The plan is to build the optics into the cable. So each device will still keep the existing copper based connectors, and when someone needs a longer cable run, they buy a more expensive cable that contains 2 copper to optical converters. One port out of the system could have the long optical cable run out to the first device, then copper cables between the rest.

This style of cabling has been out in the storage and networking world. You end up with a copper cable with two GBIC connectors directly attached.