[OPLIN 4cast] OPLIN 4Cast #268: Thunderbolt is coming

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OPLIN 4Cast

OPLIN 4Cast #268: Thunderbolt is coming
February 8th, 2012

<http://www.oplin.org/4cast/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/thunderbolt-logo.png>Be 
warned, this post is a little heavier on technical jargon than our usual 
posts because it's about an emerging technology, called Thunderbolt, 
that you may want to know about next time you buy new computers for your 
library. Thunderbolt has been available commercially in some Apple 
products for about a year now, and at last month's Consumer Electronics 
Show (CES), a few devices from other companies began to appear. 
Thunderbolt is a connection technology, like USB, but unlike USB it can 
(eventually) use fiber optic connections and can supposedly support real 
throughput speeds of 10 Gbps, about 20 times the theoretical top speed 
of USB 2.0. At that speed, you could copy a high-definition movie in 
about 30 seconds. It can also support more than one connection at a 
time. Thunderbolt is currently still pretty expensive and is used mostly 
for high speed transfers between computers and data storage devices, or 
between computers and high-definition monitors. But as is the case with 
all new technology, the price will come down, and you may someday have 
patrons asking if your library computers can connect with their 
Thunderbolt mobile storage devices.

    * Ultrabooks will be zapped by Thunderbolt in 2Q12
      <http://www.tomshardware.com/news/ultrabook-thunderbolt-ivy-bridge-usb-3.0-displayport,14527.html>
      (Tom's Hardware/Kevin Parrish) "So what's the big deal with
      Thunderbolt? We've covered every aspect of this tech for quite a
      while, but for the uninitiated, it allows multiple connections via
      one port, supporting both PCI-Express data transmissions and
      DisplayPort image/video transmissions. This will likely open the
      door to incredible upgrade options without having to purchase a
      new ultrabook or laptop. Paying the extra price for Thunderbolt
      will undoubtedly be worth the money in the long run."
    * Is 2012 the year of Thunderbolt? CES analysis
      <http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/gadgets/news/is-2012-the-year-of-thunderbolt-ces-analysis-6635545>
      (Popular Mechanics/Kyle VanHemert) "For now, Thunderbolt largely
      remains the province of audio/visual professionals - those who
      need to move serious amounts of data on and off their machines
      every day, and for whom latency is a serious concern. Is 2012 the
      year of Thunderbolt? Not quite."
    * Thunderbolt: Ahead of its time or wave of the future?
      <http://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/thunderbolt-ahead-of-its-time-or-wave-of-the-future/>
      (Premiumbeat.com/Ashley Kennedy) "Thunderbolt's technology
      currently relies on additional processing chips that must be on an
      Intel motherboard, and building in these additional hardware
      designs (instead of just a software upgrade) will take time for
      manufacturers to totally redesign and retool their products. And
      that sort of hump could certainly prevent both manufacturers and
      users from making the jump right away."
    * Will 2012 be Thunderbolt's year? Devices arrive in force at CES
      <http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2012/01/will-2012-be-thunderbolts-year-devices-arrive-in-force-at-ces.ars>
      (ArsTechnica/Chris Foresman) "One vendor told Ars that supply of
      Thunderbolt controllers has been constrained somewhat as Apple was
      typically first in line to get them, with certain storage vendors
      then getting access, and others in line after that. We know that
      next-generation Thunderbolt controllers should be available around
      the second quarter of this year when Ivy Bridge launches, and that
      Intel plans an 'official' launch of general Thunderbolt
      availability then."

*/Cable fact:/*

Currently available Thunderbolt cables cost about $50, mostly because 
they are "active" cables that have a silicon chip embedded in the end of 
the cable to boost performance.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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