Intel announces Thunderbolt, formerly known as Light Peak

[NEP]

Intel has unveiled their latest hardware addition to computers, dubbed Thunderbolt. Some of you may know it as "Light Peak", which can transfer data between two computers at blazing fast speeds.

Thunderbolt can handle up to 10Gbps dual-channel, per port, and is bi-directional, meaning you don't need to worry which end is which. With such fast speeds, the name definitely lives up to its data rates that are as fast as 10Gbps. Intel claims you can transfer a full-length HD movie in less than 30 seconds, and backup an entire year of continuous MP3 playback in just under 10 minutes.

As Apple unveiled their new line of MacBook Pros today, you may notice that these are the first portable laptop with this technology built-in. The thunderbolt technology is available on all three models of the new MacBook Pro, which sits alongside two USB 2.0 ports and a FireWire 800 port.

Thunderbolt is expected to launch of a variety of consumer electronics in the near future, including desktops, laptops, and high-definition televisions. Thunderbolt promises to deliver professional audio and video with very low latency and highly accurate time synchronization. Thunderbolt is the all-in-one cable that can supply a variety of different uses, including sharing video, networking, and video playback.

Intel announced that Thunderbolt will be compatible with DisplayPort devices, so consumers won't need to buy a new device to take advantage of this new technology.

Check out this "Light Peak" (Thunderbolt) demo by Intel below:



Source: Neowin.net

[NEP]

Theoretical max bandwidth breakdown:

FireWire 1394b - 800Mb/sec
USB 2.0 480 Mb/sec
USB 3.0 5.0Gbit/sec (@SS)
SATA 6Gbit/s
Light Peak 10Gbit/sec
PCI Express 2.x 64Gb/sec
PCI Express 3.0 128Gb/sec