What is thunderbolt port used for

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. However, the Thunderbolt 3 has more than high-speed data to offer users — its dual-protocol offers a plethora of video bandwidth. Transferring data at high speeds has security threats. Like PCI Express add-ins, malicious threats can bypass security and let hackers run codes and steal data. Each comes with Thunderbolt 3 ports that increase virus risk.

When utilizing your Thunderbolt 3 port, continue using trusted devices and do not try it with a device you have never used. Use your judgement. The ports allow data transfer, video output, and charging through the same cable.

The Thunderbolt port on a Mac can provide power to multiple connected Thunderbolt devices, so separate power cords from each device are usually not required. Check the documentation that came with your device to see if the device needs more power than the Thunderbolt port provides. We assume this will be the case with future Thunderbolt-equipped Macs, as well. The company has said it expects wide adoption of Thunderbolt, and for that to happen, its spread across the Mac line seems like a given.

A more interesting question, though, is…. Perhaps, although eventually could be a very long time. Thunderbolt is brand new, and as such it will be a while before it becomes anywhere near as commonplace as USB and FireWire. That said, we all remember the original iMac, when Apple nixed legacy serial and ADB connectors in favor of USB—long before USB peripherals were commonplace and inexpensive—and we can imagine the idea of a single port and connector appealing to Apple and Steve Jobs.

Just look at the dock-connector port that adorns the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. Speaking of which…. Thunderbolt just became official, and while a number of vendors have announced Thunderbolt-based peripherals, none are yet available.

These and other Thunderbolt peripherals are expected to be available beginning this spring. The Thunderbolt port on a Mac can provide power to multiple connected Thunderbolt devices, so separate power leads from each device are usually not required.

Check the documentation that came with your device to see if the device needs more power than the Thunderbolt port provides.

Using a Thunderbolt device without its own power lead can cause the battery on your Mac notebook computer to become depleted faster.