LightPeak->Thunderbolt: Apple and Intel unveil Thunderbolt I/O technology

[autobot]

I'm saying if people and manufacturers won't pay for something not needed. eSATA and USB are now included "free" on every chipset.

Then consider the cost of thunderbolt. It probably costs a company like Asus about $10, +/-$5, to buy that chip. And to pay for that in their product, they need to charge an extra $20. Is that a smart business decision? Do their customers need more than eSATA and USB already provides?

don't answer these questions. for the answer let's wait until thunderbolt shows up on PC motherboards.

I can see your point, but the SATA consortium is already planning the demise of eSATA. The new external SATA design calls for both data AND power to be in the same cable. Sure it will reduce clutter and make it easier to hook up an external drive, but it will also increase power strain on the hosting computer. They are basically remaking eSATA into what it SHOULD have been in the first place.

As far as ThunderBolt is concerned, I say bring it on! Less clutter and higher bandwidth is ALWAYS welcome! As much as it pains me to say it, Apple does have a way of pushing technologies forward so its part in ThunderBolt is integral. Hell, you see how much crap is available for iPods? Thats the kind of growth that we can see for ThunderBolt with Apple on board.