Really nice history and summary!
The only bummer to me is the 1m cable now being 60W, so they can't be used to charge "just whatever is around, iPad or MacBook".
Thank you for typing all this down, must have taken a while!
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Apple Selling New 60W and 240W USB-C Woven Charge Cables
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The only bummer to me is the 1m cable now being 60W, so they can't be used to charge "just whatever is around, iPad or MacBook".
Thank you for typing all this down, must have taken a while!
They CAN charge whatever’s around, though. The iPad will get around 30 W and the MacBook will get 60W.
If you only use what you know are 5A cables you should not have this problem. My Anker PowerCore 24K works perfectly with almost all devices I have plugged into it, though I have unfortunately encountered a couple of anomalies, even with this power bank that I bought specifically because it had the full USB PD power range plus full 5A PPS. I bought it last year when it first came out and of course now this year they have a new model with even more features. Anyway, an ASUS ROG Strix G15 I tried once would start taking power, then stop taking power and just keep repeating that cycle, a headlight I have does not charge at all on the power bank's USB-C ports (although the headlight's USB-C port probably does not comply with all the rules considering it is a no-name brand) and like I mentioned earlier it does not charge from most General Motors USB-C ports. I have no idea if they fixed these on the new model as I do not plan on getting it since I already have this one.
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I have the 13" MacBook Pro (2020) with the Core i7 and it pulls over 70W from my Anker PowerCore 24K. I have yet to have an iPad pull more than 30W from it, though I have not tried a 12.9" model.
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The USB-C ports on these machines do not have 28V input. Only the MagSafe port has 28V input, and unlike the USB-C ports, the PD trigger chip is built into the MagSafe cable itself, hence the long USB-C connector end. I believe the MagSafe port tells the PD trigger chip if the computer supports 28V input. So far, only 28V USB PD power banks like my Anker have had 28V input on USB-C ports.
It first says "0.1W" which happens for a few seconds on all power sources before charging begins but on the GM ports, as soon as the wattage starts climbing it goes back to only showing the battery percentage (i.e. nothing is connected.) Then it will just keep repeating the cycle over and over again until unplugged. Pretty much every other power source works fine including in other automaker's USB-C ports, some of which I only get 7.5W from.I meant GM. Like, they can support a VERY simple charging profile and still say they’re USB-C compliant. GM may even think what Anker is trying to pull is “invalid” and just stops.Does your unit have a screen that shows the charging metrics? You could at least tell at what level it’s resetting.
All USB-C cables are required to carry at least 20V⎓3A (60W). From there it goes to 20V⎓5A (100W) and now we have 48V⎓5A (240W). There is nothing in between these three. There are also some proprietary versions that can go above 5A but only with sources and devices that support their protocols. When not using supported sources and devices they function as regular 5A cables. If an eMarker chip is not present the source will limit itself to 3A. If one is present and it is coded for 5A it will allow use of the full 5A.
I’ve got the 12.9” and it pulls up to 35.6 (from battery pack with a screen telling how much each port is supplying).
I frequently get my 12.9" close to dead, like 1-2%. When plugged into a 60W+ charger, I have occasionally seen higher than 40W, but it slows down once it reaches 40% or so. I believe the upper limit in the circuitry is 15V3A, but leaving some 0.5V and almost 1A headroom, so a typical wattage is more like 30W on average.
Are you measuring at the USB-C port or at the AC outlet? Measuring at the AC outlet is not accurate because additional power is needed to convert the AC power into the DC power that comes out of the USB-C port.
It's measured from the port, I got an ego 240W 6-port charger, each port has its own metering. I must say the conditions for >40W to happen is not often reached, so it is somewhat true to say iPad Pros are typically only doing 30ish W charging.
And back to the topic, I passed by Apple Store and ended up getting one 240W cable. This thing is REALLY well built, and doesn't seem to easily heated up.
It would definitely make sense for them to add 1m and 2m A to C cables to their lineup. Plenty of cars not using USB-C yet and Apple knows that.
There’s a wide variety of USB cable options that Apple doesn’t make. I mean, if there weren’t already thousands of options in the world, maybe? At this point the only thing an Apple cable would bring is a higher priced option of the same old thing.
I mostly agree, I just like Apple because I know what I’m getting. Crappy vinyl sheathing aside, I like their cables. The new woven options are nice. I don’t like the bulky ends on most of the A to C cables I’ve seen. The Best Buy Insignia brand cable I tried also didn’t have the nice snap into the port that the Apple cable has. Obviously there are others I can try that I’m sure would be better, but it would be nice if Apple had an option (I think).
Because of that I’m just using an Apple C to C cable and an A to C adapter in my truck’s port.