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jlc1978

macrumors 603
Aug 14, 2009
5,095
3,744
Like most people here I'm a bit of a geek and work in cyber security and have been tech aligned for years. But STILL, USB C/Thunderbolt over USB C and Charging over USB C still confuses me. I just want one cable that will support everything, thunderbolt, USB 3, high power charging, backward compatible with USB 2. Is this even possible at all, with any cable? If so, what do I need to buy!

A TB4 cable should do the trick.
 

MrRom92

macrumors 6502a
Sep 30, 2021
861
1,771
Most USB-C PD charging cables, not just from Apple, are speced for USB 2.0 and nothing more. There is a different pin-out and different number of copper wires needed for higher data transfer standards which adds on cost, thickness and complexity.

The USB-C charging cables for iPads and Macs are also USB 2.0.

Samsung's awesome USB-C cable is also 2.0

So the USB controller detects this and limits transfer speeds?
Shame on them for including this with the pro. At least a 40gbps cable appears to be cheap on Amazon.
 
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neuropsychguy

macrumors 68020
Sep 29, 2008
2,167
4,903
Most USB-C PD charging cables, not just from Apple, are speced for USB 2.0 and nothing more. There is a different pin-out and different number of copper wires needed for higher data transfer standards which adds on cost, thickness and complexity.

The USB-C charging cables for iPads and Macs are also USB 2.0.

Samsung's awesome USB-C cable is also 2.0
People need to spend time looking at the mess of USB C cables. One plug to rule them all but some cables are hobbits, some are dwarves, some are humans, some are elves. We don't talk about the Uruk-hai.
 
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dannys1

macrumors 68040
Sep 19, 2007
3,587
6,555
UK
So the USB controller detects this and limits transfer speeds?
Shame on them for including this with the pro. At least a 40gbps cable appears to be cheap on Amazon.
Why are you only just coming round to getting a USB-C cable now??
 

dannys1

macrumors 68040
Sep 19, 2007
3,587
6,555
UK
But Apple's now-deleted 1m USB-C to USB-C charge cable MUF72AM/A did up to 100W according to this review https://web.archive.org/web/20181223054553/http://www.chargerlab.com/archives/1179.html

It was totally thin too like a lightning cable.

I don't understand why the cable is now thick/braided, and can only do 60W charging? What's the advantage of the new cable? They have removed the existing 100W one from the store..

Old cable was basically just a charging cable with USB 2.0 - new one has faster data transfer, hence thicker.
 
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neuropsychguy

macrumors 68020
Sep 29, 2008
2,167
4,903
The issue is that the included cable supposedly only supports USB 2 data transfer speeds. I find this hard to believe.
Look at USB C charging cables from any company. Most only do USB 2 data speeds. It's the unfortunate nature of the market. Apple could have spent a little more and made all cables capable of faster data speeds but the reality is most people (I'll make up a number and say 95%) will use the cables for charging and not data transfer.

One of the issues is Thunderbolt cables or ones that support USB 3 speeds also tend to be less durable because of the extra wiring. See the attached image of some Anker cables. All except the Thunderbolt 4 cable are USB 2.0 speeds. The Thunderbolt 4 cable also only has a "Bend Lifespan" of 2,000 versus 10,000 - 25,000 for the charging cables.

There are options that aren't that expensive that do 100W charging, and USB 3.2 speeds, and supposedly have decent "bend lifespan" (https://www.amazon.com/Cable-QCEs-3-1-Thunderbolt-Compatible/dp/B07T19KQYF) but again, most people will just use the cable for charging so the extra cost for Apple isn't really worth it. It might only be a small expense per cable but that adds up with tens to hundreds of millions of them. Why do that if most people won't use it? Apple could have done it but there are tradeoffs in business. I'm not saying Apple's approach is correct, I'm just offering potential rationale.

Those who need to do data transfer with a cable should hopefully know about the transfer speed issues and buy a cable that will handle faster speeds. There are many options out there.
 

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imlovinit

macrumors 6502a
Feb 8, 2012
689
466
crazy about the usb 2 speeds on the regular 15's but then again those who would buy 15s are not ones who will even notice the difference or have need for the transfer speeds. Not making an excuse but I can see why they played that game.

That said, I'll probably stick with a 3rd party cable lol
 
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mnsportsgeek

macrumors 601
Feb 24, 2009
4,321
6,668
Why would you need a thunderbolt cable to get usb 3 speeds? Can’t you just use any usb 3 cable as pretty much all usb cables have been for the last 15 years?
No because the only thing about usb that is easy to understand is the connector dimensions. When it comes to transfer rates it’s extremely confusing.
 
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citysnaps

macrumors G4
Oct 10, 2011
11,205
24,230
...but the reality is most people (I'll make up a number and say 95%) will use the cables for charging and not data transfer.

Spot on!

But... Apparently some people, all of a sudden, are now going to use their phones (or perhaps a network of phones in their home) for finding the next prime number, or to decrypt secret communications from foreign adversaries. That 40 gb/s data rate will greatly improve performance. And WiFi 6 just won't cut it.
 
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gpat

macrumors 68000
Mar 1, 2011
1,829
4,791
Italy
Like most people here I'm a bit of a geek and work in cyber security and have been tech aligned for years. But STILL, USB C/Thunderbolt over USB C and Charging over USB C still confuses me. I just want one cable that will support everything, thunderbolt, USB 3, high power charging, backward compatible with USB 2. Is this even possible at all, with any cable? If so, what do I need to buy!

TB4 is top spec and encloses every inferior spec.
But then again, it's very expensive (to produce as well). So it would be wasteful to ship TB cables by default with everything.
 
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Wokis

macrumors 6502a
Jul 3, 2012
931
1,272
Stockholm, Sweden
So the USB controller detects this and limits transfer speeds?
Shame on them for including this with the pro. At least a 40gbps cable appears to be cheap on Amazon.
Limits? It just follows standards. It's not going to increase rate of clock sync signals to push more data through a USB 2.0 interface, that would just be madness.

Anyone whose bough cheap TB4-cables ("40gbps") because they need the bandwidth learn to not do that again. The ones that guarantee signal integrity cost money.

I don't see why Apple would include high-bandwidth cables in the box when

A) The demand for doing so has been low even for devices such as the MacBook Pro.
B) Nobody else is doing so.
C) 99% of people will connect these cables to a power-brick for the entire length of the product's life.
 

citysnaps

macrumors G4
Oct 10, 2011
11,205
24,230
TB4 is top spec and encloses every inferior spec.
But then again, it's very expensive (to produce as well). So it would be wasteful to ship TB cables by default with everything.

And very costly to iPhone purchasers, too, which would only benefit the <1% (a made up number) of iPhone purchasers who might actually need that.

Imagine the resulting whinefest should Apple do that.
 
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CarAnalogy

macrumors 68040
Jun 9, 2021
3,292
5,725
So before the announcement, people were clamoring for faster data speeds on the Pro models, because well, the are used by Pros. Apple did that, and now people complain teh plebeian 15 models get non-Pro needed speeds?

Apple is going to differentiate the two lines as that is the best way to get people to buy the higher priced version.

Agreed but I wish they hadn’t chosen a refresh rate above 60Hz to be a “Pro” feature. Everyone has eyes.

The vast majority of standard iPhone buyers would rather have faster charging than faster data transfer, which is what they did here so if it saves them a little money and lets the prices stay the same, fine.

But at this point 60Hz displays look broken to me. And I don’t think 90Hz displays are that expensive. That would at least help a lot.
 

Dephibio

macrumors 6502
Oct 3, 2013
267
215
I believe these are as full-spec as they come. Much more reliable than your average Amazon crap.
They would probably be my first choice even for operating non-Apple devices.
Actually quite cheap for their quality, I'm surprised, and the same goes for the new USB-C EarPods.

Why would you need a thunderbolt cable to get usb 3 speeds? Can’t you just use any usb 3 cable as pretty much all usb cables have been for the last 15 years?

I've been rocking Anker 515 USB-C to USB-C Cable that supports USB 4.0, has 40Gbps transfer speeds, and supports 240W charging for $35. It works super good!
 
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