If you are like me then you understand how frustrating it can be to have a desktop computer with all of those wires running out the back. USB, Ethernet, Firewire, and who knows what else depending on what you have your rig set up to do, and each and every one seems to have its own unique cable. And of course, because the cables are all designed differently, you can't use a USB cable in a Firewire port, and vice versa.
Well one new interface hopes to change all that. Say hello to Thunderbolt. With its projected speeds of up to 10Gbps, it cannot only handle multiple HD streams simultaneously, but you should be able to do that while backing up all of your music collection and all of your pictures, all at the same time. Plus, the cable is bi-directional, and has the possibilities of completely replacing all of the above mentioned cables along with DisplayPort, and VGA connections as well.
What's the catch you say? Well here it is. First, it's not truly a broad spectrum standard just yet. Apple has the rights to it for now, so unless you plan on getting a brand new Mac Book Pro, then you aren't even going to see a thunderbolt port to begin with. Also, only a few companies, around a dozen or so, are making accessories for the new interface currently. LaCie has an external HD named "Little Big Disk" but isn't releasing yet what the respective storage options will be.
However camera maker Canon has said that it will be integrating Thunderbolt into some of its future product lines. This will be a wonderful addition for those enthusiasts who like to shoot both RAW photos and 1080p HD video, as you will not have to wait long periods of time to transfer all of your data from point A to point B. Plus, it may be that Cannon will be able to reduce the over all camera size since they will be able to transfer multiple file types; photo, video, and audio, seamlessly cross one cable.
One other interesting thing about this new interface is that you can't simply buy an adapter to retro-fit your old rig to meet this new standard. This is because the Thunderbolt chips need a direct line to both the system's video and PCI express hardware.
So, will Thunderbolt electrocute the competition and reign over the interface realm the same way Blu-ray took over in the DVD realm? That remains to be seen, but if done correctly, at the very least, it could be possible that we see a new contender in the ring.
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