A technology developed by Intel and backed by Apple is expected to appear earlier than previously thought, paving the way for very-high-speed connections on both PCs and Macs.

Intel demonstrating Light Peak back in 2009.

Light Peak is now on track to appear in products in the first half of 2011--and likely earlier in the year than later, according to an industry source familiar with the progress of the technology. Light Peak is significantly faster than even USB 3.0, carrying data at 10 gigabits per second in both directions simultaneously.

In this respect, Light Peak eclipses USB 3.0, which is not supported by Apple and is only supported sporadically by PC makers on certain models. The reason Intel has yet to support USB 3.0 in the chipsets that accompany its processors.

But Apple is expected to back Light Peak, if past comments from Intel still hold. Shortly after its annual developer conference in 2009, Intel said that it had showed the technology to third parties, got feedback, then incorporated the feedback into the next design, adding, at that time, that "Apple is an innovating force in the industry." (Apple has reportedly claimed that it conceived the idea for Light Peak.)

If Apple implements Light Peak, it would be a safe bet that the company will have a lot to say about the technology--maybe with a catchy name in tow. And it would probably not be wild speculation to say that Apple would want to be the first to use it.

An Intel demonstration in 2009 at its developer conference used a machine running Apple's Mac OS X. And Sony has, in the past, endorsed Light Peak also.

Apple did not respond to questions.

Whither USB 3.0 Though USB 3.0 has arrived, it hasn't arrived on Apple's MacBooks nor on most PCs. The current USB 2.0 standard, which is found on virtually all laptops today, has been around a long time--indeed, too long for some consumers' tastes. Intel laid the groundwork for widespread use of USB 2.0 on PCs and devices in spring 2002 when it put the technology in its chipsets. And there's the rub. USB 2.0 is universal, USB 3.0--because it's not supported in Intel chipsets--is not, despite being up to 10 times faster.

And there are other reasons cited for the lack of a dire need for USB 3.0. Peripheral devices, like printers, don't benefit from moving to 3.0. And a number of laptops already ship with the faster eSATA standard or FireWire (in the case of the MacBook), which Intel supports in its mobile chipsets.

What's Intel's stance on USB 3.0 "We are absolutely committed to USB 3.0 and beyond that," said an Intel spokesperson. But don't expect USB 3.0 support in Intel chipsets anytime soon. Some credible speculation puts this as far out as 2012.

That said, not everyone is necessarily waiting for Light Peak with bated breath. There are reports of Light Peak detractors, who claim it won't be widely implemented and that PC makers are, instead, gearing up for USB 3.0. But the USB 3.0 start-up phase has been going on for a long time. Moreover, USB 3.0 is now available on laptops from Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Asus, and Toshiba (laptop port replicator, in Toshiba's case) but only very selectively. Not exactly a ringing endorsement.

See Intel Light Peak demonstration.