of pumping the data from the legacy ports on the display/dock connector to the idea was pitched to Intel. If Apple creates it has chance to falling into the same problems that firewire ran into. if Intel backs it then a better chance it can be a standard. ADC died in part because it wasn't adopted, not because factions inside of Apple didn't like it.
The USB fiber demos folks have been looking at .... recycled old USB 3.0 prototypes with slight mods . That wasn't necessarily the plan just cheap and available.
That's questionable. If the fiber disappeared then that's goofy (they are catering to external drive vendors which shouldn't be the point). A mini display port with a fiber addition to the pins would be flexible in bandwidth and 100% backward compatible if standard mini-DP connect just doesn't connect to fiber. ( similar to how USB 3.0 has USB 2.0 and SuperSpeed. )
Copper is a dead end. Getting > 5Gb/s and a FCC B rating is going to be tough.
I think they switched to DisplayPort because pumping better than HD graphics is going to run into a brick wall of noise/etc sooner than commonplace peripherals will. Once Lightpeak gets some traction then they can come out with a Lightpeak only port where video isn't necessarily in the mix most of the time.
LiightPeak is suppose to aggregate data from mulitple ports onto one port. Not be the "one port to rule them all" . That isn't going to happen. There a billions of devices out there with the current set of ports. The "one port" is a farce if have to buy dongles to finish off the connection for a large set of devices that you own. If you have a monitor with ports or a docking port then the "compatiblity dongles" are built in. You just plug it into the computer ; only one "new" interface to worry about.
Arguments I haven't heard much in the history of FireWire, but not geeky enough to rebut or confirm.
however, I do believe the only "secure" computer is one that's unplugged in a locked and guarded bank vault, and that by the cost reasoning, a crapola clone is superior to a Mac if it can post some fast specs.
Not universal. They are all suppose to have USB. A specific implementation that happens to be pragmatically ubiquitous. It is "universal" because it is the USB implementation.
iDevices need to recharge. That means power and display port, nor LightPeak provide power. ( and yes I'm aware of the "well maybe we can add it" power reference for LP.... however that only points out that it was not there in the original specs. )
iPods took off when they went to having a USB connector. It wasn't standard but it was USB plus some extras. Apple isn't going to some funky, higher cost connector anymore than retreating back to FW for iDevice connector. The vast majority of iDevices connect to non Apple PCs. They have no choice but to follow the general PC market. You have the tail wagging the dog if think Apple is going to force sockets onto PCs. the iDevices don't work if you don't hook them to a PC first.
It doesn't drop the need for USB at all because the external monitor is going to have USB ports on it. That means the same USB devices that people have and will buy over next several years will STILL more optimally plug into simple USB sockets ; not dongles.
The only way the drop the "need" for USB is for the external devices being plugged in drop USB. That's not likely to happen. Especially have Intel and AMD incorporate USB 3.0 into the core chipsets in the next iteration. If you bought a chipset you *have* USB 3.0 . It will be more the weird if vast majority PC vendors do not hook up what is present in the chipset. It is a bit looney to think they will pay for the functionality in their components and then block their users from getting to it. Yeah that is delivering value for the customer. *cough*
You're missing the whole point. [speculation] The Cinema Display is is the hub. Maybe even it's the dock. You bring your MB home, and plug it into the Display via the combined LP/TB/MDP cord. All of your external devices are already plugged into the Display, and are immediately available to you. Firewire and USB ports are provided on the Display, and you can add USB hubs to accommodate whatever devices you have. Since LP/TB allows daisy-chaining, your 2nd (and 3rd and 4th) Display is plugged into the back of the preceding Display. Each Display has it's own set of FW and USB plugs.
Apple provides hubs for legacy devices from day one. Apple sells lots more Cinema Displays. Sounds like a plan to me. [/speculation]
imho, of course....
the name sucks...
Clearly a lot of people are not thrilled at the name of this new port, and rightfully so as it just sounds lame.
I get your rationale for not using "Light" in the name but "Thunderbolt" just sounds stupid.
Clearly a lot of people are not thrilled at the name of this new port, and rightfully so as it just sounds lame.
I get your rationale for not using "Light" in the name but "Thunderbolt" just sounds stupid.
...and the logo sucks too.
It looks cool aesthetically as-is, but from a design standpoint this seems poorly thought out when it the logo looks too similar to the "danger" voltage signs. *sigh* C'mon Apple, you can do better than this.
Apple would use the ISO 3864 symbol for High Voltage for light peak?
GTFO
You guys should see the german sign for "Danger, High Voltage"
It looks cool aesthetically as-is, but from a design standpoint this seems poorly thought out when it the logo looks too similar to the "danger" voltage signs. *sigh* C'mon Apple, you can do better than this.
The fact that's in in MDP configuration and not USB-style makes it COMPLETELY LAME. I'm sure the throughput will be nice, but I have my MBP plugged into my 27" ACD about 75% of the time. So I can't even use it when it's docked?
LAME.
Mistake.
Next thread.
LAME.
Mistake.
Next thread.
Already been done (but with different physical connector) ExpressCard.
Which is USB merged with PCI-e there is no need to try to mundge it into the USB form factor because it already exists. Plus it is infinitely better to save the physically compatible plugs for upgrades of the protocol (e.g., USB 1.1 -> 2.0 , 2.0 -> 3.0 ) . Not to merge other cruft into it. Once put another protocol on a difference upgrade cycle you are going to block upgrade (again ExpressCard which is stuck on PCI-e v1.0 in deployment while PCI-e v3.0 will be rolling out this Fall. )
this
although that's only partially correct. current lightpeak is based in optic cables but it's not viable market stage right now. that's why apple use the copper version but yes you are correct. why should they call it lightpeak when it is not?
is thunderbolt cheesy? yeah maybe but i believe that in one or two years it's gone and replaced by lightpeak
I've got a better idea. Combine MagSafe, mDP and LightPeak into a single port and call it the MagLink port.
Then, the main peripheral plugged into it would be the Cinema Display which would have many different port type on it.
Then, the main peripheral plugged into it would be the Cinema Display which would have many different port type on it.
daft name, lightpeak sounds much more apple-y...
note to self: thinking differently is not always successful
I doubt they are selling Cinema Displays that much, as they are the same price as a new Apple computer. Anyways, either Apple will make a Thunderbolt -> HDMI/DVI/VGA/Whatever + USB3/FW/Whatever port, some third-party will. Bound to happen.
Thunderbolt = Lame Name
Lately I get the feeling that all those ex-Microsoft people that Apple hired to staff their expanding iGadget workforce brought their lame Microsoft ideas with them.....Thunderbolt is right up there with Zune.
Lately I get the feeling that all those ex-Microsoft people that Apple hired to staff their expanding iGadget workforce brought their lame Microsoft ideas with them.....Thunderbolt is right up there with Zune.
Don't worry, just buy the upcoming revision that will add a DP/LP out to the 27 inch ACD. Who cares if you threw away 1000$ on an obsolete panel, that is the price of progress in our ecosystem.
Since Intel flaked on using fibre, and went with copper instead, there is nothing 'light' about light peak
This is lame.
When I connect my MBP to my LED cinema dispay with MDP it means I am using it as a work station for home/office. The precise time when I would wnat to use a TB peripheral. How can I use that TB peripheral if it is already connected up to my LED cinema display? Ridculous. The whole point of having I/O ports and display ports is to use your portable lap top as a work station, Im not going to be using TB on the go. Combining them is ridiculous. Unless Apple are expecitng you to buy a new cinema display with TB ports on the back of teh new cinema display.
I wonder whether lightpeak in the MDP style connection will be adopted as a universal connection or whether PC users will get a USB style lightpeak connection. I can't see this connection being any more of a success than firewire if pc and mac users have a different connector for lightpeak.