wiredinUSA October 2011

INDEX

Thunderbolt stays with copper

For the second consecutive year Heilind Electronics, a distributor of interconnect, electromechanical and wire and cable products in North America, has been ranked first in overall customer satisfaction in a survey of electronics distribution customers. The survey was conducted by market research firm Bishop & Associates and evaluated the top forty electronics distributors in North America. Survey participants rated distributors on issues ranging from quality of personnel, on-time delivery and engineering support, to depth and breadth of inventory. Heilind was rated best by both buyers and engineers taking the survey, and was judged to have the best field sales support and the best inside sales support. Heilind also received high marks for on-time delivery performance, breadth and depth of inventory, quote response, product sample support, overall ease of doing business and the quality of its website. Heilind named Best Electronics Distributor AGAIN!

Intel has admitted that fiber optic versions of its Thunderbolt high-speed connectivity standard could take years to arrive, with existing copper implementations remaining the standard for some time to come.

Intel Architecture Group general manager, Dadi Perlmutter, told PC World that the delay would be due to a combination of pricing and current speeds being sufficient, suggesting that,“at the end of the day it’s all about how much speed people need, versus how much they would be willing to pay.” Thunderbolt still carries a premium even limited to 10Gbps. The new port technology, compatible with DisplayPort so it can be used to carry both data and display, is available across Apple’s MacBook Pro and MacBook Air ranges, and will be supported by Windows 8. However, Windows machines with Thunderbolt connectivity are likely to be more expensive than those using USB 3.0 and other technologies. In the meantime, Perlmutter suggests: “Copper [connectivity] will continue to improve.” However, in time, fiber will offer longer ranges and the possibility of data rates of around 50Gbps.

44

wiredInUSA - October 2011

wiredInUSA - September 2011 wiredInUSA - October 201

31 45