In September, Intel showed off Light Peak as if it were the latest the latest hot idea out of the labs. But the fiber-optic communication technology could well be coming to near you next year rather than in some distant sci-fi future. A Taiwanese optical networking company, Foci Fiber Optic Communication, is well along the path of selling Light Peak cables and other fiber-optic components.

Light Peak technology is designed to be a universal connector for computers and other devices, linking not just what USB does today but also monitors and networks. A chip from Intel juggles among the different types of data being sent over the line, ensuring for example that high-priority traffic such as high-definition video gets priority.