Who still thinks thunderbolt is pointless?

[mohsy90]

Just having a conversation on another thread and I still think that thunderbolt is being shoved down our throats. Even after 1.5yrs there are only a handful of peripherals, most being overpriced external hard drives.

I understand their direction towards professionals, who are really the only ones that may necessitate them, but I still feel like Apple and intel have both failed at this new technology.

 

[pragmatous]

That's how it was with USB.

In the next 3 years as windows PC gains thunderbolt you will be seeing thunderbolt devices at lower cost.

Just having a conversation on another thread and I still think that thunderbolt is being shoved down our throats. Even after 1.5yrs there are only a handful of peripherals, most being overpriced external hard drives.

I understand their direction towards professionals, who are really the only ones that may necessitate them, but I still feel like Apple and intel have both failed at this new technology.

 

[calderone]

Pointless right now? Maybe.

In the future? No.

 

[Andrmgic]

There was also a time that cd burners cost $2,000

Wider adoption will bring prices down.. we've already heard about ultrabooks and tablets at Computex this year that will have thunderbolt ports, PC motherboards are about to be released that have thunderbolt support..

Cheaper cables are undoubtedly coming.

usb 3.0 is an affordable alternative right now.. if you're getting one of the new machines

 

[thejadedmonkey]

Me. And I think Apple is starting to agree, too.

Now that there's HDMI and USB 3.0 on the Macbook Pro, there's no need for TB. The uptake of USB as standard means there's not really any reason to pick the more expensive TB over USB, for 99% of users.

 

[eodp3]

Actually, this means that the RMBP, can have 2 external monitors.. as a dev, 2 big monitors when coding is going to be awesome.
the old single tb port MBP could only have 1 external... unless you went with the hokey monitor via USB option.. ugh.
edit: wait.. 3 monitors with the HDMI port... woot.

 

[that1guyy]

Me. And I think Apple is starting to agree, too.

Now that there's HDMI and USB 3.0 on the Macbook Pro, there's no need for TB. The uptake of USB as standard means there's not really any reason to pick the more expensive TB over USB, for 99% of users.

They put two thunderbolt ports on their new macs. No, they don't agree with you.

 

[farmermac]

Just like FireWire and ping never caught on, thunderbolt is doa.

USB 3.0 is easier to implement and already ubiquitous. A cable comes with every device for free.

Think about it...just the fricking thunderbolt cable is $50

 

[Eddyisgreat]

Just like FireWire and ping never caught on, thunderbolt is doa.

Firewire and ping? Are you serious? Why would Apple build a thunderbolt to firewire port if no one would use it?

Thunderbolt is protocol agnostic. AS you see with firewire and ethernet, a thunderbolt port can be whatever anyone wants it to be. Displays, hard drives, expansion bases, firewire, ethernet, heck it can have USB 3.0 as well. USB Never has and never will have that type of flexibility. It's not what it's for.

 

[therealseebs]

Me. And I think Apple is starting to agree, too.

Now that there's HDMI and USB 3.0 on the Macbook Pro, there's no need for TB. The uptake of USB as standard means there's not really any reason to pick the more expensive TB over USB, for 99% of users.

This is just plain not true, just as it was never, ever, true that there was no reason to pick firewire over USB2.

Thunderbolt is WAY faster, and has a lot of qualities which make it a much more suitable bus.

Look at it this way: Do you see AMD and nVidia making USB-based video cards? No. You see them making PCI Express video cards. And that is because PCI Express is way, way, better than USB. And Thunderbolt is, effectively, PCI Express.

That many users will not understand why they benefit from a different bus, and will thus pick something that sucks, and get horrible performance as a result, doesn't mean there's no benefit to be had, it just means that people are dumb.

I have my complaints about Apple's direction, but the shift towards including and using Thunderbolt isn't one of them.

 

[Mr MM]

Me. And I think Apple is starting to agree, too.

Now that there's HDMI and USB 3.0 on the Macbook Pro, there's no need for TB. The uptake of USB as standard means there's not really any reason to pick the more expensive TB over USB, for 99% of users.

errr given that they put TWO thunderbolt ports in there, I hardly think that apple is agreeing with you.

HDMI was unexpected, however USB3 was completely expected.

 

[mohsy90]

Actually, this means that the RMBP, can have 2 external monitors.. as a dev, 2 big monitors when coding is going to be awesome.
the old single tb port MBP could only have 1 external... unless you went with the hokey monitor via USB option.. ugh.
edit: wait.. 3 monitors with the HDMI port... woot.

They already had daisy chain, with two Tb ports all your saving is that extra Tb cable you would've had to buy

 

[Krazy Bill]

They put two thunderbolt ports on their new macs. No, they don't agree with you.

Only the 15" has dual TB ports. And it should if they keep touting it as a video editing machine where dual monitors are pretty standard. The next iteration of the 13" Mac will only have 1 though.

And PC makers have no desire to adopt and promote TB tech just to make Apple's products more useful.

 

[TSE]

Thunderbolt will gain ground once PCs get it. Which is occurring.

It's capabilities are endless, really. It's a flexible input and output.

 

[Acidsplat]

For right now, Thunderbolt is a little ahead of its time. Peripherals designed for it are still very expensive, and I believe a majority of people will stick with USB 2 because, unfortunately, it has been around for a long time, so they may not know any difference. It still pains me to see people buying HDTVs and not using the HD channels on their cable box, or using DVDs instead of blu-ray. People only use what they know.

Now that USB 3 is integrated into the latest machines, it also is a blow to the advantages of Thunderbolt's speed (for everyday users). However, devices such as external PCI cards, and adapters will find their home here.

Intel needs to be more aggressive in promoting it, so computer manufacturers will want to put it in. If more manufacturers integrate it, the audience that can actually use it will grow. If more people start using it, the more peripherals that will be designed for it, which in turn causes more competition, which then lowers prices.

Will Thunderbolt become FireWire Part II? We'll see. But Thunderbolt is more useful than just for transferring speed. PCI cards will feel right at home, especially for laptops.

 

[nuckinfutz]

You guys are ****ing clueless. Reading your posts is like reading the Rain Man posting. Who let Bubba Gump start posting?

Thunderbolt is PCI-Express moved to an external connection of which Intel controls. How exactly is it going to fail?

 

[Mr MM]

You guys are ****ing clueless. Reading your posts is like reading the Rain Man posting. Who let Bubba Gump start posting?

Thunderbolt is PCI-Express moved to an external connection of which Intel controls. How exactly is it going to fail?

Indeed! I just want more dock options and higher bandwidth, much like the tech demo that intel did at computex using a s430 connected to several peripherals.

Just connect one cable and suddenly you have a desktop power in what was a ultra mobile notebook

 

[mohsy90]

For right now, Thunderbolt is a little ahead of its time. Peripherals designed for it are still very expensive, and I believe a majority of people will stick with USB 2 because, unfortunately, it has been around for a long time, so they may not know any difference. It still pains me to see people buying HDTVs and not using the HD channels on their cable box, or using DVDs instead of blu-ray. People only use what they know.

Now that USB 3 is integrated into the latest machines, it also is a blow to the advantages of Thunderbolt's speed (for everyday users). However, devices such as external PCI cards, and adapters will find their home here.

Intel needs to be more aggressive in promoting it, so computer manufacturers will want to put it in. If more manufacturers integrate it, the audience that can actually use it will grow. If more people start using it, the more peripherals that will be designed for it, which in turn causes more competition, which then lowers prices.

Will Thunderbolt become FireWire Part II? We'll see. But Thunderbolt is more useful than just for transferring speed. PCI cards will feel right at home, especially for laptops.

Agreed! I love the technology but Im upset at the lack of peripherals and the price of those peripherals.

 

[nuckinfutz]

USB 3 is barely sufficient for high end asychronous data.

Not everything has to be wal*mart cheap folks.

 

[Acidsplat]

USB 3 is barely sufficient for high end asychronous data.

Not everything has to be wal*mart cheap folks.

I was speaking for everyday users. USB 3 will suffice just fine for them. Thunderbolt obviously has a different use market, at the moment.

 

[theSeb]

Just because something is too expensive for you or not useful does not automatically make it pointless. There are many useful peripherals out there already and more on the way. Now that Apple's exclusivity is over we have pc motherboard manufacturers adding TB. The future is very bright. It does not replace USB. That's not what it was designed for. You will all stop complaining when in the future it will be faster and you'll be connecting to a dock with a powerful GPU and lots of other ports. The possibilities are endless and damn exciting.

 

[therealseebs]

They already had daisy chain, with two Tb ports all your saving is that extra Tb cable you would've had to buy

This is not true. Thunderbolt's bandwidth is finite, and it is VERY easy to imagine applications where you would not have enough bandwidth to run two things simultaneously off a single port.

SCSI, USB, and FireWire all daisy-chain, too, but in each case, it is easy to find cases where it is highly desireable to have multiple distinct ports instead of only one.

 

[MH01]

You guys are ****ing clueless. Reading your posts is like reading the Rain Man posting. Who let Bubba Gump start posting?

Thunderbolt is PCI-Express moved to an external connection of which Intel controls. How exactly is it going to fail?

Try cost .

It's a ****ing useless port for me given the cost of TB accessories v USB . Could
careless about the future. Last 2 years and at present it's a bloody ripoff !

 

[mohsy90]

Just because something is too expensive for you or not useful does not automatically make it pointless. There are many useful peripherals out there already and more on the way. Now that Apple's exclusivity is over we have pc motherboard manufacturers adding TB. The future is very bright. It does not replace USB. That's not what it was designed for. You will all stop complaining when in the future it will be faster and you'll be connecting to a dock with a powerful GPU and lots of other ports. The possibilities are endless and damn exciting.

I don't think the technology itself is pointless, I just find the lack of peripherals frustrating. Apple implements 2 new thunderbolt ports that I likely won't use that's why I'm saying it's (currently) pointless for the majority. Definitely will be a game changer if intel pushes it and gets it on PCs and actually give an incentive to companies to build products for it.

 

[theSeb]

Only the 15" has dual TB ports. And it should if they keep touting it as a video editing machine where dual monitors are pretty standard. The next iteration of the 13" Mac will only have 1 though.

And PC makers have no desire to adopt and promote TB tech just to make Apple's products more useful.

Where do you get your information from? Apple's products? Thunderbolt is Intel's technology. Apple consulted on it and helped to integrate the mini display port into it. As part of the deal Apple got a year of exclusivity. That year is now over and mother board manufacturers are adding TB to their latest models. Some are even releasing add on daughter cards for their previous models. The pc world is abuzz.