Two new Thunderbolt cables join parade of Apple releases

Apple is releasing two new Thunderbolt cables to accessorize the updated Macs the company unveiled at the keynote for this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference.

The $29 Thunderbolt to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter was already available in Apple’s online store early Monday evening. As the name indicates, the cable lets users connect their Mac to a high-performance Gigabit Ethernet network. The cable is compatible with either the MacBook Air with Thunderbolt models or the new MacBook Pro with Retina display; the Mac must also be running OS X 10.7.4 or later.

The second cable, a Thunderbolt to FireWire 800 adapter, was still awaiting its debut in Apple’s online store as this story was published Monday.

The year-old Thunderbolt technology provides super-fast data transfer speeds to professional Mac users, particularly those who process large amounts of video. The growth of Thunderbolt-equipped peripherals has been slow, but it’s been picking up speed as of late. Apple is pushing forward with the technology; the new Macbook Pro with Retina display features two Thunderbolt ports, in fact.