Intel’s universal PC cable: the future?

Intel has taken the wraps off a brand new technology called Light Peak, that it envisions as a replacement for USB, HDMI, Firewire, and every other type of connector and port coming out of your computer. The idea is that future mobile devices could do away with the multitude of ports coming out of their sides, to make way for one or two Light Peak ports that could handle any type of connection you need to make — monitors, external drives, MP3 players, cell phones, or anything else.

Light Peak is a cord using fiber optics that can stretch up to an impressive 100 meters without losing signal strength. The cable maxes out at 10 gigabits per second, and can carry data at that rate in both directions simultaneously. Intel hopes that Light Peak will reach 100 gigabit transfers within the next ten years.

Intel has already received a commitment of support for Light Peak from Sony, and Gizmodo is reporting insider info that indicates that Apple has big plans for the technology as well.

In fact, according to Gizmodo, the idea for Light Peak came directly from Apple, because Steve Jobs & Co. want to use the tech in major new projects. Reportedly, Apple plans to introduce Light Peak with its various devices starting in Fall 2010, with a lower-power-consuming version to follow in 2011.

It’s anybody’s guess which devices Apple will debut Light Peak with, but the iPhone seems like an obvious choice, as well as the impending iPad tablet.

Image: Intel.