Apple rumors are flying left and right, but the latest might just be the wildest of them all. This rumor states the upcoming MacBook Pro models will feature Intel’s Light Peak high speed data connectivity port under the Apple label as Thunderbolt High Speed I/O. Nevermind that Apple rarely (I can’t name one) debuts an unproven industry technology, this port is said to share a connector with the Mini Displayport. There’s even a photo circulating claiming to be the connector in question, complete with a little lighting bolt next to said port.
The rumor started yesterday with an Intel statement talking about an announcement next Thursday, which happens to be the same day as the rumored Apple event, about “a new technology that is about to appear on the market”. Then a German site, fsklog, posted what’s reportedly a spec sheet for the upcoming 13-inch MacBook Pro. Along with a new dual-core Intel Core i5 CPU with integrated graphics is mention of Thunderbolt. MacRumors then got what seems to be the same exact spec sheet just in English and it also mentions it. It states “Thunderbolt port supports high-speed I/O and Mini DisplayPort devices.”
The rumor isn’t exactly new either. A rumor Apple would implement Light Peak hit way back in 2009. That clearly didn’t pan out, but Apple likes to make calculated decisions concerning which industry standards to implement. Intel predicted that Light Peak would overtake USB 3.0 even before the faster USB spec hit the market. Perhaps Apple feels the same way, which would explain why USB 3.0 is not available on any Mac.
Still, it’s a bit wild to think that this new revolutionary interconnect would share a port with the Mini DisplayPort. It would totally negate the benefits of both, forcing users to choose one or the other obscure technology. Of course Apple doesn’t mind forcing users to use adapters and dongles. Perhaps the official Apple solution is to to use some $40 splitter.
This will likely pan out next week at Apple’s event. Oh wait, that’s just a rumor yet too.