Till now, Thunderbolt 2 was only known by its code name as “Falcon Ridge”, but now Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) has revealed more details on this new interface which the company is planning to launch later in 2013.
For now, more details are scarce but what’s known is that Thunderbolt 2 offers 20Gbps bi-directional channel that can handle both data and/or display. Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) says that this new technology doubles the bandwidth of the original Thunderbolt.
Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC)’s Thunderbolt 2 enables 4K video file transfer and display simultaneously. This is achieved by combining the two previously independent 10Gbs channels into one 20Gbs bi-directional channel that supports data and/or display.
“By combining 20Gbs bandwidth with DisplayPort 1.2 support, Thunderbolt 2 creates an entirely new way of thinking about 4K workflows, specifically the ability to support raw 4K video transfer and data delivery concurrently,” says Jason Ziller, Marketing Director for Thunderbolt at Intel.
4K, or “Ultra HD” may not be the standard at the current time, but soon we’ll see next generation gaming consoles released in the market by Microsoft and Sony, and with them, we might see new Ultra HD displays. In fact enthusiasts who have an eye for even minute detail would definitely want to take advantage of this new tech from Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC), and no doubt they should be, because the more clear the display, the more better it is. Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) also says that backing up terabytes of data would be a matter of minutes, and not of hours. Also Thunderbird 2 is backwards compatible, which means your old cables and connectors will continue to work.
At this point of time, apart from Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) using Thunderbolt technology on the Mac range, there are 30 different PC’s and motherboards worldwide that supports Thunderbolt, as per the reports of Intel. This means that Thunderbolt definitely has a bright future, and if not more, than at least Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) would be the one to back this new tech from Intel.
Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC)’s new Thunderbolt 2 is currently expected to begin production before the end of this year, and ramp into 2014. For all those movie buffs, gamers and enthusiasts, this is definitely good news. As always, feel free to comment below!
