Apple released its first Thunderbolt-equipped computer in early 2011 with the MacBook Pro . The first Thunderbolt peripheral devices appeared in retail stores only in late 2011 , with the relatively expensive '' Pegasus R4 '' ( 4-drive ) and '' Pegasus R6 '' ( 6-drive ) RAID enclosures by Promise Technology aimed at the prosumer and professional market , initially offering up to 12 TB of storage , later increased to 18 TB . Sales of these units were hurt by the 2011 floods in Thailand ( who manufacture much of the world 's supply of hard-drives ) resulting in a cut to worldwide hard-drive production and a subsequent driving-up of storage costs , hence the retail price of these Promise units increased in response , contributing to a slower take-up of the devices
2011 floods in Thailand
2011 Thailand floods
Thunderbolt (interface)