Apple to Introduce Light Peak (High Speed Connection Technology) Soon?

Prototype Light Peak connector image from PCPro.co.uk
CNet reports that Apple is expected to announce a "new high-speed connection technology" soon, according to a source.

Apple is expected to adopt this Intel technology in the near future--but likely use a name other than Light Peak, a source familiar with this aspect of Apple's plans said. Intel has said in the past that the first products using Light Peak should appear in the first half of 2011.

While Intel has used the name "Light Peak", Apple will apparently brand the connection under another name. 

Light Peak is significantly faster than USB 3.0, which may explain Apple's reluctance to adopt that standard if Light Peak is just around the corner. It's not clear if next week's MacBook Pro announcements will be related, but there were vague hints that the MacBook Pros would have additional enhancements beyond the upgraded Sandy Bridge processors. 

It appears the GigaWire trademark Apple filed back in 2001 has been abandoned, so that's not going to be it.

New Diamond Technology Introduced at JCK Show

Technology companies will be introducing new devices at the JCK Show in Las Vegas.

GemEx Systems is offering ION, a new service that lets jewelers offer “personalized diamonds” by precision marking a stone’s girdle and table. The inscription is 1/500th the size of a human hair and does not affect the stone’s 4C characteristics.

The new program includes reduced pricing for table inscriptions, customized Holographic Diamond Viewers (HDV) to display the inscriptions, and five cubic zirconia ION samples for demonstrations with retail customers.

OGI Systems will introduce its Scanox HD and MEGAFire systems.

The Scanox HD system uses a high-resolution digital camera to provide a 3D model, which the company calls “the sharpest and clearest diamond image possible.” It includes innovative multi-lenses that provide consistency in diamond measurement.

The system is designed to be used by labs that require maximum accuracy during the scanning process of the diamond, the company said.

MEGAFire analyzes and evaluates the light reflection of the diamond using Ray-Tracing Technology. This tool can be used to sort stones according to their light-reflecting properties.