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Closer Look Photo of Thunderbolt (Light Peak) Port
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this was supposed to be the lightpeak connector!
- physically compatible with USB-Ports, so save port-space!
now what? How are we gonna get access to fast standard Harddrive enclosures - most don't have Firewire and Apple gives us no eSATA, no USB3. Do they really think that those manufacturers will implement yet another physical port? With a USB-compatible jack they might have but like this? Never!
Plus, Apple could have offered us TWO LightPeak ports + 2 USBx Ports with no extra space!
I won't believe this until it's out - and then I'll shake my head hard!
you saved me from having to type the same sentiments... this makes no sense what so ever...
Cool so now I can plug in my external hard drive, digital camera, camcorder...wait...no I can't.
this was supposed to be the lightpeak connector!
- physically compatible with USB-Ports, so save port-space!
now what? How are we gonna get access to fast standard Harddrive enclosures - most don't have Firewire and Apple gives us no eSATA, no USB3. Do they really think that those manufacturers will implement yet another physical port? With a USB-compatible jack they might have but like this? Never!
Plus, Apple could have offered us TWO LightPeak ports + 2 USBx Ports with no extra space!
I won't believe this until it's out - and then I'll shake my head hard!
Actually, that was one design consideration Intel was tossing around. Truth be told, I'd be happy to see the rectangular USB port go. The symmetrical-but-not-really-symmetrical shape has been a pain in my butt for years... once, I even fried a laptop during a late night, drunken stuper when I forced a mouse in upside down...
Thunderbolt? Seriously? That's the best name Apple could come up with? Oh lawdy we're in trouble!
I can't really get excited over a port. The i5 is what excites me the most, but the intel graphics seem like a step backwards (I could be wrong). Oh well, I've decided I'll never buy another MacBook Pro anyways. After using the 11 inch MBA, I think it'll be the only Mac laptops I buy from here on out. That combined with an iMac is perfection for me. 
Still, I can't wait to see the official reveal for the new MBP. It's always fun reading the forums before a refresh
Still, I can't wait to see the official reveal for the new MBP. It's always fun reading the forums before a refresh
Apple just has to create iPad/iPod/iPhone cords compatible with it and up, up, and away it goes.
@MR:
Show me the REAL (!) photos of some semiconductors which implement LP/TB! It should be not too difficult to open one of these MB(P)s.
Show me the REAL (!) photos of some semiconductors which implement LP/TB! It should be not too difficult to open one of these MB(P)s.
this was supposed to be the lightpeak connector!
- physically compatible with USB-Ports, so save port-space!
now what? How are we gonna get access to fast standard Harddrive enclosures - most don't have Firewire and Apple gives us no eSATA, no USB3. Do they really think that those manufacturers will implement yet another physical port? With a USB-compatible jack they might have but like this? Never!
Plus, Apple could have offered us TWO LightPeak ports + 2 USBx Ports with no extra space!
I won't believe this until it's out - and then I'll shake my head hard!
Actually, this makes some sense.
Mini DisplayPort is smaller than USB, and already rumored destined for the next iPad. This combination allows the iPad to integrate Apple's implementation of LightPeak as well for no additional space taken up on the device.
Consider also that Apple wants to continue to push the Mini DisplayPort as an 'industry-standard' connector. By being first to commercially implement LightPeak, perhaps they think this will make it easier to push both new technologies.
Imagine future monitors, both Cinema Displays and industry-wide, beginning to implement MDP for video and Light Peak, with I/O hubs in the bezel. It's a one-cable video/I/O connection for both laptops & iPads, in a minimally small connector. Sound like Apple much?
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
I'm also calling this fake. Why would Apple believing that "all laptops are going this way" (referring to the ultra-thin Air design) choose a non-standard jack that is so (relatively) thick/tall? If lightpeak is optical, optical can be pushed through a frighteningly tiny amount of space (meaning the port could be relatively tiny, even if you run some copper along side the optical to cover the need for powering peripherals). Optical can be vertically thinner than the relatively thin port sizes such as USB.
The port for "thunderbolt" (lightpeak) in that image looks like it could be as vertically fat as full size USB port, which doesn't seem to be compatible with the drive to make everything ever-thinner at Apple. It seems like it would only be a short time until the thunderbolt port could not fit on the side of the laptop case anymore (too thick). And if this port is going to be the "everything" port, how do you make it fit onto an iPhone, iPod, iPad, etc (and with the idevices, note that Apple chose the current thin & wide port design for a reason that this speculated port seems to forget)
My perception would be that if Apple is going to drive the design of the port itself, they would choose to make it very (vertically) thin (and wider if necessary to accommodate a thin vertical profile). I would expect something more like mini-usb or micro-usb (even SD media card slot thicknesses) rather than something that is as vertically fat as mini-display port. I would imagine measurements of just a millimeter or three max, not something close to a centimeter+.
How many generations of the "Air" are we from ports like mini-display port and ethernet being too (vertically) thick to fit anywhere on the sides of the case?
The port for "thunderbolt" (lightpeak) in that image looks like it could be as vertically fat as full size USB port, which doesn't seem to be compatible with the drive to make everything ever-thinner at Apple. It seems like it would only be a short time until the thunderbolt port could not fit on the side of the laptop case anymore (too thick). And if this port is going to be the "everything" port, how do you make it fit onto an iPhone, iPod, iPad, etc (and with the idevices, note that Apple chose the current thin & wide port design for a reason that this speculated port seems to forget)
My perception would be that if Apple is going to drive the design of the port itself, they would choose to make it very (vertically) thin (and wider if necessary to accommodate a thin vertical profile). I would expect something more like mini-usb or micro-usb (even SD media card slot thicknesses) rather than something that is as vertically fat as mini-display port. I would imagine measurements of just a millimeter or three max, not something close to a centimeter+.
How many generations of the "Air" are we from ports like mini-display port and ethernet being too (vertically) thick to fit anywhere on the sides of the case?
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I can agree on the suboptimal design of those USB-connectors, totally sympathize. BUT this is the de-facto standard! What Apple does here (if true) is make us users suffer for their plan to implement their own standard. Would it be better in the end? Sure, smaller footprint, easy to orient connector, faster GREAT! But what happens in the 3 years it would take to implement this?
I can only imagine this to be true if Intel will announce that their Lightpeak Port is going to use the miniDP Layout as well! BUT (another one), even if that were the case, why this name "tunderbolt"? In order to not confuse people, Intel would also have to name it like that - and this I can't believe!
Ehm... funny. You really think they'll offer both (USB and TB=thunderbolt) ports via the dock-connector and then one day drop USB-support with all PC users and users of older Macs not being able to connect their phone?
Hardly believeable!
My guess is they will release a new version of the mini-dp adapter. One that includes an extra thunderbolt port next to the dvi output.
Wow really tempting as the specs for the 13" look really good. Curious as to what the 15" brings to the table.
The HTC ThuderBolt hasn't made its way to Germany yet. HTC doesn't have it on their German webpage.
Its a display port
Not to mention that it looks identical to a display port. Don't you think that with all Apple's design savvy that they would have designed an adapter that would not look EXACTLY like a display port? It may be confirmed that Lightpeak is coming, but this photo is a fake.
Not to mention that it looks identical to a display port. Don't you think that with all Apple's design savvy that they would have designed an adapter that would not look EXACTLY like a display port? It may be confirmed that Lightpeak is coming, but this photo is a fake.