New PCI Express to make Thunderbolt obsolete?

The PCI Special Interest Group released its next generation cable and interface plans called PCI Express (PCIe). The external, peripheral-oriented 32Gbps cable system will feature four parallel copper wire PCIe 3.0 channels, and will have a maximum length of 10 feet.

PCIe cables will be faster, cheaper, and thinner than Thunderbolt. That will make them a bit less functional than Thunderbolt. But its thinner size and cheaper cost (plus the fact that PCI is a consortium of ~900 tech companies and not just Apple / Intel) should make it the preferred choice for ultra-thin devices like tablets, smartphones, and netbooks.

The release date for the new PCIe cable system is 2013, which may seem a far ways away for it to actually compete with Thunderbolt, but 4+ month's since its release, there are still no third-party hi-fi Thunderbolt devices hitting the market.

More info on this can be found at http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-news/4217190/PCI-Express-takes-on-Thunderbolt