Thunderbolt - what is it? Apple Thunderbolt Display

Among the most technologically advanced communication interfaces on the modern IT market are Thunderbolt. The devices, compatible with it, first appeared on the market in 2011. What is the specificity of this standard? What are its advantages over common competitive solutions?

What is Thunderbolt technology ?

Thunderbolt - what is this technology? Previously, it was known as Light Peak. It is a standard for wired communications, through which various types of digital data can be transmitted, as well as electricity. Developed by the joint efforts of two giants of the IT industry - Intel and Apple. In English Thunderbolt means "roll of thunder". A similar name has the A-10 Thunderbolt II military aircraft used by the US Air Force. It is not known whether there is any continuity between it and solutions from IT brands. But the fact is quite remarkable.

The technology is based on two architectures: PCI Express, as well as DisplayPort. The main advantage of the technology is the high data transfer rate, as well as the versatility. It is possible to organize interaction with a wide range of devices - hard disks, multimedia devices. Also, a port that supports the Thunderbolt standard can transmit a high-resolution video stream through the DisplayPort protocol. The total power limit of the equipment connected to the Thunderbolt port is 10W.

The technology allows to transmit data both by optical and electronic methods. The second option is more economical. But the demand for optical implementation of the technology is also expected to be tangible.

The delay in data transmission within the framework of the standard under consideration is minimal - about 8 ns. To connect devices can use a copper cable up to 3 m in length or optical - up to 100 m. Connecting devices to computers with a Mac equipped with Thunderbolt ports is possible in hot mode - without turning off the device.

It is expected that in the future Thunderbolt technology will be able to provide data transfer rates up to 100 Gbit / s. Especially the demand for the corresponding standard is felt by experts who deal with high-quality video files.

History of technology

The technology, originally called Light Peak, was introduced to the public by Intel in 2009. At the same time, the American brand used a prototype of the Mac Pro PCB , through which high-definition video streams were broadcast. Simultaneously, it was shown the possibility of data transfer within the local network and the interaction of the system with an external drive. The technology was based on the PCI Express interface.

Through optical channels, a data rate of 10 Gbit / s was provided. It was also noted that it is possible to achieve 100 Gbit / s. Representatives of Intel said that devices equipped with Light Peak, may appear on the market in 2010. Multimedia online presentations also showed that Light Peak technology is able to interact with a wide range of devices - cameras, computers, monitors.

In May 2010, Intel showed the public laptop equipped with Light Peak, thereby proving that the interface can be built into small-sized devices. Also, Intel specialists showed how simultaneous transmission of two video streams in high quality can be carried out. The brand announced that the factory release of controllers that support the appropriate technology is possible at the end of 2010. In the fall of 2010, some prototypes of devices in which the new standard was implemented were shown to the public at the Intel Developer Forum.

Appearance on the market

In February 2011, the standard Light Peak was implemented under a new name - Thunderbolt on devices from Apple. First a new port appeared on the MacBook Pro, then on iMac computers, as well as on MacBook Air, Mac Mini, and also in Apple monitors.

Now a large number of devices have already been created on the basis of technology. Among those - the popular display Thunderbolt Display from Apple. It is remarkable primarily for its size. The number of inches that Apple has equipped with it is 27. Thunderbolt Display allows you to fully use one of the main advantages of technology - the speed of data transfer. By means of this resource, the video stream is output to a large screen in high resolution and the highest quality.

Thunderbolt and PCI Express

Above we talked about Thunderbolt, that this technology, combining two standards. Let's look at how the PCI Express architecture is used in this framework. This standard - high-speed, it is used to integrate various elements of devices such as a Mac-processor, video card, disk. Thanks to the technological capabilities of PCI Express, the Thunderbolt standard can transmit data at a speed of about 10 Gbit / s. At the same time, within each port, there are two channels - receiving and transmitting. The specified speed is higher than when using standards such as FireWire 800, or, for example, USB 3.0. But the high data transfer rate is not the only advantage of the technology.

Technology advantages

Among the key features of the technology - universality. The standard in question allows the transfer of the corresponding type of digital data, as well as power supply via a common port. Thereby, there is no need to connect a large number of cables to the computer. Another aspect of the universality of the technology is compatibility with USB ports and the FireWire standard through special adapters. At the same time, Thunderbolt technology allows devices to operate within the speeds that are guaranteed by the corresponding interfaces, that is, does not slow them down.

The next aspect of the universality of technology is the ability to simultaneously connect up to 6 devices to one Thunderbolt port in a sequential manner. True, the resource of the channel will be shared between the devices. To ensure the optimal data transfer speed, it is important that on each of the devices forming the chain, the corresponding standard is maintained without the use of adapters. Another aspect of the universality of the technology - compatibility with any processors and chipsets - no matter under what brand.

Competing technologies

So, we looked at the main advantages of Thunderbolt. What is this technology, now you know. But it has competitors. Let's consider their specificity. The main competing standard for Apple's technology is SuperSpeed USB, which is also referred to as USB 3.0. What are its key advantages with respect to the solution from Apple?

Among them are:

- Support for equipment running on the previous technology, USB 2.0;

- compatibility with modern models of digital technology, motherboards;

- the growing market demand for the corresponding type of equipment;

- The supply voltage is characterized by high power, and this allows you to start various portable devices.

There are technological nuances in which the USB 3.0 standard is objectively inferior to Apple's technology. Namely:

- The bandwidth of the SuperSpeed USB channel is two times lower;

- the largest suppliers of system solutions do not practice branded support for the standard;

- You can not connect devices in a sequential manner.

There is a thesis that SuperSpeed USB technology will not be a direct competitor to Thunderbolt, which is a standard for another market segment. Therefore, two interfaces, having both advantages and disadvantages, can be quite comfortable to be present on the market simultaneously.

Second version

Intel and Apple are actively developing technology. The market has already introduced a new corresponding standard - Thunderbolt 2. The new technology allows to increase the data transfer rate up to 20 Gbit / s. Its name sounds, however, almost like the same A-10 Thunderbolt II. With its help, you can stream the video stream in UltraHD format. Also, thanks to integrated support for the DisplayPort standard in version 1.2, the new interface can transfer video to two displays operating in QHD mode. Thunderbolt 2 technology is fully compatible with devices and accessories released within the first version of the interface.

Thunderbolt devices: monitor

What type of devices supporting the technology in question are common in the market? Among the most popular devices - the monitor Thunderbolt Display from Apple. This device has a large diagonal - 27 inches. Apple Thunderbolt Display is equipped with LED-backlight. It is intended for use with computers of the Mac series, as well as with laptops MacBook. The main advantages of the display: high resolution, excellent sound quality, the presence of a camera type FaceTime HD, compatibility with the FireWire 800 standard, as well as with the Gigabit Internet interface. Of course, all the advantages of Thunderbolt technology this device fully allows you to use. To monitor the Apple Thunderbolt Display, you can connect peripheral devices also through FireWire.

Let us consider the characteristics of the screen of the device. The number of inches that the Apple Thunderbolt display has - 27. With this device you can build realistic panoramic images. The proportion of the sides of the screen is 16: 9, the resolution of the display is 2560 by 1440 pixels. The fact that the size of the Thunderbolt Display is 27 inches is not its only advantage. The display is also equipped with a modern LED-backlight, which is characterized by instant activation to full brightness. Also, the screen can be adjusted to the external conditions of illumination. The optimal brightness of the display can be set in automatic mode, thanks to the integrated sensor in the device. This feature allows you to significantly reduce the power consumption of the monitor. Apple Thunderbolt Display allows you to comfortably view pictures and videos from any angle through IPS technology. This standard provides a high level of display brightness, as well as stable color transmission.

The device is characterized by excellent sound quality. The speakers that are equipped with the display from Apple include a subwoofer that gives the multimedia stream a particularly pleasing shade of sound at the expense of extra frequencies. Among other noteworthy accessories of the display is the FaceTime HD camera, as well as a built-in microphone. Thanks to these devices, the monitor can be connected to a computer and communicate comfortably through video calling programs. As we noted above, the screen size that supports the Thunderbolt standard is 27 inches. And because the user can see the interlocutor in the course of video calls and his environment in sufficient detail.

Devices on Thunderbolt: express station

Above we said about the versatility of Thunderbolt, that this is a technology that allows the integration of various types of devices. Among the solutions popular on the market, based on the communication interface under consideration is the express station, manufactured by Belkin. What is this device?

Express Station is a tool by which a computer user can use one connection with a Thunderbolt port to connect up to 8 devices simultaneously through FireWire, USB, Ethernet, and a Thunderbolt daisy chain. Thanks to the capabilities of the express station, no additional Thunderbolt adapter is needed to connect the devices. Standards FireWire and USB - among the most common in the modern IT market.

The main features of the express station from Belkin assume the use of key advantages of the technology in question, namely high speed and versatility. With the device you can quickly transfer files, including video in FullHD format, and music in large volumes.

Thunderbolt devices: hard disk

An example of another device that uses Thunderbolt technology is the LaCie d2 hard drive. This device is noteworthy in that it combines at once two interfaces - Thunderbolt itself and one of the most competitive standards for it - USB 3.0. Such a possibility allows to significantly increase the universality of the device.

Main characteristics of the hard disk :

- data transfer rate - up to 200 MB / s;

- One USB 3.0 port and two Thunderbolt 2 connectors;

- reduced noise emission and high cooling efficiency, thanks to the aluminum housing;

- weak vibration due to the presence of cushioning elements in the casing design;

- the device is compatible with Time Machine;

- in the delivery set are preinstalled several programs intended for data backup;

- the hard disk can be upgraded to the SSD model, so that the data exchange speed can grow 5 times;

With the capabilities of Thunderbolt 2, you can use the disk as a powerful backup tool for large data - for example, high quality video editing files. The device comes with a cable for connecting to the Thunderbolt connector, a similar component for connecting via USB 3.0 (if compatible with an earlier standard - USB 2.0), power supply and installation guide.

Of course, Apple Thunderbolt Display, hard drive LaCie d2 and express station from Belkin are just some examples of devices working on the new technology. Devices that take advantage of the high-speed and universal standard from Intel and Apple, are on the market in the widest spectrum. It's not at all surprising how many inches Apple's 27-inch display was equipped with. "Thunderbolt Display presents the user's review of the highest quality picture." Belkin's interest in the new technology is also quite understandable - the standard developed by Apple and Intel suggests versatility, compatibility with many other interfaces, And therefore demand in the market.