Intel today announced Thunderbolt 5, the next-generation version of the connectivity standard present on all Macs and iPad Pro models, promising significant improvements in connectivity speed and bandwidth.
Thunderbolt 5 delivers 80 Gbps of bi-directional bandwidth and, with Bandwidth Boost, can provide up to 120 Gbps for video-intensive usage. This enables considerably better display support, allowing for more and higher-resolution displays with higher refresh rates. Thunderbolt 4 has maximum speeds of 40 Gbps, making Thunderbolt 5 a significant improvement of at least double the bandwidth.
The latest specification also features double the PCI Express data throughput and double the bandwidth of Thunderbolt Networking. It also uses a new signaling technology, PAM-3, to increase performance with printed circuit boards, connectors, and passive cables.
Thunderbolt 5 continues to be built in industry standards such as USB4 V2, DisplayPort 2.1, and PCI Express Gen 4, enabling it to be compatible with previous version of Thunderbolt and USB. Computers and accessories that use Intel's Thunderbolt 5 controller are set to become available starting in 2024. It is highly likely that Thunderbolt 5 will come to future Apple devices.
Wednesday February 19, 2025 8:02 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today introduced the iPhone 16e, its newest entry-level smartphone. The device succeeds the third-generation iPhone SE, which has now been discontinued.
The iPhone 16e features a larger 6.1-inch OLED display, up from a 4.7-inch LCD on the iPhone SE. The display has a notch for Face ID, and this means that Apple no longer sells any iPhones with a Touch ID fingerprint button, marking the ...
Tuesday February 18, 2025 12:02 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Over the years, Apple has switched from an aluminum frame to a stainless steel frame to a titanium frame for its highest-end iPhones. And now, it has been rumored that Apple will go back to using aluminum for three out of four iPhone 17 models.
In an investor note with research firm GF Securities, obtained by MacRumors this week, Apple supply chain analyst Jeff Pu said the iPhone 17, iPhone...
Thursday February 20, 2025 5:06 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Now that Apple has announced its new more affordable iPhone 16e, our thoughts turn to what else we are expecting from the company this spring.
There are three product categories that we are definitely expecting to get upgraded before spring has ended. Keep reading to learn what they are. If we're lucky, Apple might make a surprise announcement about a completely new product category.
M4...
Wednesday February 19, 2025 11:38 am PST by Juli Clover
Following the launch of the iPhone 16e, Apple updated its iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia pages to give a narrower timeline on when the next updates are set to launch.
All three pages now state that new Apple Intelligence features and languages will launch in early April, an update from the more broader April timeframe that Apple provided before. The next major point updates will be iOS ...
Thursday February 13, 2025 8:07 am PST by Joe Rossignol
In a social media post today, Apple CEO Tim Cook teased an upcoming "launch" of some kind scheduled for Wednesday, February 19.
"Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," he said, with an #AppleLaunch hashtag.
The post includes a short video with an animated Apple logo inside a circle.
Cook did not provide an exact time for the launch, or share any other specific details, so...
Apple today announced its first custom cellular modem with the name "C1," debuting in the all-new iPhone 16e.
The new modem contributes to the iPhone 16e's power efficiency, giving it the longest battery life of any iPhone with a 6.1-inch display, such as the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16.
Expanding the benefits of Apple silicon, C1 is the first modem designed by Apple and the most...
Tuesday February 18, 2025 8:46 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple is permanently closing its retail store at the Northbrook Court shopping mall in the Chicago area. The company confirmed the upcoming closure today in a statement, but it has yet to provide a closing date for the location.
Apple Northbrook opened in 2005, and the store moved to a larger space in the mall in 2017.
Apple confirmed that affected employees will continue to work for the...
I would just like to give the Thunderbolt standards team credit for clear branding.
Look at the connector-- do you see a 5? If yes, it's Thunderbolt 5 compatible! What was the generation before 5? 4. Not 4.2 gen 3x5. Not 4E or 4A or 4sK. Just 4, then 5.
