jscomposer
Compared with FW 800 and USB3, it is lightning fast.

Yes, but will it be adapted by Windows?

It just ain't looking good.

It was looking good when Intel first introduced the spec. Until they jumped in bed with Apple. After that the push for USB3 was on and is almost guaranteed to prevail. More widely adapted and cheaper, USB won't go away anytime soon.

Microsoft got pissed when Intel went with Apple exclusively for that one year. Ever since that, MS could care less about TB.

Originally, it was called LightPeak and it was supposed to be an optical link. When it became Thunderbolt it became copper-based.
 
The interconnects are active, not passive == dollars and heat.
 
A posting at Tom's hardware showed some pretty hot thermal maps. 140 F if I recall.
 

> Yes, but will it be adapted by Windows?
 
It doesn't matter. Intel do the motherboard/laptop standards not MS so Intel is the player. All you need is an Intel driver (MS may even do a generic one for all I know).
 
No wonder M$ is buying up hardware companies

CakeAlexS
> Yes, but will it be adapted by Windows?
 
It doesn't matter. Intel do the motherboard/laptop standards not MS so Intel is the player. All you need is an Intel driver (MS may even do a generic one for all I know).
 
No wonder M$ is buying up hardware companies

Well Intel certainly does the Thunderbolt standard (they own it), but if there is a standard motherboard, I suspect it is not made by Intel. At last check Thunderbolt is not a feature even of every Intel motherboard. Microsoft is not going to refuse to write or license drivers. But the question is whether the motley crew of diverse MB makers (collectively known as Windows computers) will decide to incorporate the technology on a large enough proportion of machines to make it worthwhile for the even less predictable peripheral builders to turn out enough units to make the price reasonable.

TB is great with an APOLLO and Sonar.... I wouldn't trade it for anything so far.  Tracking in real time with effects, et al, is simply amazing.... kinda, almost, negates the use of any hardware for tracking..... 
 
Works good for me.
 
Jim

For a new interface to be a hit, there has to be a must-have device which uses it. Enough computers with the device drives down chip prices.
 
USB works great and everything from mice to keyboards can use it.  It handles a number of audio channels quite nicely - everybody has it and so the cost of USB is amortized easily.
 
Apple has Thunderbolt, nice from a technical standpoint, bit Apple is the only one using it. Also, Apple doesn't care much about cost in relation to its PC competition. The majority of its customers won't make much use of Thunderbolt excepting techie types, i.e. DAW and Video editors, who are a smaller market than they seem to think.

INtel is not making motherboards for consumers anymore. They got out the business.
 
Now that motley crue of MB makers are in to make money. TB is too expensive. USB is very cheap.
 
Intel can make all the standards they want. If people don't use it,????
 
Microsoft didn't support it from the jump, and pushed USB.
 
So I will answer this question very clearly.
 
Is Thunderbolt Ever Going to Take Off for Windows Machines? No.
 
And the reasons have been stated.

> but if there is a standard motherboard, I suspect it is not made by Intel.
 
No they control the standards, check post #2 for instance.
 
> Intel can make all the standards they want. If people don't use it,????
 
Actually they enforce basic standards with their licensed kit. Again #2.
 
> Is Thunderbolt Ever Going to Take Off for Windows Machines? No
 
I'm not sure what you mean by a "windows machine" as I can install Linux on a PC for instance. If you are specifically talking about Microsoft hardware such as Surface, well so far that has been a dead duck and the the tablets are being used as door stops all over Redmond, and they've bought Nokia to get into the game. M$ and hardware is a scenario yet to be proven, the only real success they've had is XBOX (and yes chances of Thunderbolt on an XBOX is zero). And like I say all that is required with Windows OS's is a driver to support it so what MS thinks really doesn't matter. I don't remember Microsoft pushing USB massively for instance, and initially the drivers had to be installed before Microsoft eventually issued generic versions in their next OS. The situation is slightly different with Apple as their business model is much the same as XBox (total control). Generally software follows the hardware, not the other way around.
 
Cheers.

I built my computer in January of this year. First I bought motherboard without Thunderbolt. Then I attempted to return it but had difficulties, but I still ordered another motherboard with the Thunderbolt. Now I have it. And- nothing happens. UAD has cards that you can but for use with their interfaces, but it is extra $400 or so (as of earlier this year). I did not hear about any good devices- I wasted my effort. But will still see.

Well you might have to do some tweaking of win 7 or 8...I suppose....wink link...but here is a PC BOARD SPORTING TB2
 
http://www.anandtech.com/show/7230/