Thunderbolt is the new firewire

[jimmy_dog]

I think thunderbolt is the new firewire. It's speed to usb 3.0 is the same as what firewire was to 2.0 (about 200% the speed) (Before usb encryption and all that). Apple puts them on their computer. The cables are $50.00 and a 2tb thunderbolt hard drive is $550. This thing seems more of a gimmick than something that could be useful to the average consumer when a hard drive costs more than some peoples computers. It seems like the only reason one is on my computer is because it is smaller than a usb and they wanted another feature on there (I would have much preferred a headphone jack.) Until an external thunderbolt enabled hard drive is down to about 150% the price of a usb 3.0 hard drive, i don't think they will be successful.

 

[unksol]

you need to do some reading on thunderbolt. its an Intel technology, not apple, and is nothing like USB or FireWire. it is there to provide one cable docking and extend the pcie bus outside the computer.

The fact that high end PROFESSIONAL storage solutions that are not meant for average consumers or to be used on multiple PCs are expensive has nothing to do with the interface. USB 3 will be the standard for external consumer drives for obvious reasons. but it is never going to let you plug a real pcie card, say a discrete graphics card, into a PC or actually upgrade a laptop like thunderbolt will. thunderbolt makes a true desktop replacement laptop possible.

 

[dudewitbow]

not meant for consumers, meant for storage sites/information servers as they constantly need that data transfer 24/7

 

[teh_gerbil]

@jimmy_dog

You need to research more. And please learn sentences, your statements are very hard to read.

I highly disagree, it's proprietary, riddled with faults and with USB 3.0 so cheap and fast it will be constantly playing catchup.

Why would your average consumer spend $$$ on the expansion card, $$$ on the cables and $$$$$$$$$ on the hardware when they could just spend $ on a USB HDD?

 

[bunkgoats]

@jimmy_dog

You need to research more. And please learn sentences, your statements are very hard to read.

I highly disagree, it's proprietary, riddled with faults and with USB 3.0 so cheap and fast it will be constantly playing catchup.

Why would your average consumer spend $$$ on the expansion card, $$$ on the cables and $$$$$$$$$ on the hardware when they could just spend $ on a USB HDD?

But can USB 3.0 run external PCIE video cards? Thunderbolt and the add ons are in their infancy. It can handle and will much more than a HDD.

 

[teh_gerbil]

No, but a product can have the most features of any product in the world.

But.. it still has to find enough of a niche market to sell to, to become profitable, and you have to make your product marketable, and at a good price.

It's hella expensive! By your own recognition, (that's if you have the hardware)
The cable is 50 bucks, and a 2TB hdd is $500, I presume that's american, in which case I would talk NZD, so $100 cable, and $900 dollar HDD.

Compared to a USB3 2TB HD for $150 NZD, which requires no special hardware (as USB 3.0 is increasingly built into most new computers/desktops)

And let's be honest, if your average joe bloggs with his USB3 HDD can copy over a 1.4GB movie at 150mB/s (at this stage) why would he honestly fork out $1000 for the ability to copy it over a few milliseconds faster?

It's incredibly proprietary which means it will be limited to the devices it's built into, or expensive add-on cards, which unlike USB is built into everything from phones to camcorders and laptops and desktops.

Also if Apple's track record is anything to go by, there will be very little backwards compatability between generations of device. Meaning your 50 dollar cable, and 900 dollar hdd may be a paperweight if it doesn't work in your Macbook 2 years later.

I suppose that will come in time, but history is littered with superior products that failed to inferior ones simply due to bad marketing and not big enough niche.

It's a freaking great idea, and STUPENDOUSLY fast, but I reckon it's come at the wrong time, or at least, will take a wee while before anyone could say it's the next firewire.

 

[jimmy_dog]

They are aiming at the consumer, seeing as they put it in my laptop (do you think a big company is using a gaming laptop?) and before that they put it in apple computers. A better question might be "Will it fail for the consumer market?"

 

[Pinhedd]

Thunderbolt is a brand new technology. It was only a few years ago that BluRay burners were 800 dollars. Now a top of the line burner can be purchased for 60 bucks. Give the early adopters a few months to have their fun, look for the prices to drop in 18-24 months