Corning unveils optical Thunderbolt cables up to 30m long
updated 10:53 am EST, Fri January 4, 2013
USB 3.0 cable also planned
Corning has announced a new series of ultra-long optical Thunderbolt cables. Three different lengths will be available: 10m (32.8 feet), 20m (65.6 feet), and 30m (98.4 feet). In contrast, a standard Apple-made Thunderbolt cable only measures 2m, or about 6.6 feet.
A USB 3.0 cable is in the works as well. Neither that nor the Thunderbolt cables have any official release dates, although they should be launched sometime within the first quarter of 2013. No prices have been mentioned so far.
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: 03-24-09
Shall we start guessing how much these cables will cost?
Apple 2m Thunderbolt costs $49
Corning 10m somewhere north of $500
Corning 30m at least $1000 if not more
I would love to be proved wrong on this one but Corning starts with Apple's cable components then adds miniature fiber optic transceivers on both ends. This isn't going to be cheap and until someone else builds a sanctioned one, it will be the only way to connect Thunderbolt components at a distance greater than 2m. I can see these cables being used in movie studios and other high-end facilities.