Thunderbolt-enabled Storage

Post by Marc Loftus

By working together, Intel and Apple were able to bring to market Thunderbolt, a new, high-speed I/O technology that offers bi-directional, dual-channel, 10Gb per second performance using a single cable. It is a dual-protocol technology, working with PCI Express and DisplayPort devices.

Thunderbolt products require a controller chip, supplied by Intel (www.intel.com), and a small connector. Apple has already included Thunderbolt in its MacBook Pro and iMac products, and Intel is working with component manufacturers to deliver connectors and cables that will be compatible with PC products.

This month, Post spoke with a number of manufacturers working in the storage realm that have already committed to delivering Thunderbolt-enabled products. And while they were still in development at press time, you can expect to see some of them later this summer.

G-TECHNOLOGY

“We absolutely have plans for Thunderbolt,” says Pete Schlatter director of business development, professional products for G-Technology, based in Culver City, CA. “G-Tech — being a Mac-focused, content creation-focused company — we certainly see the advantages of having that nice fat pipe from storage to the system, especially on a laptop and for the portable market.” read more...