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Apple has posted a new support download for Macs, Thunderbolt Firmware Update 1.2. The patch appears to deal solely with stability problems related to Target Disk Mode. The file is 1.22MB, and requires OS X 10.8.3 or later.
Sonnet today introduced a significant upgrade of its popular xMac mini Server, a Thunderbolt-to-PCI Express expansion system and 1U rackmount enclosure for a Thunderbolt-equipped Mac mini with a Thunderbolt port. The updated xMac mini Server now supports a double-width PCIe card's daughter card and includes BNC connector mounting holes on the enclosure's rear panel. In addition, the length of the xMac mini Server is now just 15.8 inches, optimizing it for a wider range of popular mobile racks, carts, and rack bags.
After months of delays Belkin has finally made its Thunderbolt Express Dock available for purchase through its online store. First announced at CES 2011, the Express Dock was originally expected to be launched in September 2012. However, various setbacks and revisions continually pushed this date back until Belkin finally began accepting pre-orders this past February. The final revision is being sold for $300 and features eight ports, one FireWire 800, one Gigabit Ethernet, three USB 3.0, one 3.5mm audio-in, one 3.5mm audio out, and one Thunderbolt port, that can simultaneously be connected to a computer through a single Thunderbolt cable.
Storage solutions manufacturer Akitio today announced the release of the company’s new 256GB one-bay, bus-powered "Neutrino" Thunderbolt storage solution. Akitio’s new larger-capacity device is a follow-up to the company’s successful 120GB SSD solution, which was previously launched in 2012.
Storage technology provider G-Technology announced the premiere device in its Evolution series -- the G-Dock ev with Thunderbolt, coupled with the G-Drive ev and G-Drive ev Plus external hard drive modules. The G-DOCK ev with Thunderbolt is the only two-bay solution with interchangeable storage modules, allowing them to be taken into the field and used as true standalone external drives on a USB 3.0 interface.
Sonnet today announced the Echo Express III-D desktop and Echo Express III-R rackmount Thunderbolt-to-PCI Express Expansion Chassis, the newest members of the company's Echo family of Thunderbolt expansion chassis for PCI-E cards. Featuring three PCI-E slots, a 300W power supply, and 75W auxiliary power connector, both new devices enable the use of a wide variety of high-performance PCI Express cards originally designed for use in desktop computers, now available to use with any OS X computer with a Thunderbolt port.
Intel has introduced an improved version of its Thunderbolt interface, doubling the transfer speeds to 20 Gbps upstream and downstream. With a booth at the National Association of Broadcasters expo this week, Intel notes that its next-generation Thunderbolt controller, codenamed Falcon Ridge, has the bandwidth to support 4K video file transfers while simultaneously driving a 4K display.
Accessory maker Sonnet Technologies has introduced a catch-all Thunderbolt dock that offers users just about any kind of connection they might want. The Echo 15 Thunderbolt Dock, compatible with both Mac and Windows machines, offers a total of 15 ports and includes options for an optical DVD or Blu-ray DVD drive as well as a 2TB hard drive (or smaller SSD). The deluxe dock is expected to arrive by summer, but can be pre-ordered now for North American customers. The unit's drive bay can also be used for Time Machine backups.
Sonnet today introduced the xMac mini Server 2H, a second model of the company's xMac mini Server Thunderbolt to PCIe expansion system and 1U rackmount enclosure for a Mac mini with a Thunderbolt port. The new xMac mini Server 2H enables the use of two half-length, full-height PCIe cards -- allowing users to select from and install the majority of Thunderbolt-compatible cards into either slot. Additionally, the new model features design improvements such as shortening the chassis' length to 16 inches, which allows it to be deployed in a wider range of popular mobile racks, carts, and rack-bags.
One of the first Verizon LTE phones is being updated to Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), nearly two years after the phone's release. The HTC Thunderbolt is finally seeing an update to a nearly year-old version of Android, albeit newer than Android 2.3 Gingerbread which most of the Thunderbolt phones shipped with.
Licensing issues at Intel are keeping the number of Thunderbolt accessories low, says ArsTechnica. Although more accessories should be en route soon, several vendors claim that Intel has been picking a relative handful of companies to work with in order to ensure products meet certification demands. Intel is denying the suggestion that it might be "cherry-picking" vendors, but acknowledges it has a limited amount of resources for approving new products.
Third-party retailers are beginning to run out of Apple's 27-inch Thunderbolt Display, notes AppleInsider. Amazon, MacMall, and J&R are all indicating that they're completely out of the monitor. Such stock-outs are typically a sign that Apple is about to update a product, which may be a necessity in the case of the Thunderbolt Display.
Apple has released a new patch for the MacBook Air, EFI Firmware Update 2.6. The code is intended strictly for the current "mid-2012" models, but solves several problems. These include bad colors when connecting HDMI displays, an issue with Windows that caused problems when booting, and a freezing glitch caused by unplugging a Thunderbolt device before waking from standby. The firmware is a 4.76MB download, and requires OS X 10.8.2.
Belkin's upcoming Thunderbolt Express Dock has returned to a $300 pricetag, the company now says. The product has been in development since 2011, and was originally assigned the $300 price -- along with a September 2012 launch date -- at last year's CES. In June, however, the company made some modifications to the peripheral and raised the price to $400. The September release date came and went, forcing Belkin to push the launch to the first quarter of 2013.
Corning has announced a new series of ultra-long optical Thunderbolt cables. Three different lengths will be available: 10m (32.8 feet), 20m (65.6 feet), and 30m (98.4 feet). In contrast, a standard Apple-made Thunderbolt cable only measures 2m, or about 6.6 feet.
Evernote has released an update for Skitch for Mac, bringing the app to version 2.0.3. The new version brings back custom styles and colors, as well as an option to auto copy a URL once an image has been uploaded. It also allows users more flexibility in tool sizes, so that annotations can be in proportion to images. Evernote has also added more sharing options, making it easier to email, Message, tweet, or post from Facebook and iPhoto. The newest version is available for download directly from Evernote, and users that have downloaded the app from the Mac App Store will be receiving an update notification soon.
Expansion manufacturer mLogic is now shipping its PCIe Thunderbolt expansion chassis worldwide. The mLink chassis enables selected PCIe cards such as RAID controllers, 10GigE, Fiber Channel and audio-video capture cards to connect to Mac desktop and laptop computers through the Thunderbolt interface.
Sonnet announced the latest in the Echo family of Thunderbolt expansion chassis for PCI Express cards -- the Echo Express II. Featuring two PCIe slots, the new Thunderbolt-to-PCIe expansion chassis enables the use of a wide variety of PCIe cards originally designed for use in desktop computers with any computer now equipped with a Thunderbolt port.
Apple has released a small update for the 2012 MacBook Pro, Thunderbolt Firmware Update 1.1. The patch is described as fixing a problem with the notebook and "some Thunderbolt cables" that "may prevent bus-powered Thunderbolt devices from functioning properly." The file is 442KB, and requires OS X 10.7.4 or later.
WD announced today an expansion of its line of high capacity and high speed external storage drives with the My Book Thunderbolt Duo 8 TB and My Book 4 TB external hard drive models. The new drives are compatible with both Mac and PC setups, and the Thunderbolt Duo 8 TB offers the largest storage available on any My Book drive from WD.
Hard drive maker Western Digital has revealed a new line of portable external drives specifically for Macs with capacities up to 2TB and USB 3.0 functionality, and has added a 2TB Thunderbolt-enabled drive that it says offers up to 400MB per second read speeds (and 380MB per second write speeds). When two My Book Velociraptor Duo drives are daisy-chained together, it doubles the speed capacity, rivalling consumer SSD drives at dramatically lower costs.
Apple has finally started stocking the Thunderbolt to FireWire Adapter. The new dongle costs $29 and is currently listed as shipping within 1 to 3 business days. Although it can be used by any Mac with an available Thunderbolt port running OS X v10.7.4 or higher, its arrival has been most eagerly awaited by new owners of Apple's MacBook Pro with Retina display.
Today in the MacNN forums users discuss the best way to get an HDMI connection for a pre-Thunderbolt Mac in this thread started yesterday evening, join in here. Mac Enthusiast houstonmacbro reported a strange issue where the Apple TV remote also controls their TV, similar stories have also been reported, join in here.
Earlier this year we had the opportunity to review the Seagate GoFlex Thunderbolt adapter designed for Seagate's portable hard drive range. Seagate has since released the GoFlex Desk Thunderbolt adapter which can be used to upgrade its USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 desktop GoFlex drives. The concept is a good one - pay a little more for the Seagate GoFlex drive upfront, but you then have the flexibility to upgrade to a faster I/O as the technology becomes available. So is it worth upgrading your USB drive to Thunderbolt and is it worth the $190 price of admission?
Drobo has unveiled two new Thunderbolt-enabled storage systems aimed at professional users. The Drobo 5D is a desktop-based unit that can store five drives with an additional SSD bay for caching, while the Drobo Mini is a smaller version of the storage line designed for mobile use.
After causing problems for some users including serious boot issues that left them unable to easily access their Macs, Apple pulled a Thunderbolt Software Update (labelled v1.2) from its available downloads last Thursday, June 14. Today the update, which is meant to allow Thunderbolt-equipped Macs to use the new Thunderbolt-to-Gigabit Ethernet adapter, reappeared with a 1.2.1 version number.
Apple has pulled Thunderbolt Software Update 1.2 from its list of available downloads, MacNN has discovered. Although the update was only meant to add support for the Thunderbolt-to-Gigabit Ethernet adapter, some users have complained that it caused serious boot issues such as kernel panics or freezing at the gray boot screen. The only solution appears to have been reinstalling OS X Lion, a time-consuming process.
Some people are experiencing serious errors with Thunderbolt Software Update 1.2, released yesterday, according to reports. Affected users will see any number of issues when booting a Mac, ranging from "unexpected error" messages to kernel panics or becoming stuck at the gray boot screen. The only solution so far is believed to be reinstalling OS X Lion, or simply avoiding installing the update in the place.
Today the MacNN forums are abuzz with talk of the latest updates to the Apple lineup at yesterday's WWDC. The next generation MacBook Pro is the topic of this thread started by Clinically Insane member Eug. The thread titled "MacPro - Still No Thunderbolt" now includes the phrase "(COME ON ALREADY)" and the discussion continues about the delay in Mac Pro progress.
In addition to the other higher-profile offerings at Apple's Worldwide Developer's conference today, the company announced two new adapter cables for all Thunderbolt-equipped Macs. Shipping today is the Gigabit Ethernet Thunderbolt cable, and the Firewire 800 to Thunderbolt adapter cable arrives later this summer.
Accessory maker Qnap is showing a prototype of a four-bay Thunderbolt JBOD drive case at Taiwan's Computex trade show. The JTB-400 is capable of holding either 2.5- or 3.5-inch drives. No hardware RAID controller is installed, and the SATA bridgeboard is controlled with a Marvell controller. Pricing has yet to be announced for the rollout of the chassis, expected in the third quarter.
ASUS has demonstrated its first Thunderbolt-based monitor at Computex. It is the first PC display to use the technology outside of Apple's display range suggesting that the new high-speed I/O standard is starting to gain momentum. The 27-inch screen using the connection was shown at the same time it revealed an adapter for ASUS 7-series motherboards that added the port as an extra connectivity option.
A new Thunderbolt Drobo storage device has been seen at Taiwan's Computex. While no testing was possible, nor have any specifics been announced at the show, Drobo representatives claim the move to Thunderbolt should boost the transfer speeds by up to 20 times. Pictures taken by TheVerge show a unit with four 2.5-inch drive bays, two Thunderbolt ports, and a single USB3 port. No pricing nor ship date has been announced.
Peripheral maker Sonnet Technology has announced the imminent shipment of its trio of Thunderbolt PCIe expansion cases. The xMac mini server chassis mounts a (not included) Mac mini inside of a 1U tall case and provides two PCIe 2.0 slots for expansion. The Echo Express and Echo Express Pro are smaller cases intended to provide a single half-length or a pair of full-length PCIe 2.0 slots for any Thunderbolt equipped Macintosh computers.
Belkin has announced an update to its still-unreleased Thunderbolt Express Dock. The peripheral is mainly meant for notebooks, introducing many more connections than a portable system would normally support. The upgrade mainly brings in three USB 3.0 ports, in place of the USB 2.0 ports Belkin originally announced. The company has also added an eSATA connection, but raised the price of the dock a full $100 to $399.
MSI and Asus have announced and detailed their first Thunderbolt-equipped motherboards. The companies have released specifications for their Ivy Bridge boards, both using Apple's Mini DisplayPort implementation of Thunderbolt, rather than Sony's custom Light Peak adaptation. Neither company has announced pricing and availability. Both boards are expected to make their debuts at the Taipei Computex show in two weeks.
Following Apple's introduction of Thunderbolt on commercial systems with the Macbook Pro 2011 line in February of 2011, it was expected that Thunderbolt would soon be supported on Windows. The first motherboards with integrated Thunderbolt are starting to see the light of day just now, more than a year after the initial introduction of the technology. Anandtech recently had the opportunity to test the first draft motherboard from manufacturer MSI featuring Thunderbolt -- the MSI Z77A-GD80.
Elgato has announced the upcoming launch of a new Thunderbolt cable designed specifically for mobile use. The flexible 50cm cable supports the full data transfer speeds of up to 10Gbit/s on both channels, and at the same time can provide power to devices. The Elgato Thunderbolt Cable will be available on May 3 at a cost of $60. Additionally, Elgato will be including a free cable with every Thunderbolt SSD purchased from the online store before May 6.
Matrox has refined its DualHead2Go product that lets Mac notebook users add a second external monitor to now incorporate MiniDisplayPort or Thunderbolt in the DualHead2Go Digital Mac Edition (ME). The breakout box enables a single port to now run two external DVI-based displays at up to 1920x1200 resolution. The unit comes bundled with PowerDesk software to help users manage and arrage multi-display setups and supports Lion's full-screen application mode.
Blackmagic Design at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) show outed three new products for professional video editors. The Universal Videohub Editing Interface has a Thunderbolt interface with four ports and four reference signal inputs. It plugs into the company's Universal Videohub 72 and 288 models.
The G-RAID Thunderbolt drive introduced in the fall of last year is now shipping. The external drive houses two 4TB, 7,200RPM Hitachi Deskstar hard drives and offers a 10Gbps connection through Intel's Thunderbolt connection, making it suitable for use with Macs and upcoming Windows PCs. It's also the largest external drive of its kind that has RAID 0 striping.
Autodesk reworked its video editing and post-shot visual effects tool specifically for Mac users. Smoke 2013 brings a new, unified interface that mixes traditional, editorial track-based editing with Autodesk's own interface elements. A node-based compositing tool, ConnectFX, lets editors insert advanced effects without having to jump to a separate interface.
ATTO Technology has unveiled the beginnings of a full lineup of Thunderbolt breakout boxes that allow TB-enabled Macs and future Windows or Linux systems that incorporate Thunderbolt to use devices that leverage SAS/SATA storage, Fibre Channel and even 10Gb Ethernet to increase the adaptability and flexibility of Intel's high-speed bi-directional connector. The company will be showcasing the products at the upcoming NAB conference.
Intel is now shipping second-generation Thunderbolt controllers, previously referred to as "Cactus Ridge," that could accompany a possible refresh of some Mac products in the near future. The controllers are shipping just ahead of the recently-updated April arrival of "Ivy Bridge," the next version of the Core iX family of processors, as well as new Intel "Panther Point" logic board designs that include support for PCIe 3.0 and USB 3, reports specialist site VR Zone.
The LaCie eSATA Hub Thunderbolt series external drive has hit the market. First seen at CES 2012, the new drives give users the added flexibility of using its eSATA port to connect existing eSATA drives over Thunderbolt. LaCie say that the eSATA Hub will boost transfer speeds and will allow users to daisy chain the drive with other Thunderbolt peripherals.
Seagate has continued to expand its GoFlex hard drive system, which features interchangeable interfaces for interoperability between various connection types. The company's latest adapters enable users to upgrade their existing GoFlex drives with a Thunderbolt interface to take advantage of fast transfer speeds on Apple's latest Macs and a number of upcoming Windows machines. In our full review, we'll take a closer look at the Thunderbolt adapter for GoFlex portable drives.
Western Digital acted on a two-month promise by shipping its range-topping MyBook Thunderbolt Duo drives. The desktop external disks use the headroom of the 10Gbps spec, along with RAID, to supply speeds faster than most individual internal drives, even on a system like a MacBook Air. In a hands-on (above) with a RAID 0 stripe, we saw real speeds of 750MB per second in reads and 640MB per second in writes, rendering it faster than a high-end solid-state drive.
New NPD data has credited the iPhone 4S as the primary factor behind the adoption of 4G or pseudo-4Gon smartphones. Where just six percent of devices had support for HSPA+, LTE, or WiMAX at the end of 2010, about 35 percent had it during the newest iPhone's fall launch. Even though it only had two months to sell, Apple's hardware became the most popular HSPA+ phone in the US for all of 2011.
Intel spokesman Dave Salvator promised Monday that optical Thunderbolt cables would be coming in 2012. He didn't give a timetable to IDG or a price. Any cables would, however, work with Macs and any existing or imminent Thunderbolt implementations.
Although Elgato is better known for its EyeTV tuners, the company has entered the storage market with several Thunderbolt solid-state drives. The external storage devices pair flash chips with a Thunderbolt connection to enable much faster data transfer speeds than traditional disk drives. In our full review, we take a close look at how the Elgato drives stack up against similar offerings from storage industry veterans.
