Worried your nice new Mac won’t support those upcoming fiber optical cables? Well, worry no more. Intel has confirmed that the current range of Thunderbolt-capable Macs will indeed support fiber optical cables, which should be ready by next year.
Dave Salvator, an Intel spokesman, told Macworld:
Circuitry will ensure compatibility of optical cables with existing Thunderbolt ports, Salvator said. Copper cables provide adequate data transfer for use over short distances of up to six meters (about 20 feet), but optical cables will be good for data transfers over longer distances of tens of meters, Salvator said.
As for pricing and availability of the fiber optic cables, Salvator said that this is yet to be determined. However, before you know it, the new cables could be stuck in a drawer with your old parallel cables, with an even faster technology on its way.
Intel is already thinking ahead, and researchers at the company are developing technology based on silicon photonics that will be able to move data up to five times faster than current Thunderbolt implementations. The technology is slated to hit the market by 2015.
Are you looking forward to Thunderbolt fiber optic cables?
[via Macworld]
