Windows PC makers demonstrate Thunderbolt support for 2012 debut

Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
PC makers Acer and Asustek have joined Apple in announcing support for Intel's Thunderbolt high speed data interconnect, saying they will add the technology to PCs next year.



Intel noted the two companies as new adopters of Thunderbolt standard at its Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco today, demonstrating the technology working on a Windows PC, according to report by PC World.



Acer and Asustek have previously bet on netbooks, but Acer, the fifth largest PC maker worldwide after HP, Dell, Apple and Toshiba, saw its sales contract by more than 25 percent over the last year as the market for netbooks as collapsed in the wake of iPad. Both companies are now working with Intel to develop "ultrabooks" similar to Apple's wildly successful MacBook Air line.



Thunderbolt, which combines DisplayPort video and PCI Express on a single cable, has been essentially exclusive to Apple throughout 2011. The Mac maker first announced the port on MacBook Pros in the spring, and then brought it to the Mac mini, iMac and MacBook Air this summer.



HP, the world's largest PC maker, discounted the standard in May, with its worldwide marketing manager Xavier Lauwaert saying at the time, "We did look at [Thunderbolt]. We're still looking into it. Haven't found a value proposition yet."



Lauwaert said PC makers were "content" with USB 3.0, characterizing Thunderbolt as a "more fancy solution" that HP is "not convinced" it should pursue. HP is currently determining whether to spin off its PC group or sell it to another company.



Sony announced a high end notebook in June which incorporated a proprietary version of the technology in its docking station, but is not branded as Thunderbolt nor physically compatible with existing Thunderbolt cables.



Apple has filed a trademark on the Thunderbolt name and logo, though the Mac maker will eventually transfer the rights to Intel.



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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 29
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    Lauwaert said PC makers were "content" with USB 3.0, characterizing Thunderbolt as a "more fancy solution" that HP is "not convinced" it should pursue. HP is currently determining whether to spin off its PC group or sell it to another company.



    I see what you did there, Daniel.
  • Reply 2 of 29
    jragostajragosta Posts: 10,473member
    I just hope they do the right thing and everyone settles on one cable/connection standard.
  • Reply 3 of 29
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Where are the people saying that Thunderbolt is just another FireWire?
  • Reply 4 of 29
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post




    PC makers Acer and Asustek have joined Apple in announcing support for Intel's Thunderbolt ...



    Acer and Asustek have previously bet on netbooks...as the market for netbooks as collapsed





    Uh oh. They bet on netbooks, and now they bet on Thunderbolt. Not a particularly ringing endorsement of Apple's new tech, eh?
  • Reply 5 of 29
    jd_in_sbjd_in_sb Posts: 1,600member
    Time will tell if the public prefers backward compatibility (USB 3.0) to higher speed (Thunderbolt). Superior technology is frequently slain by the ubiquitous.
  • Reply 6 of 29
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ConradJoe View Post


    Uh oh. They bet on netbooks, and now they bet on Thunderbolt. Not a particularly ringing endorsement of Apple's new tech, eh?



    On the contrary... Apple never bet on netbooks knowing they weren't worth it. Acer and Asustek having one failure under their belt have decided to go with the winning team this time.
  • Reply 7 of 29
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jd_in_sb View Post


    Time will tell if the public prefers backward compatibility (USB 3.0) to higher speed (Thunderbolt). Many a superior technology has been slain by the ubiquitous.



    But they're not mutually exclusive, and with Intel supporting both and an external display port one of those requirements that oft go unused having Thunderbolt seems like something that will catch on.
  • Reply 8 of 29
    jd_in_sbjd_in_sb Posts: 1,600member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    But they're not mutually exclusive, and with Intel supporting both and an external display port one of those requirements that oft go unused having Thunderbolt seems like something that will catch on.



    I hope it does. I am all for discarding older standards (i.e. Flash).
  • Reply 9 of 29
    Having used Firewire when it first came out, and loved it in my niche, I have been trialling Thunderbolt Pegasus R6 Raid on my desk to my macbook pro this week. In my report to management, I resorted to calling it "STUPENDOUSLY FAST" as "610MB/s write speeds" didn't seem to really convey how fricking awesome this box is. No matter how many other people use it, I am, and it will rock my world. I don't care if even one other person uses it ;-)
  • Reply 10 of 29
    2oh12oh1 Posts: 503member
    This is good news for any of us who bought new Macs.
  • Reply 11 of 29
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jd_in_sb View Post


    Time will tell if the public prefers backward compatibility (USB 3.0) to higher speed (Thunderbolt). Superior technology is frequently slain by the ubiquitous.



    In a way, Thunderbolt is more backwards compatible than USB3.0, as it floats an entire PCIE channel over the wire. Virtually every peripheral that can be put on the motherboard can now be put on the far end of a Thunderbolt link, including a set of USB3.0 ports.
  • Reply 12 of 29
    jd_in_sbjd_in_sb Posts: 1,600member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by bsimpsen View Post


    In a way, Thunderbolt is more backwards compatible than USB3.0, as it floats an entire PCIE channel over the wire. Virtually every peripheral that can be put on the motherboard can now be put on the far end of a Thunderbolt link, including a set of USB3.0 ports.



    I hadn't thought about it that way. You have made a very compelling argument for Thunderbolt's potential success.
  • Reply 13 of 29
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jd_in_sb View Post


    I hadn't thought about it that way. You have made a very compelling argument for Thunderbolt's potential success.



    It makes Thunderbolt the perfect solution for a complete docking station, see the Apple Thunderbolt display with USB, Firewire, Ethernet, Sound, Video feed and Display in one cable.
  • Reply 14 of 29
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jd_in_sb View Post


    Time will tell if the public prefers backward compatibility (USB 3.0) to higher speed (Thunderbolt). Superior technology is frequently slain by the ubiquitous.



    USB 3.0 is an interface. Thunderbolt is an interconnect.



    You might as well say "people want USB, not PCI."



    FW and USB were somewhat comparable. Thunderbolt is one port that delivers video output (to multiple displays), supports extremely high data connections to external disks, and works like an expansion dock for connecting everything from Gigabit Ethernet to external video cards.



    PC makers don't have to embrace Thunderbolt for it to be successful. In fact, most won't because $500 PCs and $300 netbooks don't need a fast interconnect. Thunderbolt will serve to distinguish computers worthy of a $1000+ price tag, a market Apple already dominates.
  • Reply 15 of 29
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    Where are the people saying that Thunderbolt is just another FireWire?



    There.
  • Reply 16 of 29
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Corrections View Post


    USB 3.0 is an interface. Thunderbolt is an interconnect.



    That's a great statement.
  • Reply 17 of 29
    haggarhaggar Posts: 1,568member
    Quote:

    Acer and Asustek have previously bet on netbooks, but Acer, the fifth largest PC maker worldwide after HP, Dell, Apple and Toshiba, saw its sales contract by more than 25 percent over the last year as the market for netbooks as collapsed in the wake of iPad.



    Mac users start referring to a Mac as a "PC" when it is convenient to.
  • Reply 18 of 29
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Haggar View Post


    Mac users start referring to a Mac as a "PC" when it is convenient to.



    Since when are Macs not personal computers? Since when have they not been included in personal computer sales? Since when they have not competed with personal computer sales?
  • Reply 19 of 29
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    Since are Macs not personal computers? Since when have they not been included in personal computer sales? Since when they have not competed with personal computer sales?



    Is? HEY, you changed your post! You can't get in trouble for telling the truth. I don't think I've ever seen an infraction put in place for breaking the rules against a blatant troll.
  • Reply 20 of 29
    Why are so many people hell bent on declaring that there must be one winner? Why can't we just have both?



    Devices like the Sony Vaio Z and the Pegasus R4 clearly show functionality of Thunderbolt that USB3 simply can't do.



    However putting an expensive Thunderbolt controller in something like a mouse, keyboard SD card reader or cheap flash drive is pointless.



    Obviously the technologies overlap in some points (like a single external hard drive) but I see them largely as complimentary technologies.
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