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Seems like 'merging' two brand new technologies so early on is going to breed total confusion.

Great.

The concept of USB-C as as single cable has always been attractive but the tech just wasn't there for power users (e.g. not enough bandwidth to use a high-res display, or transfer files while using a display).

Now this really feels like a no-compromise unified cable. Use it with an accessory, with a display, for power, whatever. We'll have a couple of those on the next rMBP redesign and be free to plug any device in any port (i.e. either plug the power supply on the left side or right side of your laptop).

Apart from the confusion USB-C is going to create regarding whether it supports USB 3 (current rMB) vs USB 3.1 (hopefully upcoming rMBP, et al) and whether people will know that it is the venue for TB, there is going to be additional confusion concerning the use of active and passive cables.

From the article in the OP, "At launch, there'll be one passive Thunderbolt 3 cable that supports Thunderbolt, USB 3.1, and DisplayPort 1.2, but with a max bandwidth of only 20Gbps. There'll also be an active cable that allows for up to 40Gbps, but drops DisplayPort 1.2 connectivity."

So now if I want TB 3 I need an active cable, but if I want DP (1.2) I need a passive cable, and if I want TB 3 and DP, I need two cables.

The technology is exciting, but it still looks like it is cutting its teeth. I expect the second generation will include DP 1.3 and hopefully support DP 1.3 and TB 3 at the same time.
 
Nonsense, all Apple computers are resellable thats one of the main points thats one of the main things that Apple haters fail to point out when arguing about price. My 2013 Macbook is still worth £1200 minimum!

I won't be really losing any money - don't forget there will be a bunch of the usual bores that crop up when the redesign with USB-C ports come out say "don't buy gen 1 of a redesign always buy gen 2" - i'm surprised anyone buys anything on here, there always waiting 8 months for the next thing that'll supersede it. Buy and enjoy, you only live once, stop wasting your life waiting for the next better thing cos its always MONTHS away around the corner, at which point you might be dead.
Oh please. Non Apple products may lose a higher proportion of their value but in absolute terms it’s probably less than the Apple device will cost them.
 
Why sorry, again, they are using them NOW to make money and do work NOW, if it helps them do it better than the 2013 model they had (like me) then its perfect, every day is a help up until when the new one comes and i'll sell it, buy the new model (which will be a minimum of 8 months away at very best, probably not announced at all till 2016) and it'll probably work out at less than £2 a week to use.
I don't regret buying the new 15" MBP. I was coming from an early '08 MBP so it was definitely time. It is also a hedge against a possibility that Apple my remove features/ports in the next version. I also do the heavy lifting on my Mac Pro. If the next version of the MBP is compelling enough I will sell my 2015.
 
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Nonsense, all Apple computers are resellable thats one of the main points thats one of the main things that Apple haters fail to point out when arguing about price. My 2013 Macbook is still worth £1200 minimum!

I won't be really losing any money - don't forget there will be a bunch of the usual bores that crop up when the redesign with USB-C ports come out say "don't buy gen 1 of a redesign always buy gen 2" - i'm surprised anyone buys anything on here, there always waiting 8 months for the next thing that'll supersede it. Buy and enjoy, you only live once, stop wasting your life waiting for the next better thing cos its always MONTHS away around the corner, at which point you might be dead.

You're kidding yourself if you think somebody is going to pay for a 1200 pounds for the first generation hassle processors. I wouldn't even pay a 1000.

And like I said. With this announcement. All previous macs just took a nosedive in value.

If you can sell it for that price more power to you. I'll ask you to sell my 2012 MBA.
 
so in Oct we will see the imac/15" macbook pro get the usb-c and all the good stuff
 
Oh please. Non Apple products may lose a higher proportion of their value but in absolute terms it’s probably less than the Apple device will cost them.

Don't agree - i've practically upgrade all my Apple products each year at minimal cost (sometimes i've made a profit if I got a good deal in the first place)

There's virtually no resale value in a cheap PC laptop "Oh you can get the same specs as a Macbook Pro in a £600 laptop" - unlikely to be true when they actually look at more than JUST the processor, the build quality will be no where near as good so the use far from as pleasurable and then there's no resale value on these units...after 18 months most of them have dead batteries with bits falling off and you throw them in landfill...all my Macbook's have retained 70% of their value after a year or two, especially if you sell them with warranty left on them.

"Apple Tax" is a myth for people that don't know how to wheel and deal properly. But you keep believing it by all means :)
 
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I'm probably the only one here who's slightly disappointed with the TB3 specs. I was totally banking on the inclusion of DisplayPort 1.3/HDMI 2.0, which states native support for 5k @ 60Hz over a single cable. DisplayPort 1.2/HDMI 1.4 needs two cables. Not sure why the newer specs weren't included since they're officially ratified. Are they going to be using some kind of proprietary cable or controller to achieve 5k@60 with DP1.2 on a single line?

I only ask because I was going to completely re-do my home office next year and get a 2016 Mac Pro with dual 5k displays. I was hoping I didn't have to use 4 ports to achieve that. (I know, first world problems lol). Just doesn't seem very future-proof to me.
 
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Is this really possible through a USB Type-C cable? Or are special USB Type-C + TB cables required? Wasn't big parts of the TB functionality inside the actual cables, which was the reason they were so expensive in the first place?

If it is possible, this will be awesome. Regular USB Type-C cables making almost every accessory able to tap into TB speeds.
 
You're kidding yourself if you think somebody is going to pay for a 1200 pounds for the first generation hassle processors. I wouldn't even pay a 1000.

And like I said. With this announcement. All previous macs just took a nosedive in value.

If you can sell it for that price more power to you. I'll ask you to sell my 2012 MBA.

I'm not kidding myself, go and look for sold listings on eBay right now. Plus i've got extended warranty left and multiple extras I can throw in...I bet you my right arm i'll easily get £1200 for mine, fully boxed, in immaculate condition.
 
Is this really possible through a USB Type-C cable? Or are special USB Type-C + TB cables required? Wasn't big parts of the TB functionality inside the actual cables, which was the reason they were so expensive in the first place?

If it is possible, this will be awesome. Regular USB Type-C cables making almost every accessory able to tap into TB speeds.

No, you will still need special TB cables. It just uses the same connector.
 
It's unlikely after the 12" Macbook they'll release anything with a UBC-C port that isn't Thunderbolt 3 and USB 3.1 in one to be honest.
That's what I'm getting at, but don't forget about the el cheapo PCs that will undoubtedly continue using usb c only; even after Thunderbolt 3 is out.
 
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Absolutely fantastic news. Good job Apple, intel and the clan. Can't wait to only have one cord ever. AND so happy i didn't upgrade my MBP yet
 
So, if the next Macbook Pro has multiple USB-C ports, which one do you use for power? Any of them? Or will one of them be labeled as the one to use for plugging the power adapter into? Will be interesting to see how Apple handles that, as it seems like that could be a source of confusion for people. (though I do like the idea of a unified cable type for everything)

... or will they only include one USB-C port and force you to use adapters just like the Macbook. (ugh)
According to the experts here on MR, the folks who trust Apple engineers to "know what they are doing", each USB-C port is good for 100W of power -- 20A at 5V!

What a frikkin fiasco of confusing standards, specs, and labels.
 
I'm not kidding myself, go and look for sold listings on eBay right now. Plus i've got extended warranty left and multiple extras I can throw in...I bet you my right arm i'll easily get £1200 for mine, fully boxed, in immaculate condition.

Here's a 2014 13" MBP going for $1000: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-Macbo...111?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4d32d5b127

MIND YOU that this news hasn't spread yet.

Once this spreads, or once Skylake is out. Good luck selling it. You're deluding yourself if you think you can sell a 13" 2013 MBP at 1200 pounds sterling which is 1837 US Dollars at todays value or €1651.

I'll just buy new at that price sport.

Best of luck tho.
 
Great to see the bandwidth figures, would love to try a "not *crazily* expensive" eGPU setup.

Seems to me though, it's still very confusing for your average customer. USB-C (better or worse than USB 3?) connectors, but not cables. PCIe protocol. Thunderbolt 3 moniker. DisplayPort 1.2 signal.

This kind of thing isn't going to help:

At launch, there'll be one passive Thunderbolt 3 cable that supports Thunderbolt, USB 3.1, and DisplayPort 1.2, but with a max bandwidth of only 20Gbps. There'll also be an active cable that allows for up to 40Gbps, but drops DisplayPort 1.2 connectivity.
 
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It will, as was already addressed on pg2, and judging from other comments, it's already breeding confusion. Anytime you have two cable standards piggybacking off of the same connector type, you're asking for confusion.

You can avoid all of the hassle of labeling etc by just merging all 3 standards and dropping the price of TB.
Well if people cannot read the specs on the box of the machine they purchased, or read the symbols above a port.....

I understand confusing computer illiterate people, but really they'll see a USB symbol there, see it's USB c sized port, and just ignore anything about Thunderbolt; as I suspect they already do with current machines.
 
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