Apple's Beats brand in April unveiled the Powerbeats Pro, a redesigned wire-free version of its popular fitness-oriented Powerbeats earbuds.
Intel Looks to Broaden Thunderbolt 3 Adoption by Integrating Into Future CPUs, Eliminating Royalties
Intel today announced that it plans to drive large-scale mainstream adoption of Thunderbolt by releasing the protocol's specification to the industry next year under a nonexclusive, royalty-free license.
The move should help expand the Thunderbolt ecosystem by making the protocol more affordable for technology companies and accessory makers alike. Intel expects third-party Thunderbolt-compatible chip development to accelerate a wide range of new devices and user experiences.
Intel also revealed plans to integrate Thunderbolt 3 into its future CPUs, but it didn't provide a timeline as to when. The all-in-one design will take up less space on a Mac or PC's logic board, and reduce power consumption by eliminating the need for a standalone Thunderbolt controller.
The greater benefit will likely come from Thunderbolt 3's increased power efficiency, paving the way for longer battery life.
Thunderbolt 3 carries power, USB, DisplayPort, HDMI, and VGA over a single port that shares the USB-C connector design, creating one standard for connecting most accessories and peripherals. Apple's latest MacBook Pro has two or four Thunderbolt 3 ports depending on the model.
Thunderbolt 3 can transfer data at speeds up to 40Gbps, allowing for a full 4K movie to be transferred in less than 30 seconds. The interface is suitable for 4K virtual reality experiences on PCs, high-end gaming, and single-cable peripherals such as external displays, docks, and storage drives.
The move should help expand the Thunderbolt ecosystem by making the protocol more affordable for technology companies and accessory makers alike. Intel expects third-party Thunderbolt-compatible chip development to accelerate a wide range of new devices and user experiences.
Intel also revealed plans to integrate Thunderbolt 3 into its future CPUs, but it didn't provide a timeline as to when. The all-in-one design will take up less space on a Mac or PC's logic board, and reduce power consumption by eliminating the need for a standalone Thunderbolt controller.
“Apple and Intel have collaborated on Thunderbolt from the beginning, and as the industry leader in its adoption, we applaud Intel’s efforts to integrate Thunderbolt technology into its CPUs and open it up to the rest of the industry,” said Dan Riccio, Apple’s senior vice president of Hardware Engineering.Intel said Thunderbolt 3 built into the processor could pave the way for thinner and lighter devices, although the current Thunderbolt 3 controller used in Apple's latest MacBook Pro has a package size of 10.7mm×10.7mm, so any logic board space saved would likely be negligible.
The greater benefit will likely come from Thunderbolt 3's increased power efficiency, paving the way for longer battery life.
Thunderbolt 3 carries power, USB, DisplayPort, HDMI, and VGA over a single port that shares the USB-C connector design, creating one standard for connecting most accessories and peripherals. Apple's latest MacBook Pro has two or four Thunderbolt 3 ports depending on the model.
Thunderbolt 3 can transfer data at speeds up to 40Gbps, allowing for a full 4K movie to be transferred in less than 30 seconds. The interface is suitable for 4K virtual reality experiences on PCs, high-end gaming, and single-cable peripherals such as external displays, docks, and storage drives.
Tags: Intel, Thunderbolt 3
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27 months ago
This news just confirms that Apple was right in ditching all other ports. In 2/3 years, anyone who bought an expensive computer with old ports will regret it
Regret it how? Person buys brand new computer today, May 24th. A standard config with USB, HDMI, Display Port, SD Reader. Come 2020, the computer still works. So what's to regret? I bet you can find forum members with computers that are 2, 3, heck 5-7 years old (or older) running perfectly fine. I know my 2011 MBA is still humming along. It's pretty hard to regret something that doesn't exist yet, and it definitely isn't a confirmation that Apple was correct about anything. In fact, didn't Apple recently acknowledge some of their decisions weren't exactly spot on?
27 months ago
Sounds like great news. 40Gbps is just insane speed; I can't wait for this to become a ubiquitous standard.
27 months ago
I wonder how many thunderbolt capable Macs I'll have gone though before there is a sensibly priced thunderbolt peripheral. I am up to 3 so far and have yet to use the port. I had actually given up on it.
27 months ago
Didn't realize this was Intel's call - always assumed it was Apple who owned the rights.
Why? Intel invented it.But this is a really good thing.
27 months ago
This news just confirms that Apple was right in ditching all other ports. In 2/3 years, anyone who bought an expensive computer with old ports will regret it
27 months ago
So AMD with TB3 then? Intel and Free licensing ?
What's next? MBP 15 for less then 1500$?
What's next? MBP 15 for less then 1500$?
27 months ago
Actually it adds to the confusion, as now you'll have to find out if the USB-C port also supports Thunderbolt 3. :)
Most of the lower to mid range devices will keep using USB 3 or 3.1 for connectivity, and not Thunderbolt.
27 months ago
Sounds like great news. 40Gbps is just insane speed; I can't wait for this to become a ubiquitous standard.
Sadly so few people get this part. Yes, it sucks to switch and have to use some adapters for a bit but the payoff is HUGE. Once you make the change you never need a different cable for power, and a different cable for networking and a different one for your monitor, and a different one for your hard drive, and a different one for your card reader, and a different one for your....
Switching to Thunderbolt 3 means a single cable can run everything and run it as speeds beyond what anything currently on the market can achieve.
I'm already super happy with the new MBP and Thunderbolt 3. When I sit down at my desk, I plugin a single cable which means charging and connection to my dual monitors, external hard drives, keyboard, and other peripheral. Super simple and fast with a single connection. Sure beats having to deal with a million different devices and plugging each one in every time as some seem to love.
27 months ago
Very glad to hear this. Superior tech is pointless if no one wants to pay the extra price to use it. (I'm looking at you, FireWire!)
27 months ago
This is some damn good news. Ubiquity helps standards proliferate. Royalty free licensing will definitely help with the ubiquity.
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