One Link VS. Thunderbolt

[TheWazir]

Does anyone have any experience with OneLink? I just wonder why Lenovo would chose to go this route instead of offer thunderbolt as a standard option. I know Onelink carries power, but the promise of external graphics cards and hardware makes thunderbolt IMHO a superior technology.

Not trying to start a USB / Thunderbolt / OneLink war - just wanted to know if I'm missing some key detail here.

[Adda]

Lenovo wants to impress you, so they introduce their own pointless standard to show you how innovative they are.
Thunderbolt would be too expensive, but since Apple has it, Lenovo has to have something new and fancy as well.

One of these is an actual standard, the other one is here to make sure Lenovo products are mated with Lenovo products, same concept as the new power connector.

In the future, you'll find thousands of ThunderBolt devices, but only Lenovo will make stuff for OneLink.

[lead_org]

The good thing about having a proprietary standard is that only you profit from the accessories, which means greater profit margin and what not. Most people whom buy Edge don't even know what a dock is. Also Edge isn't designed by Yamato design lab like the ThinkPad Classic, and they are usually done by the ODM as a slightly modified off the shelf solution (like the ThinkPad T430u is).

[QWERTY Andreas]

The thunderbolt is a port with a very high potential.

It carries both displayport AND PCI port.

[TheWazir]

I figured it was a Lenovo gimmick - I was really hoping Intel would aggressively push Thunderbolt to there partners. I have a hard time believing thunderbolt is more expensive than a proprietary connection, and it would give Lenovo a key competitive advantage over the competition.

BTW - who's building the edge series laptops if it isn't lenovo?

[Summilux]

Onelink? I had never heard of that before reading your post.

[Ibthink]

OneLink isn´t pointless, it is actually useful for the Edge and S-Series - and for other coming, very thin ThinkPad devices, like for example the next X1. These devices are too thin to accommodate a classic-dockingport.

OneLink is much better than USB 3.0 for port-replicators, because it has no driver and performance issues and you only need to plug-in one cable. Thunderbolt is still a niche standard. There are very little devices for Thunderbolt yet, all very, very expensive (even the cables are expensive). Most PCs and Notebooks will continue to avoid Thunderbolt. It has a similar position as FireWire in the past.

The only new ThinkPad I have seen with Thunderbolt is the new W540.

[bill bolton]

you'll find thousands of ThunderBolt devices

Whatver the merits, or otherwise, of Thunderbolt...... I can't find thousands of ThunderBolt devices. In fact I have trouble finding even hundreds!

Cheers,

Bill B.

[Summilux]

OneLink is much better than USB 3.0, because it has no driver and performance issues and you only need to plug-in one cable.

With the latest operating systems, such drivers are usually not a problem. And U.S.B. 3.0 can deliver up to 100 watts.

[Ibthink]

With which operation system? Windows 8? I have tried this, and had major driver issues with my ThinkPad USB 3.0 Dock and my T430u (with Optimus). You couldn´t start any full-screen apps with the driver installed. Even without using full-screen apps, the performance of the driver was really bad. These are problems you don´t have with Onelink. OneLink docks are basically like normal ThinkPad docks, just with a different connector and you don´t "click" them in, you plug them in.

P.S: Just look into the Displaylink forums: http://www.displaylink.org/forum/forumd ... 40747&f=28 The USB 3.0 drivers are causing nothing but trouble.

[Summilux]

With which operation system? Windows 8? I have tried this, and had major driver issues with my ThinkPad USB 3.0 Dock and my T430u (with Optimus). You couldn´t start any full-screen apps with the driver installed. Even without using full-screen apps, the performance of the driver was really bad. These are problems you don´t have with Onelink. OneLink docks are basically like normal ThinkPad docks, just with a different connector and you don´t "click" them in, you plug them in.

P.S: Just look into the Displaylink forums: http://www.displaylink.org/forum/forumd ... 40747&f=28 The USB 3.0 drivers are causing nothing but trouble.

Interesting, I had not previously heard of such issues; thank you for pointing at them.
Though up to now, U.S.B. drivers have generally not been problematic. Once these ones are fixed, I don't think there would be decisive arguments in favour of Lenovo's proposal. And in any case, external hubs won't be as "neat" as the docks, at least when coming to cable management.

[Summilux]

Whatver the merits, or otherwise, of Thunderbolt...... I can't find thousands of ThunderBolt devices. In fact I have trouble finding even hundreds!

Cheers,

Bill B.

Yeah, and that's because Intel is asking for too much royalties... or so I've read.
At least Lenovo's move could incitate them to lower their asking fees and spread the tech.

[dr_st]

Yeah, and that's because Intel is asking for too much royalties... or so I've read.

That's not why.

It's because the technology relies at its core on expensive active cabling.

[bill bolton]

And U.S.B. 3.0 can deliver up to 100 watts.

The current USB Power Delivery ("PD") specification allows up to 5 amps at 20V (100W), but that's doesn't mean that its either really usable, or in any way a smart thing to do

Cheers,

Bill

[Temetka]

100W you say?

Insert stories of fried gear here.