Intel has notified its partners that it will fully release its Thunderbolt technology in April 2012. Several PC makers are preparing to launch Thunderbolt-supported motherboards, notebooks, and desktop PCs.
To speed up the standardization of Thunderbolt, Intel is cooperating with Apple and Apple is the sole vendor currently to have PC products featuring Thunderbolt technology. As demand for the technology has seen obvious growth, Intel is ready to release the technology for public use.
Due to Thunderbolt chip costs being more than US$20 and the solution running a conflict with USB 3.0 in terms of next-generation data transmission technology, the Thunderbolt did not receive strong attention from the IT industry when announced, but as Apple has largely adopted the technology into its products such as monitor, MacBook Pro, iMac, MacBook Air and MacBook Mini, it has strongly boosted demand.
I can just hear it, “Customers don’t want this technology, they like USB just fine for now. We’ll let Apple take the risk. Then if for some reason it does all work out, we can ‘me too’ it like we did the MacBook Air!”
The cost of including Thunderbolt technology is expected to drop in the second half of 2012, and should be standardized gradually in the future, sources have said.
Just a few of the industry players expected to incorporate Thunderbolt into their product lines include: Sony, Asustek Computer (high-end notebook products,) and Gigabyte Technology (Thunderbolt-featured motherboard.)