Intel refusal to license thunderbolt external GPU is infuriating, and the sole rationalization I can see is that they are blocking it to protect premium price on their high end integrated GPUs. It really feels like a big let down.
Apple should grab that opportunity. They probably have enough power to pressurize Intel into allowing this (at least on their computers).
Imagine an apple-manufactured external graphics card that you can carry around and plug into your MacBook Air/Pro.
It could boost sales pretty significantly. I know quite a few people who did not buy a MacBook just because games don't run well enough, and went for another brand that fits their needs in this area (the bigger MacBooks are more expensive, and their advantage to competitors disappears).
They could do this, but their market isn't typically gamers (even though plenty of games run well on OSX these days), and it'd probably be a viable alternative to having a Mac Pro and a quad-core rMBP.
So, their reasoning is probably similar to why Intel doesn't do it in the first place: it would eat into the sales of other more niche products. Lame.
aselzer|11 years ago
Imagine an apple-manufactured external graphics card that you can carry around and plug into your MacBook Air/Pro.
It could boost sales pretty significantly. I know quite a few people who did not buy a MacBook just because games don't run well enough, and went for another brand that fits their needs in this area (the bigger MacBooks are more expensive, and their advantage to competitors disappears).
seanp2k2|11 years ago
So, their reasoning is probably similar to why Intel doesn't do it in the first place: it would eat into the sales of other more niche products. Lame.
cromulent|11 years ago
Crazy limitation of a good interface.