On June 10, 2013, Apple released a new Mac Pro and will be equipped with Thunderbolt 2 technology, claiming that it supports two-way 20Gbps data and 4K video transmission. Let's review Thunderbolt before the Pro comes out.
Thunderbolt， The plan code, Light Peak, is a connector standard issued by Intel. It used optical fiber in the early stage and was jointly developed with Apple in the later stage. It uses copper wire and Apple's Mini DisplayPort interface shape, so it can not only transmit data at a two-way 10Gbps speed, but also be compatible with Mini DisplayPort devices to directly connect with Thunderbolt interface to transmit video and sound signals, You can also connect the Apple Thunderbolt Display to directly output video, sound and data at the same time. Now Apple's wires support copper wires, which are intended to serve as a common bus between computers and other devices and provide power. In 2009, Intel announced this technology on the Intel Science and Technology Forum (IDF). Apple officially released the MacBook Pro with this interface and a $29 cable in February 2011. Apple has the exclusive patent right of this technology for one year. Intel spokesman said that Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 can be simultaneously applied in future systems and play complementary roles. In WWDC 2013, Apple released a new Mac Pro, which is equipped with six Thunderbolt 2 interfaces and supports two-way 20Gbps data and 4K video transmission.
Technical content:
In 2011, the first version of Thunderbolt was released, with signal lines up to 10 meters long and two-way synchronous transmission speed up to 10Gbps. The second version released in 2013, with the help of the chip code named Falcon Ridge, has increased the synchronous transmission speed to 20Gps. Intel hopes to upgrade it to 100Gbps by 2020. It will send signals with infrared ray through optical fiber lines instead of traditional data lines for data transmission. It will be used as a universal connection line between computers and other devices. Similar to the current USB function, in the future, a computer can install several Thunderbolt ports to provide different devices, It can also be directly connected to a device with several external interfaces to support multiple input and output devices with a long and thin cable.
Thunderbolt technology uses two communication protocols, including PCI Express for data transmission and DisplayPort for display. Completely compatible with existing DisplayPort devices. In the future, it may replace other existing bus devices, such as DVI, DisplayPort, SCSI, SATA, USB, PCI Express, Firewire (IEEE 1394) and HDMI, and become a single bus for computers.
Up to six peripheral devices can be connected through daisy chain (the first two chains can contain two Apple Thunderbolt Displays), and 10W power can be supplied to the peripheral through the bus (the figure shows multiple external storage).
In Q2 2013, Intel released the second generation Thunderbolt specification. The key points are: 1. The transmission speed is increased to bidirectional 20Gbps. 2. Provide 4K resolution output when using DisplayPort data. 3. Downward compatible with Thunderbolt 1.0. Later on WWWDC2013, Apple released a new Mac Pro with six Thunderbolt 2 interfaces, claiming that it supports two-way 20Gbps data and 4K video transmission, becoming the first product to support this technology.
Product:
On February 24, 2011, Apple released its new MacBook Pro with Thunderbolt technology, which is the first time that this technology has been applied to commercial products. Apple has one year's exclusive patent on PC products. On the same day, Promise released the Pegasus storage product and also applied this technology. This is the first time this technology has been applied to storage products. Later, Apple released the Apple Thunderbolt Display using Thunderbolt technology. In 2012, Apple released two gadgets: the Apple Thunderbolt to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter and the Apple Thunderbolt to FireWire converter. Recently, Intel released Thunderbolt motherboard. In addition, Asus Zenbook will also join Thunderbolt. It is also reported that Canon is also preparing to add Thunderbolt interface to its EOS series camera to deal with huge files brought by full HD video recording.
Summary:
Advantage 1: Combination of Displayport and PCI Express
As mentioned in the above description of the lightning interface, the lightning interface is a combination of PCI Express data transmission technology and DisplayPort display technology. The data of these two protocols can be transmitted simultaneously through two read and write channels, and each channel provides two-way 10Gbps bandwidth. Therefore, we can say that the lightning interface perfectly integrates Displayport and PCI Express, so that data, video and audio signals can be transmitted simultaneously, and multiple signals can be transmitted through only one lightning data line.
In addition to transmitting data, video and audio simultaneously, it is also compatible with Displayport interface. In other words, the lightning interface of the computer host can be directly connected to the display device that supports the Displayport interface. Of course, since the shape of the lightning interface is exactly the same as that of the Mini Displayport interface, the connection here needs to be made through the Mini Displayport data cable. Our common D-Sub, DVI, HDMI and other interfaces connected to the Mini Displayport can also be used directly. That is to say, displays that support Displayport interface can be connected to the computer host through the lightning interface. Dell's latest U2413 is equipped with the Mini Displayport interface, which can be connected directly through the Mini DP data cable or the lightning data cable, eliminating the trouble of switching.
Advantages 2: plug and play, high integration, and large bandwidth
Like USB, HDMI and Displayport, the Thunderbolt interface is a plug and play interface, so it is very convenient for users to connect and disconnect devices without switching on or restarting the computer. The integration of lightning interface can be seen through Apple Thunderbolt display. Apple Thunderbolt displays are equipped with only three types of wires, one is its own power cable, one is the power cable for charging Apple notebook devices, and the last is the lightning data cable. The display itself is equipped with USB interface, firewire interface, lightning interface and network cable interface. Therefore, when we use it, we can use keyboard and mouse to control the computer and connect it to the network by connecting devices such as keyboard and mouse to the display, connecting the network cable to the display, and connecting it to the MacBook Air through the lightning interface. Therefore, we can see that the integration between two devices is very convenient through only one line.
The transmission bandwidth of lightning interface is very large, At the same time, the lightning interface has a bidirectional 10Gbps transmission bandwidth, which can be expanded to a maximum of 100Gbps. For users' daily use, the lightning interface can simultaneously transmit high data volume data information, as well as high-resolution video signals and up to eight channels of audio signals.
Advantage 3: series multi screen system
The lightning interface can connect up to six devices in series, The lightning interface has the selling point of daisy chain, so it can support up to six devices in series. After these six devices are connected in series through the lightning data line, a complete set of systems can be formed, so that users can operate six devices at the same time. At present, the devices that support the lightning interface are mainly hosts, laptops, all-in-one computers, storage devices and displays. We can combine them in series through the daisy chain selling points of the lightning interface. Of course, the order of connection also has certain requirements. However, if one of the devices needs to be removed after the connection is completed, it will become a more complicated thing. Therefore, this selling point can be said to be an advantage, and it also exposes some shortcomings.
Disadvantages: expensive
The lightning interface is equipped with a wealth of selling points and advantages, and has a high technical content and many protocols, so it is bound to be expensive. Apple's MacBook series notebook computers, iMac all-in-one computers, Thunderbolt displays, as well as storage devices and motherboards launched by several manufacturers, can all be described as very expensive in terms of price. Most consumers can hardly afford the price of these products. Therefore, at present, the related devices of Thunderbolt interface are also relatively small.
Image source: Apple Source: Wikipedia
