Thunderbolt is an interconnect technology developed by Intel in cooperation with Apple. On the back of the Mac Pro are six Thunderbolt 2 ports, four USB 3.0 ports, independent Gigabit-ethernet ports, an HDMI-video port, and audio jacks. How different is Thunderbolt 2 from its predecessor? Here’s what you need to know. Thunderbolt 2 made its debut when Apple released the latest version of its MacBook Pro last October, but it’s become more prominent with the relase of the new Mac Pro.