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On one hand, I’m a little surprised that USB 3.0 didn’t arrive on the new MacBook Pros announced this week. We may see it on the next iMacs and Mac Pros—unless Apple makes one of its quantum leaps and goes directly to “Light Peak.”

According to a recent Research and Markets study, the market for digital interface technologies continues growing, and includes USB, 1394, DVI, HDMI, and Bluetooth, among others. USB is the most common and most-used interface among both home and work computer users, according to the research grouop. .

Research and Market’s 21-question survey tracked the ownership of seven interface technologies among In-Stat’s Technology Adoption Panel in both work and home PCs: USB, 1394 (FireWire to Mac users), DVI, HDMI, Bluetooth, DisplayPort, and eSATA. It also queried 1,216 tech-savvy, predominantly male, online respondents about what they connected their computers to using these connections, including peripherals, consumer electronics, and mobile devices.

The survey found that, not surprisingly, USB is the most common interface on both work and home computers. Other common interfaces include DisplayPort, DVI, HDMI, Bluetooth, eSATA, and 1394. USB Flash cards are the most commonly connected peripherals.

However, just because an interface is common, doesn’t mean it’s widely used, says Brian ORourke, In-Stat analyst, says that FireWire1394 was the second most common interface, but is rarely used. HDMI is a less common home computer interface. However, among those with HDMI, a large percentage connect the computer’s HDMI port to their digital television.

DisplayPort, one of the newer PC interface technologies, has achieved surprising popularity since its release. DisplayPort was on 27% of survey respondents work computers and 24% of their home PCs.

According to the In-Stat research group more than three billion USB-enabled devices are currently being shipped. USB 3.0 is specified to transfer at five gigabits per second, or 10 times faster than USB 2.0. Plus, USB 3.0 products are backward-compatible with USB 2.0 devices and will interoperate with them, as well, so there’s no reason for Apple not to include USB 3.0 on upcoming Macs.

As for FireWire, I’m not willing to bet on its inclusion on any Macs beyond the Mac Pro and 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pro. Although it could survive on the 27-inch iMac, which has to be considered, by any criteria, a prosumer machine, if not a professional machine. As for FireWire on the 13-inch MacBook Pro, the MacBook and the Mac mini, I wouldn’t count on it since USB is more popular and cheaper.

Apple invented FireWire, but FireWire 400 has disappeared from the latest Macs—though FireWire 800 connectivity has taken its place for the most part. If Apple does continue its FireWire support, it could move up to FireWire 3200. FW 3200 FireWire 3200 will use the same connectors as FireWire 800, but purportedly delivers at least four times the performance. It increases FireWire speed from 800 Mbps to 3.2 Gbps. You’ll notice that, on paper, that’s slower than USB 3.0, but FireWire also has advantages in areas such as power management.

FireWire 800 products today deliver 90 MB/second of sustainable throughput. With the anticipated three percent overhead, FireWire 3200 could deliver nearly 390 MB/second of usable data bandwidth, though a straight-forward 400 percent increase would be 360 MB/second. That’s enough to drive full 1920×1200 HDTV signals at up to 50 fps.

Of course, there’s no reason computers can’t have both FireWire and USB 3.0 ports. That may be what Apple has lined up for at least most of its upcoming Macs. But if, in time, USB 3.0 crushes FireWire—and also eSATA—don’t be surprised.

On the other hand, USB 3.0 could disappear and be replaced by a technology called “Light Peak.” Developed by Intel and championed by Apple, this proposed technology paves the way for a new generation of extreme computer input and output (I/O) performance, delivering 10Gb/s of bandwidth, with the potential ability to scale to 100Gbs over the next decade, according to David Perlmutter, executive vice president and general manager, Intel Architecture Group. At 10Gb/second, a user could purportedly transfer a full-length Blu-Ray movie in less than 30 seconds.

Intel says it intends to work with the industry to determine the best way to make this new technology a standard. There are rumors that Apple will introduce Light Speed on Macs in fall 2010 in a line of computers Macs destined for back-to-school shoppers. Following the initial launch, there are plans to roll out a low-power variation in 2011, which could lead to more widespread adoption in handhelds and cellphones, according to an engadget report. The plans from October 2007 show a roadmap that includes Light Peak being introduced to the iPhone iPod platform to serve as a gateway for multimedia and networking outputs, the article adds.

When it does, it could make both USB and FireWire obsolete, though that won’t happen for some ways down the technology road.

However, Intel says there’s no conflict between USB 3.0 and Light Peak. The company sees Light Peak and USB 3.0 as complementary, as Light Peak enables USB and other protocols to run together on a single, longer cable and at higher speeds in the future. So both may exist together in the market and perhaps on the same platform at the same time.

As for FireWire, well, if you’re a fan, keep your fingers crossed.

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Six Cores for a Desktop: Intel Core i7-980X Extreme Edition CPU Review

Year 2010 will be remembered in the computer industry as the time when six-core processors entered the desktop segment. Intel was the first one to announce their six-core solution – a 999-dollar Nehalem modification featuring more computational cores and manufactured with 32 nm technological process.
Intel has long established itself as the maker of the fastest processors for desktop PCs. But while there can be arguments as to what CPU models are optimal today in the mainstream and low-end categories, there is no competition in the top price range. Intel’s Core i7 series has no alternatives in AMD’s product line-up. At least, this is true when I’m writing this and there are still a few weeks till the arrival of AMD’s six-core Phenom II processors codenamed Thuban. As a matter of fact, the already available 4-core Phenom II processors may even be more appealing as they are but a few dozen percent slower than the Core i7 series while being many times cheaper, but anyway. PC enthusiasts are ready to pay for the maximum performance they can get, therefore the Core i7 series enjoys high popularity.

Even without direct market competition, this consumer interest towards high-performance and expensive CPUs makes Intel keep on developing its top-end products by increasing their clock rates, introducing microarchitectural improvements, and endowing them with more and more cores. The hero of this review is the recently announced model of the Core i7 series which is the first desktop CPU with as many as six cores!

It must be noted that the arrival of the six-core Core i7 does not mark a beginning of a six-core revolution. Right now, Intel only offers one such CPU, the Core i7-980X Extreme Edition. It is a kind of a demo sample that is targeted as wealthy enthusiasts who are ready to shell out a thousand bucks for the processor alone! That’s how things will stand until this fall when one more, less expensive, six-core model is scheduled for release. And there will still be a long way till the mass arrival of CPUs with more than four cores to the market. I mean Intel’s CPUs, of course. AMD has its own vision and is going to start selling midrange six-core CPUs in near future, but we don’t yet have the opportunity to play with such products in our test labs.

The Core i7-980X is based on the new semiconductor die Gulftown that incorporates six processing cores and a 12-megabyte L3 cache. The implementation of all these units in a monolithic silicon die was made possible by 32nm tech process. The same manufacturing process is partially used for the Clarkdale series but the Core i7-980X is the first product to apply it all the way from top to bottom. Thus, it is the Core i7-980X that is going to best illustrate the evolution of the Nehalem microarchitecture. The recently announced Core i5 and Core i3 processors are a poor illustration because the distribution of CPU subunits in two semiconductor dies one of which is manufactured on 45nm tech process resulted in bottlenecks that had a negative effect on the consumer properties of the end products.

In other words, the Core i7-980X is the best Intel’s engineers can do at the moment by applying their progressive tech process to their most advanced microarchitecture. This makes the Gulftown interesting from a theoretical point of view. Practically, such CPUs will be limited to luxurious PC configurations and will not make it to the mass market this year. Intel has no plans to offer cheaper versions of the Gulftown in 2011, either, because the company is going to move on right to the next microarchitecture generation codenamed Sandy Bridge.

Nine Finalists Announced in Dimension 3D Printing Extreme Redesign Contest

MINNEAPOLIS, Apr 13, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Dimension 3D Printing, a brand of Stratasys Inc. (SSYS 25.45, +0.70, +2.83%) , today announced the nine finalists in its sixth annual "Extreme Redesign" challenge.

Extreme Redesign: The Ultimate 3D Printing Challenge, is a global design-and- 3D-printing contest for high school and college students. The nine finalists were selected from an international pool of entries by a panel of experts from within the design and engineering fields. Designs fall into one of three categories: High School, University, and Art and Architecture. The three first place category winners will receive $2,500 scholarships. The remaining finalists will each receive $1,000 scholarships.

In addition to the student scholarships, each instructor of a first-place winning student will receive a laptop computer for use in the classroom. This year's contest also features a new "Green Bonus." This award will recognize one student in each category whose design best displays innovation in areas such as energy efficiency and environmental sustainability. The Green Bonus winner will receive a $250 gift card.

High School Category Finalists

-- Robby Ridzy, Medina County Career Center, Brunswick, Ohio: Gutter Guide

-- Maxwell Krist, Eckstein Middle School, Seattle, Wash.: Electricity Usage Meter

-- Korrina Reed, Milford H.S., Milford, Ohio: Fragrance Bracelet

University Category Finalists

-- Donald Nicholson, Columbus State Community College, Columbus, Ohio: EZwriter

-- Ross Warrel, London South Bank University, London, England: Squirrel

-- Dale Herzog, Quinsigamond Community College, Worcester, Mass.: Robo-Prosthetic Development Platform

Art and Architecture Category Finalists

-- Chris Green, Utah State Univ., Logan, Utah: Helical Staircase

-- Trevor Clarke, Fullerton College, Fullerton College, Fullerton, Cal.: Roy

-- Amir Naeem, Fairfield Ludlowe High School, Fairfield, Conn.: Horus Research Center

Winners Announcement

The category and Green Bonus winners and will be announced on Tuesday, May 11th at www.DimensionPrinting.com.

"It was a highly competitive pool this year, thanks in part to a major increase in entries," said Jon Cobb, Stratasys global vice president of marketing. "Congratulations to all of the students who entered the challenge -- especially those who have made it through to the final nine. We would like to thank our panel of judges -- Ian Kovacevich (Enventys), Scott Schermer (S.C. Johnson), and Leslie Langnau (Design World magazine) for helping us with the difficult task of evaluating and ranking the designs."

Dimension, a brand of 3D printers by Stratasys, offers computer-aided-design (CAD) users a low-cost, networked alternative for building functional 3D models from the desktop. The printers build models layer-by-layer using ABS plastic, one of the most widely used thermoplastics in today's injection-molded products. Dimension 3D printers allow users to evaluate design concepts and test models for form, fit, and function. Online at: www.DimensionPrinting.com.

Stratasys, Inc., Minneapolis, manufactures additive fabrication machines for prototyping and manufacturing plastic parts under the brands Fortus 3D Production Systems and Dimension 3D Printers. The company also operates RedEye On Demand, an online service for part prototyping and production. According to Wohlers Report 2009, Stratasys supplied 43 percent of all additive fabrication systems installed worldwide in 2008, making it the unit market leader for the seventh consecutive year. Stratasys patented and owns the process known as FDM.(R) The process creates functional prototypes and manufactured goods directly from any 3D CAD program, using high-performance industrial thermoplastics. The company holds more than 250 granted or pending additive fabrication patents globally. Stratasys products are used in the aerospace, defense, automotive, medical, business & industrial equipment, education, architecture, and consumer-product industries. Online at: www.Stratasys.com.

Dimension, uPrint, Stratasys, and Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) are registered trademarks of Stratasys, Inc.

Attention Editors: If you wish to publish reader contact information, please use: info@DimensionPrinting.com, 952-937-3000, 1-866-721-9244, www.DimensionPrinting.com.

Epson Endeavor Pro7000 Extreme Edition Core i7 desktop computer

Intel’s Core i7 processors promises raw power. And this powerful processor has been featured in the latest Extreme Edition of Endeavor series desktop computer by Epson labeled as Pro7000. Endeavor Pro7000 Extreme Edition features Intel Core i7-980X processor. Whether it would be gaming or multimedia tasks, Pro7000 desktop PC offers you with the best of performance.

In addition to its 3.33GHz Intel Core i7-980X processor, it offers you with 3GB of PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM. And together, they offer you with incredible robustness and stability.

Extreme Edition features superior graphical support by ATI Radeon graphic card. It offers you with ATI Radeon HD 3450 which inject 256MB of VRAM. Endeavor Pro7000 might not prove to be a sheer gaming or multimedia machine, but it is surely a powerful computing machine that your regular desktop computer.

With Pro7000 desktop PC, you need not worry much about its storage space as it offers you with 250GB of SATA HDD which runs at 7200rpm. And the best part about this Epson Endeavor desktop computer is the fact that it is upgradable. Based on your requirement and budget, you can enhance its RAM up to 12GB. In addition to it, it also offers you with number of Hard Disk capacity configurations.

You can also choose to equip it with Blu Ray recorder, and select the graphical support from ATI Radeon HD 4650 512MB, ATI Radeon HD 5750 1GB, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 275 896MB, ATI Radeon HD 5870 1GB, NVIDIA Quadro FX1800 768MB graphic cards. The basic version of Endeavor Pro7000 is being sold at 261,870 Yen (2100€).