Thunderbolt Is (Still) Massively Faster Than USB ⇥ storagereview.com
Thunderbolt is shaping up to be similar to FireWire, insomuch as it lacks mainstream adoption, but is significantly better for professionals. This 2012 article is proof of that. (And can you imagine the speed improvements with Thunderbolt 2 and a contemporary SSD?) That’s why the upcoming Mac Pro doesn’t ship with six USB 3 ports.
Even the 2015 USB spec promises less than Thunderbolt 1.0 speeds — while it may be 10 Gbps, that’s the total bandwidth available; Thunderbolt offers 10 Gbps simultaneously in both directions. For professionals who need the fastest speeds — video editors, musicians, and photographers — Thunderbolt is simply the best solution.