Apple Has Significant Head Start With Thunderbolt, But Not Exclusive

Intel's new Thunderbolt interface, which made its debut this morning in an upgrade to Apple's MacBook Pro line, may be effectively an Apple exclusive for quite some time, according to Intel. At their press release, held shortly after Apple's update when live, Intel noted that the developer kit for the interface would be provided to other computer manufacturers this spring, and that they didn't expect OEMs to ship with Thunderbolt until 2012. It's not exactly an exclusive, but it's close. That's a pretty big coup for Apple — assuming Thunderbolt catches on faster than USB 3.0, and has no problems and plenty of applications. It's actually a lot to assume, and although Apple is definitely a winner here, there are also some risks involved.

gadget mobile ipad ipod