I read that:
And if there's no technical difference, why do they all cap at 2m and can't sell cables longer than that?
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple Now Selling Longer 3-Meter Thunderbolt 4 Pro Cable for Studio Display
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Anyone complaining about the cost of thunderbolt 4 cables: consider what is inside the cable, essentially it is two sets of high data transfer chipsets that communicate with each other over coaxial signal lines… If the devices had these chipsets and the cables were just cables… they would be a lot cheaper, and easier to manufacture... instead everyone had to have one-unified cable that did everything, and this is what it takes to have that.
So, a 2 meter cable is $106?
Apple recently started selling a 3-meter Thunderbolt 4 Pro cable through its online store, as spotted by French website MacGeneration. The cable can be used to connect a Mac equipped with Thunderbolt ports to Apple's new Studio Display and other peripherals.
Image Credit: MobileSyrup
Priced at $159 in the United States, the 3-meter cable provides users with a longer option than the 1-meter Thunderbolt 4 Pro cable that Apple includes with the Studio Display. Apple also sells a 1.8-meter version of the cable for $129.
Featuring a black braided design, the cable supports Thunderbolt 3, Thunderbolt 4, and USB 4 data transfer at up to 40Gb/s, USB 3.1 Gen 2 data transfer at up to 10Gb/s, DisplayPort video output (HBR3), and USB-C Power Delivery at up to 100W.
The cable can also be used with Apple's Pro Display XDR, USB-C and Thunderbolt docks, external storage drives, and more.
Article Link: Apple Now Selling Longer 3-Meter Thunderbolt 4 Pro Cable for Studio Display
A modern Thunderbolt 4 cable is essentially an active cable… meaning the signal is: deconstructed, traveled across a medium, and reconstructed. The design chosen by apple and intel: uses transmission standards for data transfer, meaning the only limitation is the accepted standard of the onboard chipsets on either end… In easier to understand terms: the cable is basically 2 WIFI access points directly connected through a bunch of coaxial cables instead of antennas.
Because of this design, the transmission doesn’t matter… currently we use copper(electrical conductor) to transmit this data between chips on either ends of the cable, but fiber optics can be used just as easily. With TB4 we crossed over the line of over-engineering… where we are forced to add ridiculous amounts of copper cables, instead of a few lines of fiber to reach the speed capabilities of the cable.
The switch over should have happened around the time TB3 was released, but manufactures pushed back, over-engineered and certified speed requirements using copper in response, and have been able to push it even further with the ludicrous copper designs of TB4.
Last edited:
Anyone think this cable is expensive does not need this cable for real lol.
I was trying to looking for this cable since the XDR released, as Apple said it's coming soon. Well guess it's not that "soon" but it came eventually unlike the AirPower. I'd happily spend that money for the extra meter. It's technically difficult to make (beyond 2m spec) and not to mention the other brands break too easily while not much cheaper. I've break so many 3rd-party Thunderbolt 3 cables which were made by brands mentioned above, non of them are near the quality of Apple's. You end up spend more money on those cables plus the time to replace them and lose the time you can actually work on stuff that profits you more than the cost of the cable.
I have one for each Mac so I can plug them to single XDR, after multiple swaps daily since a year ago and there are no sign of wear-out. Back in the eGPU days the connector of 3rd-party cables will break under the same kind of use just after a few months. And I don't want something delivering 100W power with cracks on it.
Also there are some complaining the 1.8m vs 2.0m, blame the stupid imperial unit system......1.8m is the 2m for American.
I was trying to looking for this cable since the XDR released, as Apple said it's coming soon. Well guess it's not that "soon" but it came eventually unlike the AirPower. I'd happily spend that money for the extra meter. It's technically difficult to make (beyond 2m spec) and not to mention the other brands break too easily while not much cheaper. I've break so many 3rd-party Thunderbolt 3 cables which were made by brands mentioned above, non of them are near the quality of Apple's. You end up spend more money on those cables plus the time to replace them and lose the time you can actually work on stuff that profits you more than the cost of the cable.
I have one for each Mac so I can plug them to single XDR, after multiple swaps daily since a year ago and there are no sign of wear-out. Back in the eGPU days the connector of 3rd-party cables will break under the same kind of use just after a few months. And I don't want something delivering 100W power with cracks on it.
Also there are some complaining the 1.8m vs 2.0m, blame the stupid imperial unit system......1.8m is the 2m for American.
Until the informed amongst them read the teardown of the cable and realize that the way it's built, it's worth it.
But that never stops the uniformed from mocking what they don't understand.
These are active cables, which automatically makes them different than what you'll find anywhere else.
And even on Amazon you find the better quality 1 meter cables are running well into the $50-$70 range.
OWC and Cal Digit area downright cheap with their Thunderbolt cables, but those cables are passive because they're short.
There were 3m copper TB3 cables, but they only supported 20Gbps (so half-speed). There were also 3m copper TB2 cables that also supported 20Gbps.
It sounds like the Apple 3m TB4 cable is the first 3m copper TB cable that supports the full 40Gbps speed. While there is certainly an "Apple tax" adding to the price, my guess this cable also has higher-quality materials and/or a better chipset to allow it to support the full 40Gbps and that would raise the raw cost of the cable compared to the 20Gbps TB2 and TB3 models (which are around $60-70).
any other alternative brands to this cable with the same features? a much less costly of course
Wait, what?!It's not the length of the cable boys ... it's how you use it. (ok fine, I'll go away now)
There's a problem with our "advancement of technology" when a cable that's three meters long has to be over $50 (let alone well over $100).
Why do I feel like I am alone in seeing how utterly pathological and unsustainable the tech industry is? (because I engage in forums full of tech geeks, I know, I know)
Why do I feel like I am alone in seeing how utterly pathological and unsustainable the tech industry is? (because I engage in forums full of tech geeks, I know, I know)
Mostly true, but digital signals are still at their core analog. They just have sharper transitions than you see in normal analog stuff. The signal still degrades just the same, but what matters is if the other end can still tell the difference between the 1 or 0. As long as it can, you still get the signal, if it can't, then you don't so it does sort of become a you get it or you don't in the end.
I don't have a link, just personal experience with 5+ Windows devices that I've connected to my Studio Display.
They all work fine with a Cable Matters TB4 cable, but only Apple devices work with the included/Apple cable.
$160 is too much. Should have been much lower.
And if you can really easily - you change your definitions so that instead of 1 or 0, it's 1+1 or 1+0 or 0+1 or 0+0.
These cables are intentionally pushing the edge of what you can do with signal loss vs. data density. That's why they are so fast and useful - but also why they cost a lot.
My MacBook Pro 2019 broke the short one that came with Studio Display so I had to buy the 1.8m one from store ($129) while waiting for the replacement to arrive. Now I might get the 3M as well!
I remember those days. And unending bleats of sky-is-falling "dongle mania!"
Somebody buys a new laptop for $2K - $3.5K, and then whines about needing to spend $10 for a proper cable.
My guess is some (even many) people really enjoy being a helpless victim, and for some reason are incapable of mustering up a tiny bit of personal responsibility. I see that here everyday.
Clearly we're talking about the important thing of what they actually do, not the length!
Erm no, you're the uninformed one. OWC, CalDigit, Cable Matters, and other 2m TB4 Intel Certified quality cables are all active and ~$60 each.
Nothing about Apple's 1.8m one is special in functionality – apart from the physical braiding over the rubber underneath, it works exactly the same. All the means is Apple's is marginally less likely to strain during use, but the actual technical functionality is identical to others.
If that was the case, then why is Apple's 1.8m one just as expensive at $130, vs. other Intel Certified brands quality 2m ones all at ~$60.
Unfortunately though, he doesn't compare the cable with other quality 2m Intel Certified cables from another brand. So we cannot see what they have inside theirs, and see if Apple's really is any different (apart from the braiding). It's a pity.