We Just Took A Big Step Toward Having Super High-Definition Desktop Displays

AppleYesterday word got out that Intel updated its Thunderbolt offerings for both desktops and laptops. This means that now we're a step closer to actually having Retina displays for our desktops.

Thunderbolt is a port, mostly available on newer Macs, that can push out high quality graphics and transfer data at faster speeds than normal USB.

Intel's new Thunderbolt technology has been upgraded to pump out 4K video (four times higher video quality than current HDTVs) and run 20 GB per second data transfers.

In a blog post, Marco Arment, creator of Instapaper and tech writer argues that Intel's new Thunderbolt capabilities, "could enable the first generation of desktop Retina displays." Arment doesn't think it would come as a surprise if Apple's first Retina display was a 23-inch panel "with exactly 4K resolution (3840x2160).

Engadget writer Sarah Silbert points out that production is set to ramp up on new Thunderbolt in 2014.

Apple's Retina Displays first debuted with the iPhone 4 but has since made its way into the company's entire line-up of mobile devices (with the exception of the iPad mini). Retina Displays have also crept into Apple's laptop line up already available on a few MacBook Pro models.