When is thunderbolt being released

With docking stations that can offer up to four Thunderbolt 4 ports, designing your workstation solution has far more flexibility. Users will now have multiple ports to connect any Type C device to their dock and access the USB or Thunderbolt 4 performance capabilities they need. Intel is also introducing new cables which will offer universal support for Thunderbolt 4 and USB4, further eliminating connectivity confusion. These cables will offer longer lengths while maintaining 40Gbps, not only for Thunderbolt 4 but also for USB4.

This means more flexibility when laying out your workstation and connecting to your tech accessories. Thunderbolt continues to be a game changer in how we think about connectivity and performance. As it continues to pave the way for device technology standards, the latest generation, Thunderbolt 4, is a must-have for users looking for top speeds, versatility, and guaranteed performance.

North America. In January of , Intel announced the next generation of their ground-breaking Thunderbolt technology, Thunderbolt 4, at one of the most important technology and innovation conferences in the world, CES.

Tiger Lake successor chips in will include Thunderbolt 4. But Thunderbolt is missing from Apple's iPad Pro and from Microsoft's Surface Laptop 3 , so it's hardly a clean sweep for high-end gadgets. That means if you have an external Thunderbolt drive, docking station or network adapter, you can't be sure it'll work on any old computer. But you can bet USB will be there. Still, Thunderbolt remains useful, particularly to people who need top performance. And the newest USB standards are a muddle.

And while USB-C is good for charging devices that need up to a hefty watts of power -- plenty to charge a high-end laptop -- not every USB-C port is capable of charging a device. Thunderbolt offers a more consistent set of high-end abilities so you don't need to worry about those details so much. Two other accessories, though, use USB-C.

While still a little ahead of its time, 4K resolution was on the horizon. Users who depended on Thunderbolt connections were glad to know that the highest solutions would be supported when necessary. Also, crucially for users, Thunderbolt 2 devices worked with the original Thunderbolt-compatible devices, even if you wanted to mix and match different generations.

Again, Thunderbolt would remain an Apple exclusive using the Mini DisplayPort connector until the following generation. Recently, devices with Thunderbolt 4 ports have been released at CES, promising doubled minimum data and video requirements. Just as the original Thunderbolt and Thunderbolt 2 have gone out of fashion, the updates to Thunderbolt 3 and 4 will continue.

However, this is still a work in progress , so always double-check your cables. The Thunderbolt may lose its top spot as the fastest connection with new tech like the USB4 standard coming into the conversation. Official data says that the USB4 is similar to the Thunderbolt with fast transfer speeds up to 40Gbps. The recent standard USB 3.

Thunderbolt seems pressured to keep up.