USBvsThunderbolt
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Revved up USB 3.0 carries 10 times the power of Thunderbolt
Wow. Those rockstars at the USB 3.0 promoter group haven't taken the threat of Thunderbolt lying down. They've been working long into the night (we imagine) screaming "More Power!" and "Liiiiive, damn you, liiiive!". In a press release, the group announces a new power delivery specification which will push USB 3.0's limit from 4.5 watts all the way up to 100. You all of course remember that Thunderbolt's maximum is a mere-by-comparison 10 watts. Brad Saunders, the promotion group's chairman, believes that the new standard could enable USB 3.0 to supply a laptop with energy at the same time as it delivers data between your devices. (After all that time sponging off your laptop's meager battery it's about time your USB-powered foot warmer started returning the favor.) At the moment it's only a specification and won't be implemented until 2012 at the earliest, but this could just turn into an arms race of electrifying proportions.
