An introduction to Thunderbolt

First announced by Intel in 2009, "Light Peak" (as it was known then) was being designed to allow multiple protocols (such as video signals, internet, data etc) to be carried though this one transport method. Thunderbolt is a hot pluggable (the ability to unplug and plug Thunderbolt devices on the fly), daisy chained (the ability to chain together up to 7 devices into one Thunderbolt port), bi-directional (providing 10 gigabytes a second - each way) interface currently based on top of the PCI Express, and DisplayPort protocols - which gives Thunderbolt the ability to connect display devices such as monitors and projectors to the Thunderbolt port. In 2011, the initial Thunderbolt implementations will be copper based (largely due to manufacturing costs and initial manufacturer feedback), however the in the near future, the support of optical cables will be introduced and faster speeds, up to 100 gigabytes a second. Early adopters to the technology do not need to worry about being an early adopter, as Intel have designed the technology to be both backwards and forward compatible. Apple became the first manufacturer in February 2011 to introduce Thunderbolt to its refreshed Macbook Pro line of laptop computers. Using the already established DisplayPort technology and connector, Intel and Apple hope that this will adopt an established audience due to its established connector design. Light Peak Forum has been established a week before the launch of Thunderbolt (now previously known as Light Peak - its code name) to provide an online home to allow technology enthusiasts, experimenters, interested parties or indeed anyone just needing help to come and voice their opinions and thoughts. It will also serve in the near future as a place to discover new Thunderbolt hardware and software as more manufacturers adopt and deploy Thunderbolt technology in their new hardware. Light Peak Forum has decided to keep the forum address as "Light Peak", as to remain true to the code name as it was known inside Intel before being renamed commercially to Thunderbolt.a[rel~='nofollow']{outline:.14em dotted red !important;outline-offset:.2em;}a[rel~='nofollow'] > img{outline:thin dotted red !important;outline-offset:.2em;}