Corning announces optical cables for Thunderbolt, coming this quarter
Thunderbolt enthusiasts have only been able to rely on the use of copper core cables -- which offer significant limitations on distance -- for their data transfer needs, but hope is close at hand. This afternoon, Corning announced that it's launching optical cables with Thunderbolt connectivity. The new cables are just as durable as copper and are up to ten times longer (they come in lengths of 10, 20 and 30 meters, while copper only goes up to three). Just like copper, the optical cables offer high-speed data transfers up to 10Gbps, though they lack the ability to provide power to your devices. If Thunderbolt isn't your thing, don't fret: Corning plans to offer a set with USB3 connectivity as well. We haven't been given any pricing yet, but both sets of cables should be available sometime in Q1.
Update: Corning emailed us to let us know that the Thunderbolt cables will actually come in six lengths: 12ft, 18ft, 10m, 30m, 50m and 100m (the latter being the longest available in the market, the company tells us). The USB3 cables will be offered in lengths of 5.5m, 10m, 15m and 30m.
