Thunderbolt port strikes PCs, for faster data transfer
Intel is bringing the ultra-speedy Thunderbolt port to PCs, so it's no longer the sole preserve of Macs. Speedy transfers, here we come.
How confusing a place the world is nowadays. Time was, you had certain things on a Mac, and certain things on a PC. The Apple mouse had one button, the PC two. PCs ran Intel processors, Macs didn't.
Then Apple decided maybe not everything about a PC was bad, and decided to use two mouse buttons and Intel chips. Well now Intel has confused things even more by announcing that the ultra-speedy Thunderbolt port will be making an appearance on upcoming 'Ultrabooks'.
Intel showed off a prototype machine equipped with Thunderbolt at its Intel Developer Forum just the other day. The Ultrabook was running Windows 8 and used the Haswell processor we brought you news of yesterday. That chip makes for a 20 times reduction in power consumption, giving the machine a marathon 10-hour battery life. Haswell isn't due until 2013, but Acer and Asus will be releasing PCs equipped with the Thunderbolt port next year.
Thunderbolt was developed by Intel, and gives you data-transfer speeds of up to 10Gbps, which is seriously quick. You can transfer a full-length HD movie in under 30 seconds, or back up a year's worth of MP3s in just over 10 minutes. Hence the name. Previously Thunderbolt was only seen on Apple's range of laptops and desktops.
Ultrabooks are like next-generation netbooks, with better battery life, more power, and slimmer form factors. They'll also wake up almost instantly from sleep mode, using Intel's Rapid Start tech.
Would you buy a Thunderbolt-equipped PC? Let us know on our Facebook page or in the comments section below.