Intel Light Peak "Launching" in 2011, Maybe 2012

[exfileme]

Intel's optical-based successor to USB 3.0 may worm its way into products during 2011.

Intel Light Peak "Launching" in 2011, Maybe 2012 : Read more

 

[kresso]

Oh, I have been waiting for commercial applications like this for a long time. I remember going to a physics seminar back in college about using light in this way.

 

[mavroxur]

This would've made sense to be the successor to USB 2.0 in my opinion. The whole funky USB 3.0 connector concept never sat too well with me. Would be neat to have a USB connector with the optical pass through inside the connector all the way at the back or something, so it would be physically the same as a USB connector.

 

[doomtomb]

Intel... where's USB 3???

 

[insider3]

Great. This will give me a reason to finally back up all my porn.

 

[helldog3105]

With as hard as some people can be on cables, they want to give them Optical cables, which cannot be bent past certain angle and maintain a working connection? I see bad things happening with this tech..

 

[mavanhel]

If I remember correctly, when USB 3.0 came out and the new motherboards were being produced I think Intel said that they were going to stay away from on-die support for USB 3.0 until 2011. So are they just trying to take USB out of Intel systems now?

 

[wintermint]

So hard to keep up with all these technological advances.. 🙁

 

[gamerk316]

[citation][nom]mavanhel[/nom]If I remember correctly, when USB 3.0 came out and the new motherboards were being produced I think Intel said that they were going to stay away from on-die support for USB 3.0 until 2011. So are they just trying to take USB out of Intel systems now?[/citation]

Not entirely true; for short distences, its not a concern. Hence why Optical has been used in other consumer applications (SPDIF) for some time now.

 

[Guest]

just put a metal power wire in the same cable

 

[noneedformonkeys]

I think Intel is right-on to push this tech into the home market. Aside from just being outright cool, high bandwidth optical links have been a standard for interconnecting enterprise solutions for many many years (like the backbone to connecting the everything we know as the internet). Optical links are only limited by total angular reflection, and diffusion of the optical fiber substrate. In theory, optical links can transmit data for thousands of kilometers on a strand, they can transmit data point-to-point at just shy of the true speed of light, and one strand can further multiply it's data bandwidth by sending different data streams at different wavelengths. It may be 10Gbits now, but this tech has the growth potential to handle hundreds of times more bandwidth on the same fiber strand. I am looking forward to optical computing in my lifetime, this tech is another small step in that direction. We should all be excited by this.

Embrace the future

 

[rollerdisco]

[citation][nom]dreamphantom_1977[/nom]What about power? Where is that gonna come from?[/citation]
PoF Power over Fiber....... i different article i read said they are going to have the fiber braided with copper mesh for strength and also power.

 

[Emperus]

Its nearing time that wireless modes of data exchange see some boost up in both speed,security and data integrity.. Hopefully someday we'll see them going past the wired transfer rates ( day dreaming you might say.. ).. To stay with the topic, the concept sounds interesting though the claim to be the last cable one will ever need sounds skeptical.. Data transfer rates are something which go by the rule of higher the better.. And with time stamping blu-ray as standard media, one might just start complaining about USB 3 ( or even light peak ) being slow..

 

[thejerk]

[citation][nom]gamerk316[/nom]Not entirely true; for short distences, its not a concern. Hence why Optical has been used in other consumer applications (SPDIF) for some time now.[/citation]

SPDIF is a single-ended co-axial digital cable. TosLink is the plastic
optical.

 

[velocityg4]

Dang I was looking forward to this for low cost 10Gb home networking. I guess I'll have to wire my house with Cat 6 instead as current fiber optic 10Gb solutions are far too expensive.

 

[thackstonns]

Its nearing time that wireless modes of data exchange see some boost up in both speed,security and data integrity.. Hopefully someday we'll see them going past the wired transfer rates ( day dreaming you might say.. ).. To stay with the topic, the concept sounds interesting though the claim to be the last cable one will ever need sounds skeptical.. Data transfer rates are something which go by the rule of higher the better.. And with time stamping blu-ray as standard media, one might just start complaining about USB 3 ( or even light peak ) being slow..

Really you think optical media is going to max out lightpeak? What is high def 50mbits per second. That wont even strain a gigabit network, unless you are using multiple streams. 10Gbps is way more than enough for a spinning disk. Although doesnt display port do 21Gbps through wire?.

 

[Gandalf]

I think I see the light.

 

[Guest]

Seeing as this cable will be released in 2012 it may really be "last cable you'll EVER need."

 

[Bruceification73]

I will be waiting for this. Been longing for a better portable media for a long time.

 

[Bruceification73]

Since it is backwards compatible with the 3.0, will it also be recognized by the computer as both USB and CD? This will be very useful.

 

[audioee]

[citation][nom]thejerk[/nom]SPDIF is a single-ended co-axial digital cable. TosLink is the plasticoptical.[/citation]

SPDIF is the data format carried on either the wired coax cable or the Toslink fiber optic connection.

 

[onekill]

This is awesome, can't wait to get ahold of tech like this!!

 

[SneakySnake]

Forgot to mention that Apple is one if the prime reasons this tech is coming out:

http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/26/exclusive-apple-dictated-light-peak-creation-to-intel-could-be/

I expect to get voted down, but if you don't believe me just google "apple light peak"

 

[aquicl]

let's wait and see

 

[husker]

At 10GB/S I guess an external drive connection would be potentially faster than SATA or SATA2 internal connection. That 10GB/S will have to hit a bottle neck somewhere. Maybe the need to get some fiber inside the case as well.