What is Apple Thunderbolt Display 27

Thunderbolt is one of the most technologically advanced communication interfaces presented on the modern IT market. Devices compatible with it first appeared on the market in 2011. What is the specificity of this standard? What are its advantages over common competitive solutions?

What is Thunderbolt Technology?

Thunderbolt. what is this technology? It was formerly known as Light Peak. It is a standard of wired communications through which it is possible to transmit various types of digital data, as well as electricity. Developed jointly by two giants of the IT industry. Intel and Apple. Thunderbolt means in English “Thunder Strike”. The A-10 Thunderbolt II military aircraft used by the U.S. Air Force has a similar name. It is not known whether there is any continuity between him and solutions from IT brands. But the fact is quite remarkable.

The technology is based on two architectures: PCI Express, as well as DisplayPort. The main advantage of the technology is its high data transfer rate, as well as its versatility. It is possible to organize interaction with a wide range of devices. hard drives, multimedia devices. A port that supports the Thunderbolt standard can transmit a high-resolution stream through the DisplayPort protocol. The total maximum power of the equipment connected to the Thunderbolt port is 10 watts.

The technology allows you to transfer data both optically and electronically. The second option is more economical. But the demand for optical technology implementation is also expected to be palpable.

The delay in data transmission within the framework of this standard is minimal. about 8 ns. To connect devices, it can use a copper cable up to 3 m long or optical cable up to 100 m. Connecting devices to Mac computers equipped with Thunderbolt ports is possible in “hot” mode. without turning off the device.

In the future, it is expected that Thunderbolt technology will be able to provide data transfer rates of up to 100 Gb / s. Especially tangible demand for the corresponding standard is observed by specialists who are involved in the processing of high-quality files.

History of Technology

The technology, originally called Light Peak, was introduced to the public by Intel in 2009. At the same time, the American brand used the prototype of the printed circuit board of the Mac Pro device, through which high-definition streams were transmitted through an optical cable. At the same time, the possibility of data transfer within the local network and the interaction of the system with an external drive was shown. The technology functioned on the basis of the PCI Express interface.

Through optical channels, a data transfer rate of 10 Gbit / s was provided. It was also noted that it is possible to achieve indicators of 100 Gbit / s. Intel representatives said that devices equipped with Light Peak could hit the market in 2010. In multimedia online presentations, it was also shown that Light Peak technology is able to interact with a wide range of devices. cameras, computers, monitors.

In May 2010, Intel showed the public a laptop equipped with Light Peak, thereby proving that the interface can be integrated into small-sized devices. Intel experts also showed how two high-quality streams can be transmitted simultaneously. The brand announced that the factory release of controllers supporting the appropriate technology is possible at the end of 2010. In the fall of 2010, some prototypes of devices that implemented the new standard were shown to the public at the Intel Developer Forum.

Market appearance

In February 2011, the Light Peak standard was implemented under a new name. Thunderbolt on Apple devices. First, a new port appeared on the MacBook Pro, then on iMac computers, as well as on the MacBook Air, Mac Mini, as well as in monitors from Apple.

Now, on the basis of technology, a large number of devices have already been created. Among them is Apple’s popular Thunderbolt Display. It is notable primarily for its size. The number of inches Apple equipped it with is 27. Thunderbolt Display allows you to fully utilize one of the main advantages of the technology. data transfer speed. Through this resource, a stream in large resolution and high quality is displayed on a large screen.

Thunderbolt and PCI Express

We talked about Thunderbolt above that it is a technology that combines two standards. Let’s look at how the PCI Express architecture is involved in it. This standard is high-speed, it is used to integrate various elements of devices such as a Mac. processor, card, disk. Thanks to the technological capabilities of PCI Express, the Thunderbolt standard can transfer data at a speed of the order of 10 Gb / s. At the same time, two channels operate in each port. transmission and reception. The indicated speed is higher than when using standards such as FireWire 800, or, for example, USB 3.0. But high speed data transfer is not the only advantage of the technology.

Technology benefits

Among the key features of the technology is versatility. This standard allows you to transfer the appropriate type of digital data, as well as power through a common port. Thus, there is no need to connect a large number of cables to the computer. Another aspect of the versatility of the technology is compatibility with USB ports and the FireWire standard through special adapters. At the same time, Thunderbolt technology allows devices to operate within the speeds guaranteed by the corresponding interfaces, that is, it does not slow down their operation.

The next aspect of the technology’s versatility is the ability to simultaneously connect up to 6 devices to a single Thunderbolt port in a serial manner. True, the channel resource will be shared between devices. To ensure the optimal data transfer speed, it is important that each of the devices that form the chain maintain the appropriate standard without the use of adapters. Another aspect of the versatility of the technology. compatibility with any processors and chipsets. it does not matter under which particular brand.

Competing Technologies

So, we examined the main advantages of Thunderbolt. What is this technology, now you know. But she also has competitors. Consider their specifics. The main rival standard for Apple’s technology is SuperSpeed ​​USB, which is also referred to as USB 3.0. What are its key benefits regarding Apple’s solution?

Among those:

There are technological nuances in which the USB 3.0 standard is objectively inferior to Apple’s technology. Namely:

There is a thesis that SuperSpeed ​​USB technology will not be a direct competitor to Thunderbolt, which is the standard for another market segment. Therefore, two interfaces, having both advantages and disadvantages, will be able to quite comfortably be present on the market at the same time.

Second version

Intel and Apple are actively developing the technology. A new relevant standard has already been launched on the market. Thunderbolt 2. The new technology allows you to increase the data transfer rate up to 20 Gb / s. Its name, however, sounds almost like the same A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft. With its help, you can broadcast in UltraHD format. Also, thanks to the integrated support of the DisplayPort standard in version 1.2, the new interface can transfer to two displays operating in QHD mode. Thunderbolt 2 technology is fully compatible with devices and accessories released as part of the 1st version of the interface.

Thunderbolt devices: monitor

What type of devices supporting the technology in question are common on the market? Among the most popular devices is the Thunderbolt Display monitor from Apple. This device has a large diagonal of 27 inches. The Apple Thunderbolt Display is equipped with an LED backlight. It is intended for use with Mac series computers, as well as with MacBook laptops. The main advantages of the display: high resolution, excellent sound quality, the presence of a camera such as FaceTime HD, compatibility with the FireWire 800 standard, as well as with the Gigabit Internet interface. Of course, all the advantages of Thunderbolt technology allows this device to be fully utilized. You can also connect peripheral devices to the Apple Thunderbolt Display monitor also through FireWire.

Let us consider in more detail the characteristics of the device screen. The number of inches that the Apple Thunderbolt display has is 27. With this device, you can build realistic panoramic pictures. The aspect ratio of the screen is 16: 9, the display resolution is 2560 by 1440 pixels. The fact that the Thunderbolt Display is 27 inches is not its only advantage. The display is also equipped with modern LED-backlight, which is characterized by instant activation to full brightness. Also, the screen can be adjusted to external lighting conditions. Optimum display brightness can be set automatically, thanks to a sensor integrated in the device. This feature can significantly reduce the power consumption of the monitor. Apple Thunderbolt Display allows you to comfortably view pictures ands from any viewing angle thanks to IPS technology. This standard provides a high level of display brightness as well as consistent color reproduction.

The device is characterized by excellent sound quality. The speakers that Apple‘s display is equipped with include a subwoofer, which gives the multimedia stream a particularly pleasing tone of sound at the expense of additional frequencies. Other notable display accessories include a FaceTime HD camera and a built-in microphone. Thanks to these devices, the monitor can be connected to a computer and communicate comfortably through calling programs. As we noted above, the screen size supporting the Thunderbolt standard is 27 inches. And therefore, the user will be able to see the interlocutor during calls and his surroundings in sufficient detail.

Thunderbolt devices: express station

We said above about the versatility of Thunderbolt, that it is a technology that allows the integration of a wide variety of types of devices. Among the common solutions on the market based on the communication interface in question is an express station manufactured by Belkin. What is this device?

An express station is a tool with which a computer user can use one connection to a Thunderbolt port to connect 8 devices simultaneously via FireWire, USB, Ethernet, and a Thunderbolt loopback connection. Thanks to the capabilities of the express station, no additional Thunderbolt adapter is needed to connect devices. FireWire and USB standards are among the most widely used IT industry on the market today.

The main features of the Belkin express station involve the key advantages of the technology under consideration, namely high speed and versatility. Using the device, you can quickly transfer files, including FullHD, and music in large volumes.

Thunderbolt devices: hard drive

An example of another device using Thunderbolt technology. LaCie d2 hard drive This device is remarkable in that it combines two interfaces at once. actually Thunderbolt and one of the most competitive standards for it, as we noted above. USB 3.0 Such an opportunity can significantly increase the versatility of the device.

Thanks to the capabilities of Thunderbolt 2, the disk can be used as a powerful tool for backing up big data. for example, high-quality editing files. The device comes with a cable for connecting to the Thunderbolt connector, a similar component for connecting via USB 3.0 (if compatible with the earlier standard. USB 2.0), a power supply and installation instructions.

Of course, the Apple Thunderbolt Display, the LaCie d2 hard drive and Belkin express station are just some examples of devices using the new technology. Devices that take advantage of the high-speed and universal standard from Intel and Apple are on the market in a wide range. It’s not surprising how many inches Apple equipped its display with. 27″ Thunderbolt Display provides the user review of the highest quality picture. We can also explain Belkin’s interest in the new technology. the standard developed by Apple and Intel implies universality, compatibility with a large number of other interfaces, and therefore market demand.