Intel is to make Thunderbolt 3 more widely available by first integrating the interface into new Intel CPUs and then by making the specification available to other chipmakers on a royalty-free basis next year. Intel currently has around 180 Intel Core-based PCs in the market with Thunderbolt 3, with 30 more expected to be launched this year. There are around 60 peripherals (although, as (Thunderbolt passes DisplayPort to a monitor, that number could be argued to be much greater).
Analyst Comment
USB Type C with Thunderbolt 3 is a very useful and versatile configuration, especially if you have a mobile or other small device with only one physical connection. If I had the spare time, I’d upgrade my current notebook to the latest version, which has Thunderbolt 3, and try running an external GPU in a docking box. These are beoming a little more widely available and the 40Gbps of Thunderbolt makes them almost as fast as an integrated GPU. I’d like to use a GPU for video editing and rendering, but at the moment, my PC only has Intel integrated graphics. I’m not sure I need a GPU when I’m away from the office, so this configuration would be an interesting option. (BR)
