Thunder Road

Splice Vine by Eric Wise

It’s strange how Apple appears to be pulling back from the professional software space but continues to push the professional hardware space to its’ limits. That’s what they’ve been doing with Thunderbolt. If you haven’t already heard, Thunderbolt technology is a new, high-speed, dual-protocol I/O technology designed for performance, simplicity, and flexibility. It was developed by Intel but brought to market with a collaboration from Apple. You can see more information on the Intel Thunderbolt page.

What are the key features?

• Dual-channel 10 Gbps per port
• Bi-directional
• Dual-protocol (PCI Express* and DisplayPort*)
• Compatible with existing DisplayPort devices
• Daisy-chained devices
• Electrical or optical cables
• Low latency with highly accurate time synchronization
• Uses native protocol software drivers
• Power over cable for bus-powered devices

Thunderbolt is fast. 10 times as fast as Firewire 800 and twice as fast as the newly released USB 3.0 technology. read more...