Articles about Thunderbolt

LaCie's external drives are iconic -- especially in the Apple community. While the USB storage drives will work with Windows and Linux-based operating systems too, the designs are often more in line with Mac computers.

Last year, Apple released new MacBook Pro laptops which only have USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports. Naturally, LaCie needed to refresh its products to accommodate these modern ports, and it has done so with two of its most popular  -- the "d2" and "Rugged".

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Apple's newest MacBook Pro with Touch Bar has four Thunderbolt 3 (USB Type-C) ports, making it amazingly versatile. While all the ports can charge the device, they can all transfer data and video too.

If you are investing in Apple's latest pro laptop, and you need blazing fast external storage, LaCie has a Thunderbolt 3 product that will make you giddy. Called "Bolt3", it offers 2800MB/s read, and 2200MB/s write. The beautifully designed drive also has two Thunderbolt 3 ports, so you can daisy-chain to other devices, such as displays or additional storage.

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Today was Apple's big October event, and I came away impressed. The new MacBook Pro is both drop-dead gorgeous and super-powerful. The Touch Bar is revolutionary, bringing touch functionality to an operating system that isn't designed for a touch screen.

Unfortunately, the prices for the New MacBook Pro models are quite high, starting at $1,800 for one with the Touch Bar (a neutered non-Touch Bar model can be had for $1,500). If you are going to invest in such a pricey laptop, you will probably want it to double as a desktop too. Luckily, LG has two new Thunderbolt 3 monitors (one is 27-inch 5K, the other is 21.5-inch 4K) that will make it so. Dubbed "UltraFine", they double as single-cable docking stations. In other words, when paired with the MacBook Pro (or non-Pro MacBook), you will have a very rewarding macOS experience.

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Nowadays, many computers have paltry amounts of storage. Why? Solid state drives carry a higher cost per gigabyte, meaning these faster SSDs are usually lower-capacity for cost-savings. With the emergence of the cloud, this might be OK for many home and business users.

If you need more local storage, an external hard drive is a great way to get it. Not only are these drives convenient, but versatile too. But what if you need a lot of storage -- more than the typical single, double, triple, or even quadruple bay solution? LaCie has you covered. Its all-new '12big' raid unit has a mind-boggling 12 bays, and can accommodate up to 96 terabytes. It even utilizes the super-fast Thunderbolt 3 interface, making it perfect for professional use too.

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Having a powerful computer does not mean having a large computer. Big power can come in small packages. While giant towers have long been the darlings of many gamers and technology enthusiasts, smaller boxes are starting to gain traction too. With Micro ATX, Mini ITX, and even smaller form factors, consumers can achieve performance while saving precious desk space.

When it comes to diminutive offerings, Intel's NUC is one of the most popular. These computers are small, attractive, powerful, and affordable. While they run Windows fine, they really shine on Linux, where all components work out of the box. Today, Intel announces its most powerful NUC yet -- the seductively named Skull Canyon. Powered by a super-powerful Skylake processor, it also has tons of new tech crammed inside. You can even connect an external gaming GPU, like the new Razer Core, by way of Thunderbolt 3!

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Dell makes damn good consumer computers, but the company really shines in the enterprise. Along with HP and Lenovo, the firm makes very solidly built and dependable workstations. Of all my years working in the corporate world, Dell has often been the brand of computers offered by the companies for which I have worked. Having dropped and abused many business-issued Dell laptops during travel, I have yet to have any issues beyond scuffs and dents -- impressive.

One of Dell's sexiest business machines is the Precision M3800 Mobile Workstation. Today, the company announces that the "thinnest and Lightest 15-Inch True Mobile Workstation" is getting some great new options that will make many professionals happy. You can now get a 4K display, Thunderbolt 2 and Ubuntu Linux to go with the Haswell Core i7 and NVIDIA Quadro K1100M.

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Apple makes really great products; Mac computers included. I respect the closed garden and restrictive hardware from a quality perspective, but I take umbrage with the high prices and questionable business practices. While OS X may look pretty from the outside looking in, after playing with it for long periods of time, it becomes apparent that all which glitters is not gold. My interest in Apple's operating system was very short-lived, as Microsoft's Windows is just a superior product.

Apple promoters are quick to point out the safety and security of Macs, as Apple is less likely to be targeted by malicious software and contains fewer vulnerabilities. As the smart people know, however, OS X is only "safer", as it has a far smaller install base. In other words, because of its lack of popularity, bad guys pay less attention -- its increased safety and security is a myth. I hate to break it to you Apple fans, but it turns out your precious Macs are currently at risk. Comically, this vulnerability is found in Thunderbolt -- you know, that wildly unpopular standard that Apple seems to love, but its accessories are too costly for many users. True, some Windows machines have Thunderbolt, but it is mostly an Apple affair, and now the fruit-logo company's computers are vulnerable because of its method of implementation.

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Tuesday morning, Verizon Wireless and HTC announced Thunderbolt, their first smartphone supporting the LTE 4G protocol, will be available this Thursday, March 17 for $249.99 with a new two-year contract.

Thunderbolt is powered by a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and Android 2.2. It has a 4.3" WVGA screen, an 8 Megapixel rear-facing camera, and 1.3 Megapixel forward-facing chat camera, 8GB of onboard storage and support for microSD cards up to 32 GB.

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Somewhat hidden in between Apple's announcement Thursday of new MacBook Pro laptops was the debut of a new method of PC connectivity: Thunderbolt. It can be most easily explained as the next generation of FireWire, allowing for transfer speeds of up to 10Gbps.

Those who stand to benefit the most from Thunderbolt would be those in the audio-visual industries, which Intel itself bills the technology as perfect for. "Working with HD media is one of the most demanding things people do with their PCs," Intel's PC Client Group general manager Mooly Eden said. "We've taken the vision of simple, fast transfer of content between PCs and devices, and made it a reality."

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