[GRLUG] NOT LINUX - Thunderbolt

[Don Ellis]

On Wed, Jun 13, 2012 at 9:04 PM, Robar Philip <philip.robar at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> On Jun 13, 2012, at 7:17 PM, Bob Kline <bob.kline at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/thunderbolt-performance-z77a-gd80,3205.html
>>
>> An interesting development, apparently
>> with coming availability to PCs and Linux.
>
> Note that Thunderbolt cables are expensive at $50 and no one expects them to get much cheaper in the near future.
>
> Also Thunderbolt peripherals are very expensive—even for a simple single external drive. Unless you’re a professional or a business is paying for your equipment you probably won’t be using Thunderbolt in the foreseeable future.
>
> As a 2011 iMac owner I’m kinda screwed. No eSATA, no USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt is just way too expensive; leaving me stuck with Firewire 800/400 and USB 2.0.
>
> I had a brief glimmer of hope when I saw this article by USA Today, “Thunderbolt drive: Speedy alternative for Macs,” but after reading it I’ve decided that their writers are paid way too much. Quote:
>
>    The only problem: Thunderbolt drives were scarcely available,
>    and the ones that were in stock were extremely pricey.
>
>    Finally Seagate and Western Digital, which dominate the
>    hard-drive industry, have released Thunderbolt drives for
>    the Mac, and they truly are super speedy and affordable.
>
> Well, if you define “affordable” as just being grossly overpriced rather than ridiculously overpriced then maybe. For instance, Seagate’s Thunderbolt premium for their portable single drive is $150 (including the price of a cable). And the premium for their desktop model is $250.
>
> So for most of us Thunderbolt will just be a convenient way to attach multiple monitors.

You forgot to mention that, soon after Thunderbolt was announced, it
became much harder to get Firewire drives. For a time, Micro Center
had only USB drives. That may have changed; I have seen some Firewire
800 drives and enclosures at Micro Center since that first
observation, and with the price difference, they may be more
available.

--Don Ellis