Depends on the connector, to be honest. My laptop from a couple years back has an esata port that's shared with a USB port. Similar could be done with a full-si

Depends on the connector, to be honest. My laptop from a couple years back has an esata port that's shared with a USB port. Similar could be done with a full-size Displayport or USB C connector, for example. Also, one of the big problems I have with thunderbolt as a technology at all is that you have to play mother-may-I with Intel in order to even get a look at the chip datasheets so you can think about creating a thunderbolt device. Though you hit the nail on the head with the last paragraph. Thunderbolt creates more problems than it solves. USB 3.1, with the new type C connector, gives a reversible cable, a lot of bandwidth, and a low price, while Thunderbolt's stuck with its needlessly expensive active cable which further discourages people from looking at the technology. Were Intel to revamp the spec and get more people involved, Thunderbolt could have had a chance, but as it stands, it's a dead protocol walking.