Intel's Thunderbolt will see slow PC take-up, expert says

Intel's new data transfer technology Thunderbolt will not be picked up quickly by other PC makers due cost and functionality overlaps with USB 3.0, an industry analyst has predicted.

In an email interview with ZDNet UK's sister site ZDNet Asia, Brian O'Rourke, research director of digital entertainment at In-Stat, said he does not expect Thunderbolt to be widely adopted over the next few years because it is currently a "very expensive technology" and PC original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are cost sensitive.

Unveiled by Intel in February, Thunderbolt use high-bandwidth transfer rates of up to 10Gbps in bidirectional communications. Apple was the first computer maker to push Thunderbolt-based products onto the market with its MacBook Pro line. In May, the hardware manufacturer extended the technology to its iMac product line. However, O'Rourke noted that Apple's support for Thunderbolt does not necessarily translate to support from other computer makers. "PC OEMs do not generally follow Apple's lead in integrating new technologies," he said.

For more on this ZDNet UK-selected story, see Thunderbolt to see slow pickup on ZDNet Asia.