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Apple has been stealing recent headlines with two product line refreshes in the past few weeks. The bigger of the two was probably the iPad 2, but it’s the I/O technology introduced in the new MacBook Pro I’m interested in. Thunderbolt, a collaborative effort between Intel and Apple, dubbed “the fastest connection to your PC experience,” is the newest high-speed I/O protocol and in this TechTip we’re getting to know this interface and what it’s bringing to the table.

Intel announced Thunderbolt, which was codenamed Light Peak at the time, at their Intel Developers Forum (IDF) in 2009 on a system that was displaying two 1080p HD video streams at once over optical cables (hence the “light” in Light Peak), that used modified USB connectors. Intel intended it to replace the many different cables, especiallyvideo cables,  on the market and that it would be in PCs by 2010. The cables were initially designed to bundle optical and copper wiring together, pairing the speed of light with the electrical conductivity of copper, to provide a low-latency, high-speed connection that provides power for devices.

Thunderbolt combines the existing fundamental technologies of PCI Express bandwidth and Mini DisplayPort connectors to provide two-channel 10 Gb/s bandwidth upstream and downstream per port, double that of USB 3.0, over copper wire cables with optical cables coming later. You will be able to daisy-chain up to seven devices together, anything from high-resolution displays to cameras, scanners, and data storage devices, all without a hub, because Thunderbolt controllers will be able to transmit video and data signals are the same time over the same cable. A “power-only” copper cable will carry up to 10 watts of power at up to 3 meters and optical cables will be able to carry signals at what Intel says will be “tens of meters.” If you scoffed at the previously-mentioned 10 Gb/s bandwidth, Intel has already demonstrated 700 Mb/s on its prototype hardware. Since Thunderbolt uses existing technology, it’s designed to work seamlessly with your operating system. A Thunderbolt device will work as either a PCI Express or DisplayPort device on a non-Thunderbolt system, which solves the problem of port-sharing. If you accidentally plug a Thunderbolt device into a regular Mini DisplayPort, it should work, provided the device isn’t relying on power through that port. You can also use non-Thunderbolt devices in your daisy-chain by adding them to the end of the chain. You can also use the wide variety of DisplayPort, DVI, and VGA adapters so your older displays will work with it as well.

Since Thunderbolt is debuting on the MacBook Pro and will double as the system’s Mini DisplayPort, it’s primary use is going to be connecting to high-definition displays and HDTVs, but with it’s ability to handle extremely high bandwidth transfers, it’s perfectly suited for carrying high-definition audio as well, making it a viable competitor to both HDMI and FireWire, as its functionality serves both of their functions. Intel also claims that Thunderbolt is a complement toUSB 3.0, as opposed to being a replacement. It isn’t clear if Apple is going to phase FireWire out of its products in the future, but Thunderbolt seems like a logical step forward because it’s designed to accomplish the same thing and is twelve times as fast, and its Mini DisplayPorts consume very little space.

This may not have an immediate effect on the home user, but as it is said, “a rising tide lifts all boats.”