I’m constantly asked: "Will Thunderbolt replace USB 3.0?"

Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 will co-exist & live long, fruitful lives

As reported previously, Apple filed and recieved a patent for a new iPhone or iPad connector which looks  like a Thunderbolt connection. You can see in the picture that it includes connections for USB 3.0 and dual port Displayport.

Apple received the patent in April 2011.  Since it takes at least 3 years to get a patent, we can guess that Apple has known since at least 2008 (probably 2007), it would support USB 3.0.

Apple may or may not have had knowledge of Thunderbolt in 2007.  I can see a world (in 2007) where Apple knew it would want it’s iPad tablet to drive a bigger monitor through DisplayPort.  That could be the original reason for dual DisplayPort and not Thunderbolt.  I can only guess.

Where am I going with this?

1. Apple uses the PCs chips found in most PCs
2. Most PCs will move to Ivy Bridge
3. Ivy Bridge will be found in most PCs
4. Future Apple PCs will likely use Ivy Bridge
5. Ivy Bridge has USB 3.0
6. It’s highly likely Apple will support USB 3.0
7. Apple patents indicate they’ve planned all along to support USB 3.0

So if you are still with me, Apple will definitely support USB 3.0

Back to the question

Will Thunderbolt overtake USB 3.0?

Pros:

1. Faster than USB 3.0 today
2. Proven
3. On every Apple mobile PC

Cons:

1. Closed Standard restricts the ability to integrate.
2. Only one company provides discrete chips

The one way Thunderbolt could overtake USB 3.0 is if Thunderbolt opens up as a standard.

USB 3.0 will have more than 100 design starts for SoC integration

The USB-IF has something like 4000 members. By the end of this year, there will be about 200 different USB 3.0 Design starts.  Thats lots of people innovating products around USB.

Thunderbolt is closed.  It will stay closed.  This video explains why:

So the Innovator that designed Thunderbolt makes money from customers like Apple, Acer, and Lenovo that ship Thunderbolt.  Big piles of money.  People that need/want Thunderbolt pay for Thunderbolt.

The innovator promotes USB 3.0 for mainstream ease of use.  Consumers are happy.

Thunderbolt closed.  USB open.

Everyone is happy.

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Apparently we’ve sold a bunch of DDR.

There was cake.

I ate 2 pieces.

Google iPhone 4S or iPhone 5 and you will get about gazillion hits, hopefully including this Blog

Smartphones drive the need for USB 3.0 in digital cameras and digital video cameras to

From the Apple event Monday

“We’re now on to the camera in the iPhone 4S. “We set our sights on competing with the best point-and-shoot cameras,” Mr. Schiller says. The camera has an 8-megapixel sensor, 60 percent more pixels than the iPhone 4’s camera. It has a backside-illuminated CMOS sensor that captures 73 percent more light. It’s 33 percent faster.” 

                                       – At Apple meeting per NYTimes Blog linked below

This means:

1) Smartphone you buy from Apple (and soon Google and RIM) pretty much can replace mid-range digital cameras.

2) Anyone in the middle to upper income range, every teenager, now doesn’t need to buy a separate digital camera (they probably seldom do anyways)

3) Enthusiasts who like great pictures, have a better mobile phone camera, and don’t need to buy a separate camera.

4) Camera makers had better add features like embedded memory, and USB 3.0 to make their cameras and video cameras viable

Digital Video Camera makers already have lots of storage inside the camera, and usually an SD card slot.  DVCs need USB 3.0 now.

DSCs should follow quickly, if you don’t move now, you will lose to those moving already.

Here links to Live Blog coverage of the Apple Event at the Wired Blog and  the NYTimes Blog and the Wired Blog

Thanks to Steve Jobs

I’m tremendously grateful to Steve Jobs for his drive, his creativity, his tenacity that really pushed everyone to Think Different. 

The Tech World remade itself multiple times in his lifetime directly due to his influence, effectively creating new realms of creativity, competitiveness, entertainment and utility.

Many Thanks Mr. Jobs.

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Patently Apple reports today that Apple has applied for a patent on a combined USB 3.0 and DisplayPort connector.

The great thing is we now know that Apple is at least thinking about USB 3.0.  The connector is (obviously) for their iPad, iPhone, iPod devices.
I like to be positive about everything, but there is one thing missing from this. I blogged about it not to long ago.

 

This week’s question

What is missing from the Apple Patent?

Answer in the Comments below.

Answer to last week’s question later on

 

Radiation, Cell Phones, Bananas

We had a Job Shadow day where kids from our nearby high school visited us.

We talked about cell phones.

One student asked, “Do cell phones cause cancer?”

One sage adult responded, “Your generation will be the first to find out.”

(I don’t think she meant to be funny, but it was quite funny to me).

Another bright student asked, “Aren’t bananas bad for you? They have potassium.”

Never one to miss a segue

At this point I started talking up how Potassium is good for your heart, and is a necessary nutrient.

The student stated, “I’ll send you the link.”

Here’s what I learned.

1) Cell phones do not emit ionizing radiation
2) A single banana contains Potassium, which has isotopes with ionization radiation
3) Therefore, it is more dangerous to eat 1 banana than to use your cell phone for 50 years (unless it’s a bananaphone)

Here’s the chart from xkcd.com

The work appears to me to be well supported with citations to credible sources. Odd are your kids have already seen the picture above in their science class (by the way).  Show it to them and talk about it, or forward it to your science teacher or your kid’s science teacher.

Then tell them to subscribe to my blog.  In addition, this article has a nice explanation on everyday sources of radiation for a more general audience. 

  

Answer to last week’s question

In December, I started to plan to buy an iPad 2, “What did I find when I went looking for “Best iPad Apps of 2009”

Commenter “Dave” responded correctly.  No Apps were available in 2009 for the iPad.  The iPad started shipping almost exactly a year ago (in 2010).  It’s simply amazing to me that there are 100s of Tablet projects now for a market that Apple created 1 year ago.

 

Comment below. Please.

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Apple announced the MacBook Air and the only way to install programs is either via the Internet or USB.  Of course, if the OS fails, and you have no internet, you have to use USB.

So Apple ships a USB Flash Drive that re-installs your software to factory condition.

How does Apple get away with no Optical Drive (no DVD, no Blu-Rays)

1) Apple set the standard with iTunes and downloadable Apps. – The only way to install this software to the iPhone, iPad, and iPod is over the internet.�
2) Apple saves power – No optical drive, no spinning/moving parts.
3) Apple saves space – Obvious, I know.
4) Apple saves cost – No optical drive.

At the system level, Apple save enough to include a flash drive, instead of a cheaper DVD disc because Apple doesn’t have to pay for or deal with cost/problems of adding an optical drive.

Buyers can (of course) buy a separate USB DVD or BluRay drive, or reuse an old one. So it actually lowers their overall cost of ownership over the long term.  They can share or reuse these components.

Apple enters top 5 Handset makers

This is significant because it means that more and more people buy SmartPhone which are more expense, provide more functions, and provide a platform for everyone to sell more stuff. 

IDC Q3 data

 

Strategy Analytics Q3 data

The data above is from my source is at at EDN, here 

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