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Intel to Support Both USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt in 2012 'Ivy Bridge' Platform

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Apr 12, 2001
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CNET reports that Intel has publicly committed to supporting both USB 3.0 and the company's new Thunderbolt connectivity standard developed in cooperation with Apple on its forthcoming "Ivy Bridge" platform due for introduction next year.
"Intel is going to support USB 3.0 in the 2012 client platform. We're going to support Thunderbolt capability. We believe they're complementary," said Kirk Skaugen, a vice president at the Intel Architecture Group, speaking at Intel's developer conference in Beijing today. The event was streamed over the Web.

The "2012 client platform" that Skaugen referred to is known more commonly by the code name "Ivy Bridge," which is the family of chips that will follow the "Sandy Bridge" processors shipping in PCs today.
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USB 3.0 offers ten times the speed of current USB technology, but has not yet been embraced in Intel's current platforms, leaving USB 3.0 compatibility a fairly rare feature for most Intel-based computers given the need to rely on a separate part from NEC rather than having it built directly into Intel's silicon.

Intel is still encouraging peripherals developers to embrace Thunderbolt, which can support data and video on a single cable and made its debut in Apple's new MacBook Pros introduced earlier this year. Notably, Apple was recently granted a patent for a new iOS device dock connector that could support both Thunderbolt/DisplayPort and USB 3.0 connectivity, as well as the existing USB 2.0 standard.

Article Link: Intel to Support Both USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt in 2012 'Ivy Bridge' Platform
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2011/04/14/intel-to-support-both-usb-3-0-and-thunderbolt-in-2012-ivy-bridge-platform/
This is great news! One of the reasons I didn't buy a Sandy Bridge MBP is that I want USB3.

Edit: oops, I shouldn't post in the early hours of the morning
 
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Now that it's part of the platform Apple has no excuse for not including it. However, it wouldn't surprise me to see a MBP with this platform that still only has 2.0 connectors.
 
Thank goodness Intel will be supporting USB3 for our peripherals.

I'm sure I'm not the only one here who is barely tolerating the mouse and keyboard lag from the slower USB2 port.
 
chrmjenkins said:
Now that it's part of the platform Apple has no excuse for not including it. However, it wouldn't surprise me to see a MBP with this platform that still only has 2.0 connectors.
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Well, it would surprise me. USB3.0 and Thunderbolt will come included in Intel''s Ivy Bridge. Apple would have to add more hardware and disable USB 3.0 to make it 2.0 only. Makes zero cents.
 
Capt Underpants said:
I think my next computer will be an Ivy Bridge MBA with Thunderbolt. My 2007 Macbook is getting a bit long in tooth.
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Same thoughts here. My early '08 MBP is starting to really show its' age (especially its' 8600M GT).

mr.steevo said:
Thank goodness Intel will be supporting USB3 for our peripherals.

I'm sure I'm not the only one here who is barely tolerating the mouse and keyboard lag from the slower USB2 port.
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You know that hard drives and other devices see a nice speed gain wi-- never mind, I know you must be joking and know the real benefits of USB 3.

chrmjenkins said:
Now that it's part of the platform Apple has no excuse for not including it. However, it wouldn't surprise me to see a MBP with this platform that still only has 2.0 connectors.
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Heh, that is totally something Apple would manage to do.

"But sir, we can't remove it, it's built into the chipset itself..."
"I don't care, damn it. Re-solder an older chipset on to it then."
"But..." *head asplodes*
 
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I'll have to seriously considering delaying getting a new iMac until 2012 now. I don't want to be caught having to buy more expensive Thunderbolt external drives. Thunderbolt is great only if the drives are no more expensive than USB 3.0 drives.
 
Does this mean I should hold off on getting a 27"iMac this year and wait for the 2012 Refresh instead of the 2011 Refresh? I assume the Sandy Bridge is going in the 2011 Refresh
 
Any thunderbolt -> USB3 adapters out there? be useful for people who have 2011 macbooks...

( I know there's USB3 -> Thunderbolt connectors.. )
 
There is no way Apple would deliberately block/not support USB3 on Mac's is there, to force Apple uses to have to buy Thunderbolt only peripherals and not be able to use cheaper USB3 items?

They would never do that would they?
 
Drat, I just bought a MBP, first laptop upgrade in 4 years :(

Hopefully we get a Thunderbolt-to-USB3 connector.
 
Nice. USB3 on a MBP, all I wanted. My '07 MBP C2D is still running perfectly. It can wait a year for it :) I already have a 2Tb USB3 external HD waiting for it.
 
Stella said:
Any thunderbolt -> USB3 adapters out there? be useful for people who have 2011 macbooks...

( I know there's USB3 -> Thunderbolt connectors.. )
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So where exactly did you find these?

Thunderbolt = 10 Gbps (right now, will scale even larger in the future)
USB 3.0 = 5 Gbps

There will never be a USB 3.0 to Thunderbolt adapter, there will be Thunderbolt to USB 3.0 adapter.


GFLPraxis said:
Drat, I just bought a MBP, first laptop upgrade in 4 years :(

Hopefully we get a Thunderbolt-to-USB3 connector.
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Don't worry, with Thunderbolt you essentially get an endless amount of options of ports. FireWire, USB 1-3, eSata, etc. It's only a matter of time until these adapters enter the market.
 
I do know that USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt are really great, but it bothers me that Apple seems to be abandoning Firewire. I always thought of Firewire as an apple technology. I've read that there are now Firewire 1600 and 3200 technologies.

I do hope that Apple will adopt the new USB standard. I see USB as being much more useful for average users than Thunderbolt. I was really surprised years ago when I found that my new iPod was unable to use the Firewire cable that my first iPod used.
 
We really should be hoping that Thunderbolt succeeds and USB 3 fails. USB has always been a hack for lowest common denominator PCs and PC manufacturers who were not interested in investing in quality external communication.

USB is a poorly designed protocol, and rather than fix it, they have just extended it with USB3, and pretend like it is faster.

In real world use, USB3 is more like 2.5Gbps-- one way.

In real world use, Thunderbolt is 20Gbps-- both directions. (two 10Gbps channels)

This means Thunderbolt is effectively 20 times faster than USB3 -- if you maxed it out. Right now the two are competitive only because we don't have external devices capable of maxing out the bandwidth... but eventually we will.

dubAdub said:
I'll have to seriously considering delaying getting a new iMac until 2012 now. I don't want to be caught having to buy more expensive Thunderbolt external drives. Thunderbolt is great only if the drives are no more expensive than USB 3.0 drives.
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What will be cheaper is whatever is the more popular. Thus we want Intel to delay support for USB3 and give thunderbolt time to be adopted widely. We really need to avoid another Firewire situation here, lest the entire world be held back by a crappy, second rate technology that is ubiquitous.

Look at the price difference of a USB 2 hard drive vs. Firewire- that is purely due to the USB market being bigger, it has no technological reason.

Think about the millions of people copying large files onto 1 or 2TB USB drives and how long they have to wait.... with no advantages of USB over Firewire.

USB2 is not even as fast as Firewire 400, let alone Firewire 800.


GFLPraxis said:
Drat, I just bought a MBP, first laptop upgrade in 4 years :( Hopefully we get a Thunderbolt-to-USB3 connector.
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Those have been announced already at this weeks NAB. Apple will likely include USB3 in their laptops, though.
 
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