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.
Thunderbolt 2?
- Thread starter rtrueman
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I did think it was weird that they just introduced the new iMacs with Thunderbolt 1, and now the new Macbooks have Thunderbolt 2. I was going to buy a new iMac. I hope they silently upgrade them. But they probably won't.
Existing Thunderbolt cables and external Thunderbolt drives work fine on Thunderbolt 2; no additional performance, though.
To take advantage of Thunderbolt 2 performance requires devices designed for the Thunderbolt 2 ports.
Cables are the same, regardless. Thunderbolt 2 controller simply bonds the 2 bi-directional 10Gbps channels into one 20Gbps channel for compatible Thunderbolt 2 devices.
That being said, the new Macbook Pros look mighty fine - dual Thunderbolt 2 ports + PCIe SSD + USB 3.0; all for a very good price!
One difference from the iMac is that the i5 base configs are only dual-core; they are quad core in the iMac.
To take advantage of Thunderbolt 2 performance requires devices designed for the Thunderbolt 2 ports.
Cables are the same, regardless. Thunderbolt 2 controller simply bonds the 2 bi-directional 10Gbps channels into one 20Gbps channel for compatible Thunderbolt 2 devices.
That being said, the new Macbook Pros look mighty fine - dual Thunderbolt 2 ports + PCIe SSD + USB 3.0; all for a very good price!
One difference from the iMac is that the i5 base configs are only dual-core; they are quad core in the iMac.
Last edited:
My thought is they're just preparing the macbook pro to be able to hook into the new thunderbolt display (whenever that is).
Maybe the new display is just same resolution as current iMac and they didn't say anything about it today b/c people would have been expecting a 4K display. Could have a silent release in December when Mac Pros ship. *shrugs*
Curious if Mini when updated will get T2 output though...
Maybe the new display is just same resolution as current iMac and they didn't say anything about it today b/c people would have been expecting a 4K display. Could have a silent release in December when Mac Pros ship. *shrugs*
Curious if Mini when updated will get T2 output though...
Great point. Agree, I think apple will drop a 4k display which iMac users won't obviously needs and why the omission of TB2
I still have no clue what thunderbolt is really for. All I see is Lacie external drives and apple display. Everyone else is still going for USB 3.0 and HDMI/DVI for display. I get the feeling thunderbolt is a "fad". I don't think I'll see any "Thunderbolt thumb drive", thunderbolt mouse and keyboard, or any commonly accepted standard devices. I feel it's a one trick pony that will fad away like firewire. Hopefully not, maybe it's still new, but I don't see people leaving USB anytime soon. Seeing 6 of them on the Mac Pro just makes me think "What a waste of money and port spaces for more USB 3.0 devices".
How about eSATA? I have some of those ports even on my custom PC (motherboard and case) and they never get any use. External storage? Got USB 3.0 for that, which is more common.
How about eSATA? I have some of those ports even on my custom PC (motherboard and case) and they never get any use. External storage? Got USB 3.0 for that, which is more common.
Last edited:
That's just ridiculous.
Of course you wont see any thunderbolt thumb drive, mouse or keyboard. Those devices have no need for thunderbolt and thunderbolt has no need for them, that's not what thunderbolt was trying to achieve.
This is what it is for, this is a page full of thunderbolt products.
https://thunderbolttechnology.net/products?tid=8&field_company_nid=All&field_prod_os_value_many_to_one=All
Well, I'm somewhat surprised that the MacBook Pros got TB2 and hope the iMac gets a silent upgrade. I think there's enough power in the iMac to make that a decent power-user machine and TB2 would provide a little more future-proofing. Of course I think I just want the latest and greatest even though I have no current need for it. TB, as shown by a number of folks in the forums, works really well for high-bandwidth applications, especially external storage arrays with the right enclosure. That's what I'd be interested in long term as I have a significant photo library stored on Firewire drives (*yack*). They are slooow forcing me to import and edit on my local ssd and copy to the externals for archiving. A new iMac would allow me to invest in a TB HD/SSD array at some point while a new USB 3 would still be faster than what I have now. My little 2008 MBP is ready for retirement and I'm looking to invest in something new.
Two points:
1. If new Mac Mini comes with TB2, iMacs will get a silent TB2 update, too.
2. USB3.1 will double its speed in 2014. I hope iMacs will get a TB2 and USB3.1 update silently in early 2014.
Considering how recently the iMac was released, the decision to include TB1 and not TB2 has to have been deliberate and I don't see it being added until the next model refresh at the earliest.
This. Apple has always enjoyed leaving a small trail of breadcrumbs to entice you to their next tier of machine/pricing. TB2 is one of those small differentiators that they do. Assuming the Mac Mini gets a silent refresh in December alongside the Mac Pro, it should be interesting to see whether they get TB2 since they are lower on the pecking order than iMacs but require an external monitor (and obviously Apple will want those users to buy whatever new ones they introduce). My guess is that they will but iMacs won't until the 2014 refresh.