Back when I was younger and somewhat less technically savvy, I’d wonder why you simply couldn’t plug a computer into another computer over a USB connection and share files, treating one computer like a big thumb drive. Some others must have wondered the same thing because chip maker Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) recently rolled out such a development. Investors weren’t exactly happy about it, though, and sent shares down fractionally in Wednesday afternoon’s trading.
While the idea has actually been possible for some time now—the j5 Create has allowed for such a notion since 2011, and others were using Ethernet switches or wireless routers to do the job even before that—Intel’s new Thunderbolt Share promises to step up the idea still further. Thunderbolt Share is a new app developed wholly by Intel, which will come with new hardware.
All one needs to do is take two Thunderbolt 4 or 5 computers and connect them using a Thunderbolt cable. From there, file transfer is rapid and seamless, and data can even be synced. Even those with only USB 4 connections may be able to get in on the action, though Intel does not support such a move.
Is Intel a Buy, Hold, or Sell?
Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Hold consensus rating on INTC stock based on four Buys, 24 Holds, and four Sells assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. After a 7.7% rally in its share price over the past year, the average INTC price target of $38.96 per share implies 25.35% upside potential.
