The Mac may support both USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt

Apple can integrate USB 3.0 connectivity in future Macs alongside Thunderbolt high-speed connectivity technology.

The Mac may support both USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt Picture 1

Website VR-Zone announced that Apple is considering this move when the price of USB 3.0 controllers is at its lowest level ever - the unit price is about 2-3 USD when purchased in bulk. This price is quite cheap compared to the price of 10-15 USD for a Thunderbolt chip, according to the article.

Although many commentators have suggested USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt are competing technologies, Intel, the creator of Thunderbolt, plans to include USB 3.0 support in its hardware in the near future.

However, according to VR-Zone , Apple will do it first. USB 3.0 is backward compatible with USB 2.0, the price of USB 3.0 controllers is low so Apple's decision is very wise.

Despite the data transfer rate, Thunderbolt is clearly higher than USB 3.0 but the VR-Zone article points out that producing Thunderbolt-compatible peripherals is more expensive than compatible peripherals. USB 3.0.

Thunderbolt port was first introduced by Apple in February 2011 when refreshing the MacBook Pro line, and since then Thunderbolt has been included in iMac, MacBook Air and Mac mini. Sony has also used this technology in their Vaio laptops.