Q: Thunderbolt 6 – is there actually going to be a version 6?
What comes after Thunderbolt 5? (sarcasm aside...yes obviously version number "6", lol!)
Given the original Thunderbolt spec (aka "Light Peak") was aimed to reach speeds of 100Gbps over its lifespan of versions, and TB5 already does 80 or 120Gbps (depending on mode), is there another protocol or standard waiting in the wings to take over as the next connection standard? And will it (presumably) remain using the same USB-C as its connector, just as TB3 to TB5 use, too?
Or perhaps more likely, as the spec was made royalty-free and custodianship of the Thunderbolt protocol transferred from Intel to the USB Implementers Forum, perhaps Thunderbolt will be obsoleted as a term, with USB 5 (at whatever speed they can do next) taking over as 'the next port'?
If the dates of previous versions are anything to go by, it may arrive as early as 2027, hence asking the question now.
See below the dates of the previous versions (though sometimes Macs took another year afterwards to get the new ports):
Just wondering if anyone more clued-up about such things can enlighten those of us less knowledgeable on this. Or otherwise, at least it might be an interesting speculation topic for the Apple geeks around here (me included, lol!).
EDIT: On the related topic, one has to wonder if optical Thunderbolt cables (all those typically over 3m max offered by copper) are ever going to arrive, as the last ones available were TB3 40Gbps ones (from Corning et al.).
No TB4 or TB5 optical cables have been released for sale thus far.
What comes after Thunderbolt 5? (sarcasm aside...yes obviously version number "6", lol!)
Given the original Thunderbolt spec (aka "Light Peak") was aimed to reach speeds of 100Gbps over its lifespan of versions, and TB5 already does 80 or 120Gbps (depending on mode), is there another protocol or standard waiting in the wings to take over as the next connection standard? And will it (presumably) remain using the same USB-C as its connector, just as TB3 to TB5 use, too?
Or perhaps more likely, as the spec was made royalty-free and custodianship of the Thunderbolt protocol transferred from Intel to the USB Implementers Forum, perhaps Thunderbolt will be obsoleted as a term, with USB 5 (at whatever speed they can do next) taking over as 'the next port'?
If the dates of previous versions are anything to go by, it may arrive as early as 2027, hence asking the question now.
See below the dates of the previous versions (though sometimes Macs took another year afterwards to get the new ports):
| YEAR | VERSION | CONNECTOR | SPEED | PCIe | OTHER |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | TB1 | miniDP | 20 Gbit/s total (10 Gbit/s each channel) | 2.0 ×4 | DP 1.1a |
| 2 years | |||||
| 2013 | TB2 | miniDP | 20 Gbit/s total | 2.0 ×4 | DP 1.2 |
| 2 years | |||||
| 2015 | TB3 | USB-C | 40 Gbit/s bidirectional | 3.0 ×4 | DP 1.2, USB 3.1 Gen 2 |
| 5 years | |||||
| 2020 | TB4 | USB-C | 40 Gbit/s bidirectional | 3.0 ×4 | DP 2.0, USB4 |
| 3 years | |||||
| 2023 | TB5 | USB-C | 80 Gbit/s bidirectional | 4.0 ×4 | DP 2.1, USB4 |
| ... | |||||
| 4/5 years (?) | |||||
| 2027/8 (?) | TB6 (?) | USB-C (?) | 100/160/200 (?) Gbit/s bidirectional | 5.0 ×4(?) | DP 2.1b (?), USB5 (?) |
Just wondering if anyone more clued-up about such things can enlighten those of us less knowledgeable on this. Or otherwise, at least it might be an interesting speculation topic for the Apple geeks around here (me included, lol!).
EDIT: On the related topic, one has to wonder if optical Thunderbolt cables (all those typically over 3m max offered by copper) are ever going to arrive, as the last ones available were TB3 40Gbps ones (from Corning et al.).
No TB4 or TB5 optical cables have been released for sale thus far.
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