From: Milton Aupperle <milton@outcastsoft.com>

Date: August 19, 2011 3:10:30 PM MDT

To: Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com

Subject: Re: [Astro_IIDC] New Mac AirBook

Hi Matt;

There are no shipping Port Emulation (i.e. FireWire 400/800/1600/3200, USB 3, Giga Ethernet etc.) Adapters for Thunderbolt. I have seen some PR data like this:

http://www.thunderbolt-peripherals.com/thunderbolt-adapter

but there are no products shipping yet. When they will actually ship is anyone guess and if they work is another issue altogether.

The only shipping 3rd party device I know of is from AJA and it's an HD/SD I/O Video device.

http://www.aja.com/news/index_article.php?id=141

It doesn't emulate anything, it's strictly a device using Thunderbolts' I/O for throughput of AV for editors.

And the cost for any Thunderbolt product is excessive (see bottom of this article):

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/11/06/24/high_costs_limiting_adoption_of_apples_airplay_and_thunderbolt_technologies.html

As an example, the AJA Thunderbolt A/V device is $300 USD more than the USB 3 version is. So you can expect such adapters to be in the $200+ range (note that Apples' 2 meter Thunderbolt cable costs $50 USD today).

The other issues that no one really mentions is that not only does one have to build hardware the converts "the adapter port" signals to Thunderbolt, you also have to build thunderbolt drivers (KEXTs actually) that present themselves as the native format of the port it emulates (i.e USB 3 drivers, Firewire 800 drivers etc.). Other wise, when I go looking for a FireWire or USB port I won't see one. KEXT's are very tricky to develop, debug and require 2 Macs linked over ethernet for kernel debugging.

Apple really should have gone to just just using Express Cards and then all these existing peripherals (E-SATA. USB 3 , special GigaBit Ethernet for Giga E cameras, FireWire 800 / 1600 / 3200 etc.) hardware interfaces could be used (already shipping with Windows), but then Steve wouldn't be able to charge his licensing fees per port for peripheral developers and he'd be losing control of his Hardware too.

HTH..

Milton Aupperle

On 19-Aug-11, at 2:25 PM, matt carmine wrote:

Milton,

The new Thunderbolt port on the new I7 dual core Mac Air, with the right adaptor does it allow us to hook up Firewire800 cameras? And use AstroIIDC??

Thanks,

Jim

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