Who still thinks thunderbolt is pointless?

[Krazy Bill]

As part of the deal Apple got a year of [BlunderBolt] exclusivity.

Stop waving your pom poms:

We can think of a pretty good reason why Apple might have a head-start when it comes to Thunderbolt-capable machines, but Apple doesn't actually have a timed exclusive on the technology, at least according to Intel PR.

Yep. Apple had so much faith in TB they adopted USB3.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/24/intel-refutes-apple-exclusivity-for-thunderbolt-i-o-lacie-and-p/

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.

LOL!



http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-57452782-92/can-intels-thunderbolt-go-mainstream-with-help-from-apple-and-acer/

Nobody is saying TB is inferior. It's just too pricey right now and out of reach for most.

 

[theSeb]

Stop waving your pom poms:

We can think of a pretty good reason why Apple might have a head-start when it comes to Thunderbolt-capable machines, but Apple doesn't actually have a timed exclusive on the technology, at least according to Intel PR.

Yep. Apple had so much faith in TB they adopted USB3.

It gets boring to have to repeat this, but TB and USB are not competitors.

Apple did have exclusivity for a year. Your graphs are meaningless when the PC motherboards with TB are only becoming available now, but thanks anyway.

 

[Dangerous Theory]

Stop waving your pom poms:

We can think of a pretty good reason why Apple might have a head-start when it comes to Thunderbolt-capable machines, but Apple doesn't actually have a timed exclusive on the technology, at least according to Intel PR.

Yep. Apple had so much faith in TB they adopted USB3.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/24/intel-refutes-apple-exclusivity-for-thunderbolt-i-o-lacie-and-p/



LOL!

View attachment 343312

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-57452782-92/can-intels-thunderbolt-go-mainstream-with-help-from-apple-and-acer/

Nobody is saying TB is inferior. It's just too pricey right now and out of reach for most.

Haha your post brought a tear to my eye. For some reason that graph is hilarious!

 

[Krazy Bill]

It gets boring to have to repeat this, but TB and USB are not competitors.

So that makes them the same? I can't find anywhere in this discussion where anybody is saying otherwise. What's your point?

And given the lack of TB peripherals for us mere mortals right now, I can't believe you're even arguing this. USB3 will continue to dominate. It's really that simple.

Your graphs are meaningless when the PC motherboards with TB are only becoming available now, but thanks anyway.

They aren't my graphs. The article they are taken from was published today.

"IDC forecasts widespread use -- but still a future in which Thunderbolt is more of a luxury option. "We believe in 2016 it'll still be a premium technology," said IDC analyst Linn Huang, reaching about 15.6 percent of laptops that ship that year."

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-57452782-92/can-intels-thunderbolt-go-mainstream-with-help-from-apple-and-acer/

 

[Adamantoise]

I don't mind TB, I just have no need for it at the moment.

Not until external GPUs become the norm at least.

 

[Fishrrman]

"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 the essence of the argument.

There is no question that Thunderbolt is faster than USB3, and no question that it is superior in other ways, as well.

But this MAKES NO DIFFERENCE insofar as the market is concerned.

What matters more to "the market" is cost and convenience. Compare the cost of a T-bolt external drive, vis-a-vis the cost of a USB3 drive. Cost-wise, which one wins? Which is the "average user" going to buy?

Compare the cost of a T-bolt cable ($50) vis-a-vis the cost of a USB cable (as low as $1). Cost-wise, which one wins? Which is the "average user" going to prefer?

Many if not most of the readers of this post are too young to comprehend the "Beta vs. VHS" struggle of years ago. Sony had the superior technology with its Beta format for tape-based video recorders, but JVC won in the market with VHS (one reason is that VHS, although the picture quality was inferior to Beta, offered longer recording times). In the market VHS won -- and the win was so lopsided that even SONY offered VHS-based video recorders in its later years.

No doubt a few Mac users will have an actual -need- for T-bolt. They will use it.

But for the overwhelming majority of Mac users, USB3 will do "well enough". And that's what they'll buy.

My guess is that unless Apple takes action to drive down the costs of T-bolt to near the costs of USB3 peripherals of the same purpose. we'll see T-bolt "wither away on the vine" in very short order.

Even if that occurs, it may make little difference, and I predict that USB3 will win anyway. Look at firewire800. How many actually use FW800, vs. USB? FW800 is an "established technology", the peripherals are not overly expensive (though they cost more than do USB peripherals of the same purpose). Yet it will soon be eclipsed by USB3.

Superior tech doesn't always triumph uber alles.
In the market, USB3 is the winner.
To deny this is to deny economic reality.

 

[splitpea]

It's about as pointless as USB 1.1 was in 1998 when it was first introduced.

Meaning that it's not pointless at all -- just a chicken-and-egg problem. There aren't many peripherals that support it yet, but that's because computers that offer it are still just being introduced. It won't be long until it's everywhere, and then you'll be glad you've got it.

As soon as there are a decent number of peripherals that support it, it'll be spectacular. Imagine transferring an entire season of TV shows in 1080p from one drive to another in 30 seconds. Or backing up an entire 2TB drive in under 5 minutes.

Also, it can replace multiple USB ports plus video output simultaneously, making single-connector docking stations a reality.

 

[danetello]

It is pretty pointless right now but in a few months or years there would be more thunderbolt devices with a lower price so it may be useful in the future

 

[Eddyisgreat]

Superior tech doesn't always triumph uber alles.
In the market, USB3 is the winner.
To deny this is to deny economic reality.

In the market, this entire argument shouldn't exist.

USB3 can run ON TOP OF Thunderbolt. The two can coexist for shared or different purposes.

 

[nuckinfutz]

Thunderbolt is brilliant but just a bit ahead of it's time. I moved my MacBook Air to my new MacBook Pro retina in 1.5 minutes via Thunderbolt. Damn near fell over watching how fast it worked.

color me green with envy. Congrats on the Retina MBP. It's a beautiful machines. I too have seen a TB to TB transfer and it's amazing. Personally I like the duopoly of USB 3 and TB. They complement each other well.

 

[theSeb]

So that makes them the same?

Now you've lost me. USB 3 will continue to dominate in what it provides. I've never argued otherwise. The topic is "Who thinks Thunderbolt is pointless". I don't think it's pointless and that is my argument. Thunderbolt does not replace USB 3. USB 3 cannot replace Thunderbolt. That's kind of the crux of the matter here.

 

[MisterSensitive]

I look forward to being able to use it more as more peripherals support it.

My dream is a high-end audio interface (RME UFX?) with a T-bolt interface. Hurry up, science!

 

[Doc69]

Thunderbolt is amazing!

I think Thunderbolt is the greatest technology to hit the computer world in years. The ONLY drawback is that it is currently expensive.

How great is it to be able to connect a Thunderbolt enclosure, with multiple hard drives inside, to your laptop, and get the same transfer speeds on the road as when you're on your desktop. I can only saw wow! And then to able to connect anything to it, like your display, FW, USB and PCIe etc. Amazing!

I have 5 HDs in my Mac Pro with over 12TB of total storage space. I can't wait for a naked five or six drive Thunderbolt enclosure to be available at a decent price. The Pegasus enclosure is too expensive for me right now, especially since I already have the HDs, but I'm sure we will see an empty sub $500 4-6 drive enclosure fairly soon.

 

[nuckinfutz]

o "well enough". And that's what they'll buy.

My guess is that unless Apple takes action to drive down the costs of T-bolt to near the costs of USB3 peripherals of the same purpose. we'll see T-bolt "wither away on the vine" in very short order.

Even if that occurs, it may make little difference, and I predict that USB3 will win anyway. Look at firewire800. How may actually use FW800, vs. USB? FW800 is an "established technology", the peripherals are not overly expensive (though they cost more than do USB peripherals of the same purpose). Yet it will soon be eclipsed by USB3.

USB and Thunderbolt are Intel technologies. To presume that TB is just going to dry up and wither away or suffer the same fate as Firewire is missing the target by a mile.

Thunderbolt is the external manifestation of PCI Express the bus that every x86 based uses for motherboard connections. Saying TB is going to die is like saying that SATA is going to die because eSATA hasn't taken the market by storm. Intel will eventually move TB to the PCH Hub ,and like USB 3.0 in Ivy Bridge, everyone will have it.

Because Thunderbolt is PCI Express it means that drivers do not have to change significantly which is why you're seeing items like the Belkin and Matrox offer break out boxes with a bunch of controllers in them. TB is designed to be flexible from a peripheral standpoint although it's not cheap now it will enjoy the same reduction in price that all technologies offer with new iterations.

Firewire was an Apple technology that Intel never brought to motherboard. Comparing Firewire to Thunderbolt is an Apple and Oranges comparison.

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but I'm sure we will see an empty sub $500 4-6 drive enclosure fairly soon.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5956/qnaps-jtb400-a-byod-4bay-thunderbolt-enclosure

 

[Revelation78]

I know things may be hard to see, today, but the future is TB.

Here's an example for you.

Let's say your laptop from work you carry with you home.

Imagine you have a monitor on your desk, your favorite brand/size. (same setup at home and work) Attached to your monitor is an Ethernet cable, hard drives usb2/3 & TB, web cam(if not built into monitor), keyboard and mouse(if not wireless) and any other device you use.

When you get home/to work, you simply plug in 1 TB cable to your laptop and you are ready to go.

With USB2/3 you need to plug in multiples cables, and use numerous hubs to make everything work.

I like the previous example better, don't you?