Hewlett Packard Not Convinced of the Value of Thunderbolt

PCWorld reports that while Hewlett-Packard (HP) had considered using Thunderbolt in its newest desktop PCs, for now it's sticking with USB 3.0.

“We did look at [Thunderbolt]. We’re still looking into it. Haven't found a value proposition yet,” said Xavier Lauwaert, worldwide marketing manager for desktops at HP.

According to Lauwaert, everone seems to be content with USB 3.0 so they don't see the value of including Thunderbolt in their desktop machines.

thunderbolt
Thunderbolt is the high speed interconnect system that was introduced by Intel in February. Apple was the first customer to adopt the new connector with the launch of its early 2011 MacBook Pros. Apple has since released new iMacs also supporting Thunderbolt. Due to the newness of the connector, there is presently little 3rd party support, though Intel is said to be opening up Thunderbolt development this quarter.

HP is notable for being the largest U.S. computer manufacturer accounting for 26% of the market in the 1st quarter 2011.

Popular Stories

iOS 26 on Three iPhones

iOS 26's Liquid Glass Design Draws Criticism From Users

Wednesday September 17, 2025 2:56 pm PDT by
It's been two days since iOS 26 was released, and Apple's new Liquid Glass design is even more divisive than expected. Any major design change can create controversy as people get used to the new look, but the MacRumors forums, Reddit, Apple Support Communities, and social media sites seem to feature more criticism than praise as people discuss the update. Complaints There are a long...
iPhone 17 Pro and Air Feature

Two iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air Colors Appear to Scratch More Easily

Friday September 19, 2025 10:02 am PDT by
As reported by Bloomberg today, some of the new iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air models on display at Apple Stores today are already scratched and scuffed. French blog Consomac also reported on this topic. The scratches appear to be most prominent on models with darker finishes, including the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max in Deep Blue, and the iPhone Air in Space Black. Images Credit: Consoma ...
iOS 26

iOS 26.0.1 Coming Soon, Likely With iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro Fix

Thursday September 18, 2025 9:17 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to release iOS 26.0.1, according to a private account on X with a proven track record of sharing information about future iOS versions. The update will have a build number of 23A350, or similar, the account said. It is likely that iOS 26.0.1 will fix a camera-related bug on the new iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro models. In his iPhone Air review, CNN Underscored's Henry T. ...
M6 MacBook Pro Feature 1

Apple's Rumored MacBook Pro Redesign: 6 New Features Anticipated

Wednesday September 17, 2025 4:26 am PDT by
Apple in October 2024 overhauled its 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, adding M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max chips, Thunderbolt 5 ports on higher-end models, display changes, and more. That's quite a lot of updates in one go, but if you think this means a further major refresh for the ‌MacBook Pro‌ is now several years away, think again. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has said he expects only a small ...
iOS 26

iOS 26.1 to iOS 26.4: Here Are 5 New Features to Expect on Your iPhone

Tuesday September 16, 2025 11:17 am PDT by
iOS 26 was finally released on Monday, but the software train never stops, and the first developer beta of iOS 26.1 will likely be released soon. iOS 18.1 was an anomaly, as the first developer beta of that version was released in late July last year, to allow for early testing of Apple Intelligence features. The first betas of iOS 15.1, iOS 16.1, and iOS 17.1 were all released in the second ...
Tim Cook Rainbow

Apple Reportedly Plans to Launch These 10 Products in 'Coming Months'

Sunday September 14, 2025 8:45 am PDT by
Apple's annual September event is now in the rearview mirror, with the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone Air, Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch Ultra 3, Apple Watch SE 3, and AirPods Pro 3 set to launch this Friday, September 19. As always, there is more to come. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple plans to release many products in the...

Top Rated Comments

gg47 Avatar
187 months ago
I have to be with HP on this one. I never saw the value preposition of motor vehicles, I and all my blacksmith friends were very happy with a horse.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Piggie Avatar
187 months ago
Does this feel a little like Firewire / USB2 again?

I have buckets of things that are USB.USB2, the defacto standard, and only 1 thing that was ever firewire, a 8mm video camera.

Don't get me wrong, the faster and higher spec the better, but it's all pointless unless it gets fitted into everything and becomes a standard.

Kinda like having a 12" Diameter penis, Very impressive & you can show it off to people, but useless as it won't fit into anything.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Edmoil12 Avatar
187 months ago
Remember when mini displayport was supposed to be the next big thing?

Once again apple will trot out how they are setting an 'industry standard' when hardly anyone else uses it. Here we go again...
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
8CoreWhore Avatar
187 months ago
Keep in mind - Apple has not eliminated USB while implementing Thunderbolt.

It's not Thunderbolt Vs. USB - it's Thunderbolt Vs. USB 3.0

I rather have TB plus USB 2 then Just USB 3.

TB is even a lot faster and more flexible then Express Card.

TB port is roughly half the size of USB port, making it more suitable for portable devices.

TB (20Gbps) is way better than USB 3 (5Gbps) because it's way faster, and can daisy chain. It's a straight tap into PCI-E.

And, Apple may... may... go with TB plus USB 3 in the future, but there may be tech reasons not to (at least in mobiles).

===============================================================
(From Apple)

One small port. One giant leap in possibilities.
Both MacBook Pro and iMac now give you access to a world of high-speed peripherals and high-resolution displays with one compact port.

That’s because Thunderbolt is based on two fundamental technologies: PCI Express and DisplayPort.

PCI Express is the technology that links all the high-performance components in a Mac. And it’s built into Thunderbolt. Which means you can connect external devices like RAID arrays and video capture solutions directly to MacBook Pro or iMac — and get PCI Express performance. That’s a first for any computer.

Thunderbolt also provides 10 watts of power to peripherals, so you can tackle workstation-class projects on the go with MacBook Pro or from your home office with iMac.

With PCI Express technology, you can use existing USB and FireWire peripherals — even connect to Gigabit Ethernet and Fibre Channel networks — using simple adapters.

And because Thunderbolt is based on DisplayPort technology, the video standard for high-resolution displays, any Mini DisplayPort display plugs right into the Thunderbolt port. To connect a DisplayPort, DVI, HDMI, or VGA display, just use an existing adapter.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SilianRail Avatar
187 months ago
Intel wants to gouge OEMs on licensing fees and Apple wants to sell us $99 cables. This is what happens when you don't go with a consortium or open standard.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Michael Scrip Avatar
187 months ago
Can't Thunderbolt run pretty much any protocol?

I thought that's what LightPeak was supposed to be... one connection that could do anything.

Will there be any TB-USB3 converters or dongles?

It would be a shame if USB3 finally takes off... and Apple sticks with ThunderBolt.

Firewire redux...
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)