OWC Debuts 40Gbps USB4 Cables Up to 15 Feet Long

[MacRumors]

OWC has introduced two new active optical USB4 cables offering extended lengths and high-speed connectivity at more competitive prices than Apple's only long Thunderbolt 4 cable offering. The cables are available in 3-meter (approximately 10 feet) and 4.5-meter (15 feet) lengths, priced at $98.99 and $129.99 respectively.

Both cables support data transfer speeds of up to 40Gbps, matching the maximum throughput of Thunderbolt 4. The 3-meter version delivers up to 240W of power delivery, while the 4.5-meter cable supports up to 60W charging capabilities, according to OWC.

Intel only guarantees Thunderbolt 4 performance over cables up to 2 meters in length, so while these cables aren't officially certified as Thunderbolt 4, they do maintain compatibility with Thunderbolt 3 and 4 devices, including docks and hubs.

OWC says it achieves the extended length capabilities through fiber optic technology, which provides better immunity to electromagnetic interference compared to traditional copper cables. The technology is reminiscent of the Light Peak project that Intel and Apple initially developed before settling on copper-based Thunderbolt solutions.

The release presents a more affordable alternative to Apple's 3-meter Thunderbolt 4 cable, which is priced at $159. Like Apple's offering, the OWC cables feature a braided nylon covering for durability and flexibility.

Also from today, OWC's previously announced Thunderbolt 5 hub is now available to purchase, having been on pre-order since November. Priced at $189.99, OWC's hub is one of the first accessories to support Intel's latest Thunderbolt standard, and offers Thunderbolt 5 compatibility with Apple's latest Mac mini and MacBook Pro Models with M4 Pro and M4 Max chips. The new cables and hub are available to order directly from the OWC website.

Article Link: OWC Debuts 40Gbps USB4 Cables Up to 15 Feet Long

 

[Blackstick]

I’m glad these exist but fortunately I have no use case for $100+ cables 😆

 

[zombierunner]

That's wild bro

 

[kirky29]

Fancy, and expensive, but fancy!

 

[MichaelDroste]

Nice - no personal need for this - unless moving the machine away for noise… recording studio setup

 

[JosephAW]

Who would’ve thunk we’d be paying these prices for 3m cable?

Now we understand why SJ chose Firewire over USB technology way back.

 

[tomnavratil]

Great price considering the capabilities of these!

 

[Darren.h]

maybe they came out with those long cables after watching this video

external SSD's placed close to the M4 Mac mini drastically slow the WIFI connection.

 

[JamesMay82]

How good are OWC these days? I only really heard of them when I got my first Mac around 2008 and thought they were more about generic products which wouldn't be as good as the Lacies and Seagates of the world.

I've sadly never bought for that reasoning.

 

[benwiggy]

I'd pay that money for decent 0.5m USB cables. I've got about 8 things all well under 1 metre from my Mac Mini, but everything comes with a 2m cable, and the shop 'default' seems to be 3m.

 

[allebone]

Not exactly new ideas, TB3 and Corning are up to 100M.

Thunderbolt™ Optical Cables | OEM Optical Communication Solutions | Corning

Corning’s Thunderbolt™ 3 and Thunderbolt™ 2 optical cables enable high-speed data transfer over longer distances for media, broadcasting, and entertainment applications industries.

www.corning.com

I'm sure Active Optical uses for TB4 will show up, eventually.

Very Niche Use Cases, but definitely works for those cases.

 

[ArrayDecay]

Cool! Now I can play games sitting on the toilet while my phone is still recharging in the bedroom.

 

[DaveN]

People here are complaining about the cost but fail to mention how crazy fast these things are. If you need 40 Gbps chances are that you have the money for them. And look how complicated they are. You are combining copper cable with optical which means you have to have optical to electrical signal conversion at each end.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I'd pay that money for decent 0.5m USB cables. I've got about 8 things all well under 1 metre from my Mac Mini, but everything comes with a 2m cable, and the shop 'default' seems to be 3m.

I’ve noticed the same issue.
I don’t understand why all these accessories are coming with such long cables.

It’s not long enough to be useful for much other than creating a whole bunch of clutter

 

[theluggage]

Who would’ve thunk we’d be paying these prices for 3m cable?

Who would've thunk we'd be getting 100x the original bandwidth of FireWire out of a 3m cable?

If you're happy with "merely" 10x the bandwidth of USB 2 then cheap 3m USB3 cables are available - and backward compatible with USB4.

Now we understand why SJ chose Firewire over USB technology way back.

When did SJ "choose Firewire over USB"?

Firewire pre-dated USB by years so SJ never chose it "over" USB, and the first version of USB was only suitable for modems, printers mice etc. Turn-of-the-century Macs used both, with USB 1 replacing ADB & RS432, and Firewire replacing SCSI on higher-end Macs (pretty sure that the base iMac was USB only) - but as soon as USB took off, Firewire got left in the dirt, with a niche market in digital video, audio and Mac users who didn't want to replace their old FW800 HD enclosures...

SJ declared Firewire dead in 2008. Thunderbolt effectively replaced it as a "pro" alternative to USB - and then effectively "merged" with USB (Thunderbolt 4 & 5 now being a branding/certification service for USB4 with stricter "options").

Firewire 400 (1986): 400 Mbits/s
USB 1.0 (1996): 12 Mbits/s
USB 2.0 (2000): 480 Mbits/s
Firewire 800 (2002): 400 Mbits/s
Firewire 1600 (2007): 1600 Mbits/s
USB 3 (2008): 5,000 Mbits/s
Thunderbolt 1 (2011): 10,000 Mbits/s
USB 3.1 (2013): 10,000 Mbits/s
Thunderbolt 2 (2013): 20,000 Mbits/s
Thunderbolt 3 (2016): 40,000 Mbits/s
USB4/TB4 (2019): 40,000 Mbits/s
USB4v2/TB5 (2023): 80,000 Mbits/s

 

[System603]

People here are complaining about the cost [...]

Curious. I don’t see many—if any (JosephAW maybe?)—people complaining here. The price gets mentioned, but I haven’t noticed a lot of actual complaints yet. Maybe they’ve deleted their posts?

BTW, I fully agree with your remark on how complex these are/have to be, thus naturally affecting costs.

 

[turbineseaplane]

People here are complaining about the cost but fail to mention how crazy fast these things are

I just scrolled up and I don't see a single complaint about the cost

Where are you referring to the complaints coming from?

 

[theluggage]

I'm sure Active Optical uses for TB4 will show up, eventually.

No obvious reason that the TB3 or USB4 optical cables won't work perfectly well with TB4 and give 40Gbps data, even if they don't tick all the boxes for TB4 branding. Main difference between TB3 and TB4/USB4 seems to be the features of the peripheral controllers.

 

[Razorpit]

How good are OWC these days? I only really heard of them when I got my first Mac around 2008 and thought they were more about generic products which wouldn't be as good as the Lacies and Seagates of the world.

I've sadly never bought for that reasoning.

I have been using their products since around '06'sh. Love them and their support. I currently have in use a miniStack Max (no longer in production) that houses a 4TB Time Machine drive and a Blue-ray drive. A Mercury Elite Pro Quad, and a Thunderbay 4. Had a first generation Mini server I sent in years ago to have the drives upgraded. Also used to buy SSD's from them back when you were able to swap them out. Never had any issues with them.

 

[JapanApple]

It’s interesting these types of links exist. But I have no need for them.

 

[God of Biscuits]

How good are OWC these days? I only really heard of them when I got my first Mac around 2008 and thought they were more about generic products which wouldn't be as good as the Lacies and Seagates of the world.

I've sadly never bought for that reasoning.

I've always bought RAM from them, and everything else I've bought from them (docks, an SSD) have been stellar as well. Everything is great.

 

[God of Biscuits]

If these cables are delivering power, they must have some copper lines in them as well as the optical lines for data.

 

[MacRumorUser78]

What devices support the optical connection? And what is the performance with a non-optical TB3 or TB4? What if you put a non-optical hub in the middle?

I have no need for this performance, but as i (we) segue away from Lightening to USB-C and the complexity of cables that don't do what one expects I want to be away of the capabilities and limitations.

And we hoped USB-C was going to simplify our lives.

 

[minik]

That's neat! Since it's an optical cable, can't it package in a flat cable?

 

[God of Biscuits]

What devices support the optical connection? And what is the performance with a non-optical TB3 or TB4? What if you put a non-optical hub in the middle?

I have no need for this performance, but as i (we) segue away from Lightening to USB-C and the complexity of cables that don't do what one expects I want to be away of the capabilities and limitations.

And we hoped USB-C was going to simplify our lives.

They dont' need to. It's still bog-standard USB4 at the ends. Transceivers in either end of the cable covert to/from the optical run of wiring. Firewire needed optical cabling beyond a certain length, too. It's an issue with high frequency EM, not with a particular technology. Can't get around the noise.