[Macworld]

Post your comments for What you need to know about Thunderbolt here

[StevenFisher]

<b>Will Thunderbolt eventually replace FireWire and USB on Macs?</b>

I note that Apple included this line: "With PCI Express technology, you can use existing USB and FireWire peripherals — even connect to Gigabit Ethernet and Fibre Channel networks — using simple adapters."

Given how quickly Apple moved over to USB without those simple and inexpensive adapters in place, I wouldn't be surprised to see the next Mac that gets Thunderbolt to get only a single USB connector or something like that.

[nofxbam]

the wave of the freaking future!

[AlanStall]

Two Questions
1) This may have been answered but can Thunderbolt be used in a hub configuration as well as serial.
2) Do we know the maximum length of a TB copper cable. FW800 seems to max out at about 15 feet. Would love to put my hard drives in a closet.

[JohnLundelltlnw]

What I don't understand is, 6 devices but still only one video... so I buy a Macbook Pro and still can't have more than one external monitor (without 3rd party products that don't work right)

Is it too much to ask for 2 or maybe even 3 27" LCDs to be plugged into a Macbook Pro?

THis is why I went iMac, so at least I could have two.

For a company that is big into graphics etc. they are way behind on the multiple monitor idea.

[RKDinOKC]

This thunderbolt sounds just like Firewire circa 1991. Network, video, keyboards, storage, all on one cable.

[Dan Frakes]

 AlanStall, on 24 February 2011 - 02:28 PM, said:

2) Do we know the maximum length of a TB copper cable. FW800 seems to max out at about 15 feet. Would love to put my hard drives in a closet.

Copper is limited to around 3 meters.

[Captain_Video]

Hey Dan -- Will Thunderbolt support Target Disk Mode?

[Dan Frakes]

 Captain_Video, on 24 February 2011 - 02:55 PM, said:

Hey Dan -- Will Thunderbolt support Target Disk Mode?

From the article on which you're commenting:

Quote

Does Thunderbolt support Target Disk Mode and Migration Assistant?

On the new MacBook Pro models, you can use Target Disk Mode over a computer-to-computer Thunderbolt connection. (We assume this will be the case with future Thunderbolt-equipped Macs, as well.) However, Mac OS X’s Migration Assistant software doesn’t currently support Thunderbolt connections.

[Zappageek]

Would like to see a PCI Express card for a MacPro with Thunderbolt. Out to an HDTV would be very nice if it can move data as fast as it claims to.

[AshwinDollar]

Blame Intel and AMD. No graphics card supports more than two displays. Mac Pros can have multiple graphics cards, so you can have up to six displays. Most notebook graphics cards also are limited to two, and since one will be assumed to be in the notebook itself, only one external can be supported.

 JohnLundelltlnw, on 24 February 2011 - 02:31 PM, said:

What I don't understand is, 6 devices but still only one video... so I buy a Macbook Pro and still can't have more than one external monitor (without 3rd party products that don't work right)

Is it too much to ask for 2 or maybe even 3 27" LCDs to be plugged into a Macbook Pro?

THis is why I went iMac, so at least I could have two.

For a company that is big into graphics etc. they are way behind on the multiple monitor idea.

[cweber]

Imagine a single Thunderbolt connection from your laptop to an external display, which in turn has more Thunderbolt ports, USB ports, Firewire ports, a slave MiniDisplay port, an ethernet port and perhaps others (Apple's LED display on steroids). To the display are connected: campus ethernet, an external RAID unit via a second Thunderbolt cable, a keyboard, a mouse and a iPhone dock. Arriving in the office you connect the Thunderbolt cable and a Magsafe connector and are instantly hardwired into all your peripherals at full speed for each. A low power laptop might be able to run and charge with just the 10W from the Thunderbolt connection. One very small and convenient dock connection to rule them all!

[artpease]

Does Thunderbolt support Target Disk Mode and Migration Assistant?

On the new MacBook Pro models, you can use Target Disk Mode over a computer-to-computer Thunderbolt connection. (We assume this will be the case with future Thunderbolt-equipped Macs, as well.) However, Mac OS X’s Migration Assistant software doesn’t currently support Thunderbolt connections.

[richcon]

 AshwinDollar, on 24 February 2011 - 03:07 PM, said:

Blame Intel and AMD. No graphics card supports more than two displays. Mac Pros can have multiple graphics cards, so you can have up to six displays. Most notebook graphics cards also are limited to two, and since one will be assumed to be in the notebook itself, only one external can be supported.

 JohnLundelltlnw, on 24 February 2011 - 02:31 PM, said:

What I don't understand is, 6 devices but still only one video... so I buy a Macbook Pro and still can't have more than one external monitor (without 3rd party products that don't work right)

Is it too much to ask for 2 or maybe even 3 27" LCDs to be plugged into a Macbook Pro?

THis is why I went iMac, so at least I could have two.

For a company that is big into graphics etc. they are way behind on the multiple monitor idea.

Since Thunderbolt is an extension of PCIe, I imagine someone could come up with an external Thunderbolt/PCI graphics card to drive a third display. But you'd surely run into serious bandwidth issues trying to drive two high res displays through a single 10 gig cable. Maybe in the future when Apple replaces the whole suite of Firewire and USB ports with a row of multiple Thunderbolt ports, John will realize his dream.

On a similar vein, this could be the answer to how to make the iMac answer to the expandability of a cheap PC tower: a row of Thunderbolt ports to allow external PCI expandability in lieu of internal cards.