iFixit reports that Apple’s new Thunderbolt cable, which costs $50, has onboard circuitry and firmware. Arstechnica also chimes in, to explain why these chips are needed. Besides, they can explain it better than I can:
A source within the telecom industry explained to Ars that active cables are commonly used at data rates above 5Gbps. These cables contain tiny chips at either end that are calibrated to the attenuation and dispersion properties of the wire between them. Compensating for these properties “greatly improves the signal-to-noise ratio” for high-bandwidth data transmission.
iFixit further reports that both ends of the cable have a Gennum GN2033 chip in them, along with 11 other supporting chips, all packed at each end of the cable. These chips allow for data transfer at fast speeds over thin-gauge copper wire. Another benefit of these “active” cables, is that computers currently equipped with Thunderbolt ports, will be able to use future optical-based Thunderbolt cables, that are to be introduced at a later date.
Image courtesy of iFixIt.
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