Industry sources are refuting a report claiming that a future fiber-optics technology was an Apple idea that was brought to Intel.
Intel's Jason Ziller showing 'miniaturized' optical module
(Credit: Intel)Light Peak was an Intel Labs project that the chipmaker was working on before anyone was thinking of using it, according to industry sources close to the issue. Light Peak can carry data at 10 gigabits per second in both directions simultaneously and Intel expects it will reach 100 gigabits per second in the next decade.
Engadget reported last week that Apple "brought the concept to Intel and asked them to create it." Apple did not respond to e-mail queries.
Intel showed the technology to third parties, got feedback, then incorporated the feedback into the next design. Apple is an innovating force in the industry and makes requests that nobody else does and that only helps innovation, the sources added.
Separately, on Tuesday, in an interview, Jason Ziller, director of Intel's optical input-output program office, spoke more about the technology that is expected to be used on future PCs and consumer electronics devices.
"We've been working on optical for many years. Specifically, this technology the last couple of years," he said. "We've developed the technology, we've developed the specifications, documenting the technology, and we have prototype product," he said.
Ziller said Intel will be supplying the core silicon for the technology. "Intel will be supplying the controller chip and then there's also an optical module that does the optical conversion. We developed the (optical module) technology and reference design and it's going to be manufactured by other third party optical manufacturers," he said.
Companies that will be involved in the optical module production and "everything around the module" include Foxconn, Foxlink, Avago, SAE, Iptronics, Corning, Elaser, and Ensphere, according to Intel.
"All of these components will be available next year," Ziller said. "The product that we're developing now, that we're ready to ship next year is based on our current specification. Because there is customer demand for that," he said.
Ziller said initially that products may appear that have both Light Peak and other connectors, such as USB, but that the ultimate goal is to have one single connector technology. "It doesn't change the track that electrical USB 3.0 is on. That's going to continue going forward. What Light Peak allows is that USB 3.0 and, or, other protocols could, down the road, be run over optical in this fashion," he said. USB 3.0 is the next-generation USB technology that would replace the current USB 2.X technology found on virtually all PCs today.
Ziller continued. "So, it complements existing electrical protocols and enhances them to run over optical, maybe over longer cables and also together on the same cable because Light Peak supports multiple protocols running simultaneously," he said. Other connector technologies include FireWire, DVI, DisplayPort, and HDMI.
"In the future, these protocols could also run at higher speeds as they evolve over time," he added.
"We'll be evaluating and looking at it as it comes forward," said Jeff Ravencraft, the USB Implementers Forum president and chairman. "We'll continue to evaluate and work with Jason's team."
As the next generation of Universal Serial Bus technology nears commercial reality, next week's Intel Developer Forum will play host to more USB 3.0-capable devices.
Point Grey Research will show a high-end video camera streaming video to a laptop with USB 3.0 technology
(Credit: Point Grey Research)A Fujitsu laptop, a high-end video camera, and a solid-state drive using USB 3.0 technology, among other hardware, will be demonstrated at IDF, according an announcement from the USB Implementers Forum on Thursday.
USB technology is now used on virtually all computing devices globally as well as the lion's share of consumer electronics products. Also referred to as "SuperSpeed USB," next-generation USB 3.0 boosts the data transfer rate 10 times over current technology, while also improving power efficiency.
Consumer electronics devices enabled with USB 3.0 are expected in the market late this year or early next. The specification was developed by Intel, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, NEC, ST-Ericsson, and Texas Instruments.
On display at IDF, among other things, will be a Fujitsu laptop, the first to use built-in USB 3.0. Inside the Fujitsu laptop will be an NEC Electronics "host controller" chip that will exchange data with an external SuperSpeed USB drive from Buffalo Technology.
And USB 3.0 will be a godsend to video cameras--which often need to transfer gigabytes of video data. A prototype high-performance digital video camera from Point Grey Research will be rolled out that integrates a 3-megapixel Sony "IMX036" CMOS (complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor) image sensor to output 1080p high-definition images at 60 frames per second. This camera will stream uncompressed HD video to a laptop PC through a SuperSpeed USB ExpressCard from Fresco Logic.
Asus will also be present to show off its PC motherboard with SuperSpeed USB. The Asus X58 motherboard uses the same NEC chip and will exchange data with a LucidPort SuperSpeed USB mass storage device running the new USB Attached SCSI Protocol (UASP), which delivers improved performance and reduced latency.
The demonstrations will take place during two USB 3.0 technical sessions at IDF at the Moscone Center, San Francisco, starting on Tuesday.
In the interest of achieving faster 3G on my Apple MacBook Air while getting more bang from my BlackBerry, I've found two paths to 3G Nirvana. Well, maybe not quite Nirvana.
My first foray into 3G on the MacBook Air via a BlackBerry Storm produced satisfactory results. Here, the Blackberry served as a 3G modem via Bluetooth. The Bluetooth bottleneck, however, can be frustrating (it's closer to 2G than 3G) when there is a need for speed. So, I turned to a physically tethered connection via USB.
MacBook Air tethered to Blackberry Storm via USB
(Credit: Brooke Crothers)Let me preface this by explaining why I resisted a tethered (wired) USB connection at first. Quite simply, the idea of plugging and unplugging a clunky USB cable, dealing with the VZAccess Manager (Verizon) software, and then finding a place to put the Storm (if I wasn't sitting near a flat surface) seemed like too much overhead.
Not only that. Verizon doesn't make this easy. To date, there is no documented support or software for doing USB BlackBerry 3G on a MacBook. In short, you have to use a version of the VZAccess Manager that is specified for a Motorola smartphone. (More details here.)
(Apple could obviate all of this, of course, by providing an elegant internal 3G option for MacBooks.)
That said, it was relatively painless to set up and connect (it took maybe 15 minutes). And the best news is that this is truly a 3G connection: even the most ad-laden, multimedia-intensive Web pages loaded comparatively quickly--which is not the case with Bluetooth.
Based on SpeedTest.net, I achieved a download speed of 1.11Mb/s
(Credit: Brooke Crothers)And, as I pointed out in a previous post, an external 3G phone/modem is a movable 3G feast. I can use the BlackBerry with any laptop as long as it has Bluetooth or a USB port (which is virtually every laptop on the market).
Internal 3G modems, on the other hand, are wedded to one computer and one computer only. Each computer requires a separate subscription and another $60 (more or less) per month.
There's the USB "stick" modem option, of course. I can't address that because I've never tried it. The way I see it is: use the existing 3G on your mobile phone. It's cheaper than the dedicated USB modem: on Verizon, about $30 per month for tethering versus $60 for a dedicated modem.
Or if that option doesn't appeal to you, opt for a laptop with an internal 3G modem option.
Which brings me to Apple's dearth of (as in zero) offerings in this department. Even with the ostensible advantage of an external modem described above, I would still prefer a built-in 3G modem option on the MacBook Air.
Apple take note: there's a modem technology from Qualcomm called Gobi that doesn't tie the user to a single service provider. Users can choose between Verizon or AT&T or another provider. This could, at the very least, be offered as an option on a high-end version of a future MacBook.
Apple, are you interested? Why do I get the feeling you're not.
LAS VEGAS--At the Consumer Electronics Show, Jeff Ravencraft of Intel talked about the status of SuperSpeed USB 3.0 and how fast it really is.
The most salient benefit of SuperSpeed USB is the 10X improvement in data transfer speed over current USB, version 2.0. So, for example, transferring a 25GB HD movie will take 70 seconds instead of almost 14 minutes.
Transfer of a 25GB HD movie:
- USB 1.0: 9.3 hours
- USB 2.0: 13.9 minutes
- USB 3.0: 70 seconds
In the video below, Ravencraft, who is president of the USB Implementers Forum, discusses the merits of SuperSpeed USB and the schedule for commercial rollout.
LAS VEGAS--At the Consumer Electronics Show, Wireless USB devices made an appearance en masse.
What does that mean exactly? Wireless USB notebooks, docking stations, hard drives. And more consumer-centric devices like Wireless USB speakers, displays, and USB phones. In fact, Samsung was showing a prototype mobile phone. (See photo below.)
"It looks and feels like wired USB, only it's wireless," according to Jeff Ravencraft of Intel, who is president of the USB Implementers Forum, speaking in an interview at CES.
Over 130 products have been certified, according to Ravencraft. "The next thing in Wireless USB is Wireless USB 1.1 where we're adding upper band support for a worldwide footprint for ultra-wide-band frequency, easier association of the device to the host, and more power efficiency," Ravencraft said.
At close range, up to 3 meters, Wireless USB delivers up to 480 megabits per second, he said. At this range, throughput is essentially the same as wired USB, Ravencraft said. Up to 10 meters, this drops to a maximum throughput of 110 megabits per second.
Ravencraft said there are wireless hard disk drives in the market now.
ThinkPad notebook with Wireless USB Intel silicon
(Credit: Brooke Crothers)
Samsung DUOS mobile phone with Wireless USB
(Credit: Brooke Crothers)
IOGEAR was showing commercial devices with Wireless USB, including a Wireless USB audio adapter and a Wireless USB to VGA kit that makes monitors wireless.
(Credit: Brooke Crothers)
25GB in 70 seconds. That's the torrid transfer rate consumers can expect with devices based on the USB 3.0 specification, which debuted Monday.
USB 3.0 SuperSpeed logo as shown at WinHEC 2008.
(Credit: Brooke Crothers)As reported previously, the USB Promoter Group finalized the "SuperSpeed" USB 3.0 specification today and is doing a "comprehensive review" of the technology at a conference in San Jose, Calif.
Intel, Microsoft, Texas Instruments, and NEC are the leading players in the group.
Among the initial devices, external solid-state (flash) drives and hard drives are expected to be popular. "The first SuperSpeed USB devices will likely include data storage devices such as flash (solid-state drives), external hard drives, digital music players, and digitial cameras," the group said.
Products aren't coming until 2010, however. "It is anticipated that initial SuperSpeed USB discrete controllers will appear in the second half of 2009 and consumer products will appear in 2010," according to the group.
"The USB 3.0 Promoter Group is now accepting adopters of the USB 3.0 specification, which has been finalized at the 1.0 level," the group added.
As its name (SuperSpeed) implies, USB 3.0 is all about speed. About 10 times more speed, to be exact, than the 2.0 specification.
... Read moreLOS ANGELES--At the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference here, Microsoft talked about the future of USB 3.0 and how delays have hampered rollout of the specification.
Microsoft's talk Thursday was predicated on the expected finalization of the specification later this month. On Wednesday, Jeff Ravencraft of Intel said that he expects the final specification to be announced in San Jose, Calif., on November 17. Ravencraft is also the chairman and president of the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) industry trade association.
Microsoft is wrestling with when and how to implement USB 3.0
(Credit: Brooke Crothers)Microsoft expressed caution about USB 3.0--which is expected to offer 10 times the performance of USB 2.0--because finalization has taken so long. "Because the current USB 3.0 spec is currently not signed off, we're challenged and we won't have support for USB 3.0 in Windows 7 at RTM (release to manufacturing)," Lars Giusti of Microsoft said in a WinHEC session here titled "USB Technology Update and Windows Strategy."
"Our goal is to have the USB 3.0 specs signed off by the promoter's group sometime later this month. Hopefully," he said.
Delays have held USB 3.0 back, Giusti said. "That makes it challenging for several reasons. Since the spec isn't signed off we don't see any USB 3.0 hardware in the market or even prototypes available yet. With those two disadvantages we cannot develop, create, and design support yet for USB 3.0. But we are staffing up. We are making plans," he said.
He continued. "If you look at the USB 3.0 industry timelines and checkpoints, it really has been a very long, difficult and challenging three-year effort."
Giusti then made some predictions about the adoption of USB 3.0. "In 2009, the signed-off spec will be handed over to the implementers and those adopters that plan to productize USB 3.0," he said. "Our prediction tells us that in 2010 finally we'll see broad-scale product deployment of host controllers, devices, and systems that are USB 3.0 and SuperSpeed capable."
Currently, Microsoft is trying to figure out which operating systems will be USB 3.0-capable. "The Microsoft USB core team is currently evaluating which operating systems we should support USB 3.0 on. It's a difficult decision and a difficult choice 'cause there's all these moving parts," he said.
"Our early indications tell us that most partners think that we should support USB 3.0 on at least Windows Vista."
Performance comparison: transfer of 25GB HD movie (Source: Microsoft/WinHEC 2008):
- USB 1.0: 9.3 hours
- USB 2.0: 13.9 minutes
- USB 3.0: 70 seconds
The next-generation USB specification is slated to be introduced later this month.
USB 3.0 SuperSpeed logo as shown at WinHEC 2008
(Credit: Brooke Crothers)On November 17 the SuperSpeed USB (USB 3.0) Developers Conference, hosted by the USB Implementers Forum in San Jose, Calif., will unveil the USB 3.0 specification to the industry, according to a statement Wednesday from the Implementers Forum.
The USB 3.0 specification, a next-generation high-speed connection standard due in 2009, is significant because all future PCs and devices will use connectors based on it. The spec is also expected to offer 10 times the speed of USB 2.0--used in virtually all PCs introduced in the last few years--or roughly 5 gigabits per second.
Hewlett-Packard, Intel, NEC, NXP Semiconductors, Microsoft, and Texas Instruments are all backers of SuperSpeed USB.
Speaking at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) in Los Angeles, USB-IF President Jeff Ravencraft said he expects the final specifications to be made public on November 17.
Intel and Nvidia had been skirmishing over the standard but resolved their differences.
Intel has released a specification revision for next-generation USB 3.0 technology that resolves a dispute with Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices, which had threatened to develop their own USB 3.0 standard.
USB 3.0--also known as SuperSpeed USB--is a next-generation high-speed connection standard due in 2009. It is significant not only because all future PCs and devices will use connectors based on the standard but because it will offer 10 times the speed of USB 2.0--used in virtually all PCs introduced in the last few years--or roughly 5 gigabits per second.
On Wednesday, Intel released what it calls the Extensible Host Controller Interface (xHCI) draft specification revision 0.9 in support of the USB 3.0 architecture. The draft specification provides a standardized method for USB 3.0 hardware to communicate with USB 3.0-specific software.
"Interoperability among devices from multiple manufacturers is important for consumer adoption of SuperSpeed USB products," Intel said in a statement. The draft specification revision will make it easier to develop software support for the industry, according to Intel.
The updated specification is being made available under royalty free licensing terms to all USB 3.0 Promoter Group and contributor companies "that sign an xHCI contributor agreement," Intel said.
A statement from Advanced Micro Devices was included in the announcement: "USB 3.0 is an answer to the future bandwidth need of the PC platform. AMD believes strongly in open industry standards, and therefore is supporting a common xHCI specification."
Microsoft and Dell also voiced support.
Nvidia and AMD had claimed previously that Intel was not giving the specification to companies that compete with Intel in the processor and chipset business and both companies had threatened to develop their own USB 3.0 specification. Intel, at that time, denied that it was withholding the specification.
Now the dispute is resolved--however tenuously--allowing the USB 3.0 specification to go forward. "They have both signed the agreement to use our spec instead...and will not develop and alternate version," an Intel spokesperson said Tuesday. The fact that AMD and Nvidia will not pursue a separate specification would, in effect, resolve the dispute.
AMD's support came with a qualifier, however. "Its a shame that it took the reality of an alternative spec to make this come true. Intel should have opened it up without this. One has to question a monopolist leading a spec like this in the future," a source close to AMD said.
Intel said it plans to make available a revised xHCI 0.95 specification in the fourth quarter. The updated revision of the specification will also be released under royalty-free licensing terms via an xHCI adopter's agreement.
Intel said the specification is "90 percent" complete at this point.
Nvidia is now firing back at Intel. The world's largest graphics chip maker has responded to Intel's latest statement on the USB 3.0 specification and said chipset maker SiS has also joined the group of companies at odds with Intel.
There are now four companies vying with Intel--all chipset makers: Nvidia, Advanced Micro Devices, Via Technologies, and SiS.
And they're moving quickly to establish their own so-called "host controller" specification. "We're moving fast. We've already staffed it internally. We have resources submitted from all of the companies (Nvidia, AMD, Via, and SiS)," said a source from Nvidia who asked to remain anonymous.
A host controller allows computer devices to communicate with the operating system and is a crucial component for implementing USB 3.0 on computer systems.
An Intel spokesperson posted a blog on Wednesday stating Intel's position on the release of the host controller specification related to USB 3.0.
Intel stated emphatically that the host controller is outside the scope of the USB 3.0 specification and that the company is under no obligation to release the specification before it deems the specification ready for release. Moreover, because Intel is giving it away for free, chipset makers shouldn't complain, the blog said.
Nvidia counters that if it doesn't get the specification from Intel in a timely manner--meaning now--the group members will be forced to come up with their own host controller, causing a cascade of potential delays. "Effectively, what will end up happening as this plays out (is) the rest of us launch later. But even though we've developed to the Intel host controller spec, we may not interpret it exactly the same way as Intel has implemented it."
This will lead to further delays, according to Nvidia. "By then, they have become the de facto standard and we have no choice but to go back and respin (redesign) the chip, which then adds another nine months," Nvidia says. "Effectively, Intel is building in two years of green field--of a market where they're the sole provider and they can charge whatever they want for their chipsets."
Nvidia also took exception to this statement by Intel: "Intel is investing heavily (think gazillions of dollars and bazillions of engineering man-hours) in resources to create an Intel host controller spec in order to speed time to market of the USB 3.0 technology."
"I think they're overstating the resources and time required to get to a mature spec," said the Nvidia source.
