Is Sony Fragmenting Thunderbolt? Apple, not Intel, Applies for Thunderbolt Trademark

ultimate mobile pc thunderbolt arrow
Engadget and Gula Digital report that while Sony is planning on implementing Thunderbolt in their upcoming laptops, the company will be using a USB connector rather than a DisplayPort connector.

Look closely at that picture. See that Type-A USB jack? The one with the blue stripe sandwiched between the round AC jack (with its green light) and VGA and HDMI ports? Yeah, that's Sony's Thunderbolt implementation according to a trusted source.

Engadget seems confident in their source, and Gula Digital's sources are independelty saying the same thing: Sony will use the USB interface, not mini DisplayPort for their Thunderbolt implementation.

As Engadget notes, we're not sure how this will be allowed. Thunderbolt's original implementation did use the USB connector, but the USB Implementors Forum officially frowned on this behavior by stating that "USB connectors are not general purpose connectors and are not designed to be used in support of other technology applications or standards or as combo connectors." It is believed that it is only due to their objection that Apple and Intel decided to use the mini DisplayPort as the Thunderbolt interface.

Separately, we've noticed that Apple has applied for the Thunderbolt trademark in the U.S. It was previously noticed that Apple had applied for the Thunderbolt trademark in Canada as well. This is unusual since Intel's own pages list Thunderbolt as an Intel trademark. Apple similarly trademarked Firewire, but that trademark was adopted as the official name by the 1394 Trade Association and was granted as a free license to all.

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Vertical Camera Feature

iPhone SE 4 Rumored to Use Same Rear Chassis as iPhone 16

Friday July 19, 2024 7:16 am PDT by
Apple will adopt the same rear chassis manufacturing process for the iPhone SE 4 that it is using for the upcoming standard iPhone 16, claims a new rumor coming out of China. According to the Weibo-based leaker "Fixed Focus Digital," the backplate manufacturing process for the iPhone SE 4 is "exactly the same" as the standard model in Apple's upcoming iPhone 16 lineup, which is expected to...
iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Series Is Just Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Monday July 15, 2024 4:44 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
bsod

Crowdstrike Says Global IT Outage Impacting Windows PCs, But Mac and Linux Hosts Not Affected

Friday July 19, 2024 3:12 am PDT by
A widespread system failure is currently affecting numerous Windows devices globally, causing critical boot failures across various industries, including banks, rail networks, airlines, retailers, broadcasters, healthcare, and many more sectors. The issue, manifesting as a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), is preventing computers from starting up properly and forcing them into continuous recovery...
iphone 14 lineup

Cellebrite Unable to Unlock iPhones on iOS 17.4 or Later, Leak Reveals

Thursday July 18, 2024 4:18 am PDT by
Israel-based mobile forensics company Cellebrite is unable to unlock iPhones running iOS 17.4 or later, according to leaked documents verified by 404 Media. The documents provide a rare glimpse into the capabilities of the company's mobile forensics tools and highlight the ongoing security improvements in Apple's latest devices. The leaked "Cellebrite iOS Support Matrix" obtained by 404 Media...
Apple Watch Series 9

2024 Apple Watch Lineup: Key Changes We're Expecting

Tuesday July 16, 2024 7:59 am PDT by
Apple is seemingly planning a rework of the Apple Watch lineup for 2024, according to a range of reports from over the past year. Here's everything we know so far. Apple is expected to continue to offer three different Apple Watch models in five casing sizes, but the various display sizes will allegedly grow by up to 12% and the casings will get taller. Based on all of the latest rumors,...
tinypod apple watch

TinyPod Turns Your Apple Watch Into an iPod

Wednesday July 17, 2024 3:18 pm PDT by
If you have an old Apple Watch and you're not sure what to do with it, a new product called TinyPod might be the answer. Priced at $79, the TinyPod is a silicone case with a built-in scroll wheel that houses the Apple Watch chassis. When an Apple Watch is placed inside the TinyPod, the click wheel on the case is able to be used to scroll through the Apple Watch interface. The feature works...

Top Rated Comments

dukebound85 Avatar
172 months ago
Is Apple fragmenting Thunderbolt? Apple uses a different connector than Sony.

Did you read the OP? They used a different connector as the USB forum said you couldn't use a usb connection
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
haibane-rakka Avatar
172 months ago
I should probably care about the thunderbolt thing more than I do but the only thing I was thinking when reading this was "Why are we still putting VGA on laptops?"
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nagromme Avatar
172 months ago
I’d favor the USB connector, except:

* USB is needlessly larger, and

* USB is symmetrical on the outside! You can’t tell by feel (or eve a quick glance) which way a USB connector goes in. Thunderbolt, being tapered, is just more usable.

I get USB cables the wrong way around on the first try about 1/3 of the time. Sure, most are labeled, but not all in the same way. And what if the port you connect to is sideways, or on a free cable or brick with no orientation? Nothing beats a connector whose very shape—visible and tactile—only has one way to go.


I don't think I have ever seen a mini displayport on anything other than Apple hardware.
I have seen USB on, well, every PC since 2000. Well done Sony. Stick to common ports.
Thunderbolt is for displays, among other things; in fact, initially it’s the most common use of Thunderbolt. And USB is not common for displays. DisplayPort is more so. (And Apple’s not the only one to use mini DisplayPort. The “original” DisplayPort was needlessly large, and luckily Apple stepped in quickly with a better standard, for use by all. Not everyone uses it—but computing is better when they do: your computers can then all share the same display connector even when they’re too compact for the early large-size connector.)

Blue USB is usually a usb 3.0 connector. More than likely its a mislabeled pic.
Good theory. Makes sense.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SlayerX Avatar
172 months ago
Blue Usb

Blue USB is usually a usb 3.0 connector. More than likely its a mislabeled pic.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Small White Car Avatar
172 months ago
USB ports on a advice are always oriented the same way. So when you plug in the cable you will always plug in the connector with the USB logo facing up. If you take 2 seconds to actually look at the connector you wont have to randomly guess.

Just spend 25 seconds under my desk. On my Mac the 'bottom' of the cable faces right. On my Dell the 'bottom' is on the left. So they're exactly the opposite of each other.

Whenever I hear someone say "always" in regards to computers I can be pretty sure they haven't checked many places.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
backinblack875 Avatar
172 months ago
Is Apple fragmenting Thunderbolt? Apple uses a different connector than Sony.

uh, no, they are the ones who helped make it
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)