The $ 250 OWC Thunderbolt 4 dock has three usable Thunderbolt ports on the front. Thunderbolt 3 devices can only have one extra port. It also has ports for USB-A, Ethernet, 3.5mm audio cables and an SD card.
Stephen Shankland / CNET
Thunderbolt, Intel’s super fast connection technology, is not widely used. But that could change next year, as more computer makers incorporate the USB competitor into their new models.
Intel expects Thunderbolt, which debuted in 2011 on Apple’s MacBook Pro 2011, to become commonplace for computer users. A year later, the chip maker predicted that “most PCs” would have Thunderbolt between 2015 and 2017. Despite the hype, only premium PCs have the fast connection.
To get a boost in adoption, Intel incorporated Thunderbolt into its newest Core processors, code-named Tiger Lake, meaning that laptop manufacturers get Thunderbolt without having to pay extra for separate controller chips. As Intel’s chips are widely used, the company says the Thunderbolt will have its moment to shine.
“I would expect that by 2022 Thunderbolt would be on more than 50% of the PCs sold,” said Jason Ziller, who operates Intel connectivity products, adding that more than half of the laptops to be launched next year “will definitely” carry the technology . Ziller has led Thunderbolt’s work since before its launch on Apple’s MacBook Pro 2011 laptops, almost exactly 10 years ago.
PC ports don’t capture your imagination in the same way that fast processors or smartphone cameras do. But they are a crucial part of most people’s computing experience. Thunderbolt ports provide fast and versatile connections for external storage devices, monitors, network adapters and other peripherals. They can replace ports for HDMI, DisplayPort, Ethernet and power. The new Thunderbolt 4 allows multiport docks and hubs offer three Thunderbolt ports instead of just one.
For most of us, USB devices serve equally well at a lower price. For example, a 1 TB OWC Envoy Pro Elektron, a USB-C SSD, costs $ 199 compared to $ 319 for the Thunderbolt-based Envoy Pro FX, which transfers data at nearly three times the speed. Serious users, however, need superior performance and reliability, which USB simply cannot handle. And the usefulness of Thunderbolt is more important than ever, as laptop manufacturers offer thinner computers with fewer ports.
“Thunderbolt’s speed and capabilities are incredible,” said Jeff Griffiths, a programmer and electronic musician who uses a CalDigit Thunderbolt dock to connect state-of-the-art audio hardware and other peripherals. The Thunderbolt dock allows him to switch his set of equipment from one of the two computers he uses, simply by moving a single cable.
Why Thunderbolt is spreading
The precursor to Thunderbolt, code-named Light Peak, debuted in a demonstration in 2009 and used fiber optic cables to transmit data like light. When Thunderbolt arrived as a usable product in 2011, Intel switched to conventional copper wires carrying electrical signals.
Years of chip delays have undermined Intel’s Thunderbolt ambitions, but connectivity technology is a standard feature in the latest chip designs. Thunderbolt has the potential to spread more widely in 2022, when the chip generation Alder Lake, Tiger Lake’s successor, is built on tower PCs that today do not use processors equipped with Thunderbolt. Thunderbolt is part of Intel’s “Evo” brand to promote the most sophisticated laptops that Intel considers powerful and responsive, with good battery life. The combination of the two factors is helping Thunderbolt to grow in a world where USB dominates.
In the past, Thunderbolt was much faster than USB in transferring data, but USB is gradually approaching. The new USB 4 version, although it is a rarity in products so far, it may correspond 40 gigabits per second of Thunderbolt. Thunderbolt should get faster in future incarnations, which may give him an advantage again in terms of raw speed, as well as reliability and other skills.
Lenovo, a major PC maker, would like to see the Thunderbolt spread beyond Intel’s world. It is not currently available on AMD-based computers, although Apple supports Thunderbolt on Macs using its new M1 processors. (Intel launched the Thunderbolt standards in 2017 so that others can implement them.)
Thunderbolt versus USB
USB is used everywhere, from cars to airport charging stations. The latest USB-C connectors and the USB Power Delivery standard have made the technology robust enough to power large battery devices, such as laptops, or to connect high-speed devices, such as external drives. Intel’s Thunderbolt ambition is not to match the ubiquity of USB.
Instead, Thunderbolt became a USB brother. Thunderbolt has benefited from the adoption of the USB-C connector, which means that PC manufacturers can support Thunderbolt without sacrificing precious port space.
Thunderbolt also benefits from USB. The new USB 4 incorporates Thunderbolt data transfer technology to make it more powerful and flexible. This should help to reassure Thunderbolt customers that they may need to connect a device to a USB port.
Radius edge
Thunderbolt’s advantages will persist over USB, predicts Larry O’Connor, chief executive of Other World Computing, which manufactures peripherals using USB and Thunderbolt.
The OWC Thunderbolt Dock takes advantage of the capacity of the Thunderbolt 4, the option to include three ports in a dock or hub. They work as Thunderbolt or USB-C ports.
Stephen Shankland / CNET
“I believe that USB will be the smallest and most consumer-oriented interface,” said O’Connor. “Lightning [will provide] state-of-the-art capacity and reliability. “
A significant difference between Thunderbolt and USB is the rigorous certification process for the former. USB certification is somewhat chaotic and uncertain. For example, finding out if a USB-C cable supports high power charging or faster data rates may involve some assumptions. All of this is guaranteed with Thunderbolt. The 1,000th Thunderbolt-certified device has just been approved.
Another favorable factor for Thunderbolt is the drop in the premium price of peripherals compared to previous Thunderbolt products. For example, CalDigit offers a $ 179 Thunderbolt hub and rival OWC for $ 149. That’s still about three to four times the cost of a USB hub, but so far, USB hubs don’t offer multiple USB-C ports. or support multiple 4K monitors. More people will benefit from the maximum speeds of the Thunderbolt as devices such as 4K monitors become cheaper.
Intel continues its investment in Thunderbolt. That’s good news for PC makers like Lenovo, who would like smoother Microsoft Windows support, lower power consumption, faster speeds and support for more monitors. Thunderbolt can handle two 4K monitors.
Intel is not detailing its Thunderbolt plans at this time. But Intel’s Ziller says the company will make the Thunderbolt faster and easier to use.
“Simplicity, reliability and performance,” he said, “are all important.”