So far Thunderbolt – the high-speed I/O interface developed by Intel – has been used on one computer, the Mac. Now Sony is joining the fray with its redesigned VAIO Z laptop.

[ad#Google Adsense 300×250 in story]Developed to be lighter than the MacBook Air, the VAIO Z moves some connectivity to an external chassis called the “Power Media Dock,” an apparatus that sports a more powerful graphics chip, a USB 3.0 hookup, other USB, VGA and HDMI ports, and an optical drive slot – along with what Sony refers to as “the architecture code-named Light Peak.” In other words, Thunderbolt.

Thunderbolt debuted on MacBook Pros earlier this year; a number of peripheral vendors have pledged support for the high-speed I/O interface, which is suitable for storage peripherals, network interfaces, even monitors (which is why, in Apple’s implementation, it’s pin-compatible with the Mini DisplayPort interface).