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Intel Drops Thunderbolt 3 Royalty, Adds CPU Integration and Works Closely With Microsoft (windowscentral.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Windows Central: Over the last few days, Thunderbolt 3 has been a hot topic amongst Windows users especially with its notable absence with the new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop. Part of the problem is adoption, integration, cost, and consumer confusion according to Microsoft. Intel is aware of the current roadblocks to Thunderbolt 3 implementation, which adds 40Gbps data transfers along with charging and display support for USB Type-C. Today, the company announced numerous changes to its roadmap to speed up its adoption, including: Dropping royalty fees for the Thunderbolt protocol specification starting next year; Integrating Thunderbolt 3 into future Intel CPUs. The good news here is that Intel is dropping many of the roadblocks with today's announcement. By subtracting the licensing costs for Thunderbolt 3 and integrating into the CPU, Intel can finally push mass adoption. Getting back to Microsoft, Intel noted that the two companies are already working closely together with the latest Creators Update bringing more OS support for the protocol. Roanne Sones, general manager, Strategy, and Ecosystem for Windows and Devices at Microsoft added that such cooperation would continue with even more OS-level integration coming down the road.
If you are looking for a MacBook Pro with a discrete video card, then I would not wait because of this [1]. Apple has done a lot of work with Intel on integration of the Thunderbolt chips to allow for the mux'ing of the discrete and integrated video streams. My guess is that Apple will continue to use the parts that use the external chips to preserve that work, at least on those computers that have discrete and integrated video parts[2].
[1] At this point you would have to be nuts to buy any Apple product in the next three weeks. Wait until after Tuesday of WWDC (major stuff is announced Monday, then minor bumps come out on Tuesday), then evaluate what you are going to buy.
[2] Technically some iMacs have both, but I would exclude them from this list as it is missing this mux'ing system since the screen is only ever driven by the discrete part. There are some decode functions that are used in the integrated part, but that never goes anywhere but back across to main memory.
USB-C is the connector type, not the protocol. Thunderbolt 3 is the protocol. All current Thunderbolt 3 implementations use USB-C as the connector type. Not all USB-C connectors attach to devices that support the Thunderbolt 3 protocol. It's essentially 1 cable/connector that supports many different protocols (USB 3.1, Ethernet, Thunderbolt 3, DisplayPort, etc).
No it doesn't. Active cables are required for if you want to run at 40Gb/s on a cable longer than 1.5 feet. If can accept lower speeds, however, or short distances passive cables are standard compliant.
Your wish will never happen because Intel chips will still be the only CPU's allowed to use it. Intel's problem with Thunderbolt has always been that it won't license it on FRAND terms to all comers (including AMD), as a result even if it's cheaper it will be integrated into nothing. USB-3 license costs are pennies and there is no requirement on who you are to use it.
Thunderbolt has massive restrictions on WHO is allowed to use it, even if they drop the price to the same as USB they will never allow it to be used as broadly as USB. The result will remain the same, you'll be able to use it only with computers with Intel chips in them and peripherals strictly for that computer. Intel will never get Thunderbolt right because they will continue to try to use it as monopoly leverage.
Thunderbolt has massive restrictions on WHO is allowed to use it..
I wish the TFS would've linked to Intel's actual press release. The article that the summary linked to left out one of the biggest pieces: "...next year Intel plans to make the Thunderbolt protocol specification available to the industry under a nonexclusive, royalty-free license..." which then goes on to explicitly state they want third-party chipset makers producing Thunderbolt chipsets. This announcement is NOT about them letting motherboard makers slap the port and an Intel chipset on their board royalty-free. This is about letting other chipset makers produce their own TB chips royalty-free. They are basically releasing it industry-wide, and it will no longer be limited to Intel chipsets.
So yes, expect to see AMD-compatible motherboards sporting TB3 support. I'd be more doubtful that AMD will be able to license it for integration into their CPUs (though they might; certainly wouldn't be remotely the first Intel technology they licensed to put directly in their silicon), but the new licensing does not preclude third-party chipsets being put onto AMD-supporting motherboards. And I completely expect the likes of Asus, Gigabyte, ASRock, etc. to do this. Probably on their high-end/gamer boards only at first, but still.