Power and data specs of the USB C cable that comes with the 30W power adapter

[pullman]

Greetings

I'm trying to find out the power and data transmission specs of the USB C–USB C cable that comes with the 30W power adapter (A2164). Either my goggle fu is not strong enough or the info isn't published. Does anyone know (about the cable, not my google fu, well or perhaps both actually).

Thank you in advance
Philip

 

[chrfr]

Greetings

I'm trying to find out the power and data transmission specs of the USB C–USB C cable that comes with the 30W power adapter (A2164). Either my goggle fu is not strong enough or the info isn't published. Does anyone know (about the cable, not my google fu, well or perhaps both actually).

Thank you in advance
Philip

If you’re buying the power adapter as a standalone product no cable is included.

 

[pullman]

Ah I didn't know that, thank you.

I bought by M1 used and received the original Apple 30W power adapter plus a new 2m USB C to C cable. It's not a braided cable so if it is an Apple cable it's not the current braided 2m cable.

The cable came coiled around a white paper/thin cardboard structure as I have seen other Apple cables do. It has a rubbery outside and feels very much like my original 2m Apple USB C to Lightning cable, which is why I assumed it could be an original Apple cable.

I see several discussions that the current, braided cable is 240W but only USB 2 speeds so I suppose something similar would be the case for the older version, at least re data transmission.

EDIT: I realised that I have Blackmagic Speed Test on my Mac so connected an NVME in a Satechi enclosure and tested data speeds. That resulted in an unwhopping 36 megabyte/sec read and write speed.

I think I'll relegate this cable to the pile of use-only-if-necessary cables I have.

If you’re buying the power adapter as a standalone product no cable is included.

 

[chrfr]

Ah I didn't know that, thank you.

I bought by M1 used and received the original Apple 30W power adapter plus a new 2m USB C to C cable. It's not a braided cable so if it is an Apple cable it's not the current braided 2m cable.

The cable came coiled around a white paper/thin cardboard structure as I have seen other Apple cables do. It has a rubbery outside and feels very much like my original 2m Apple USB C to Lightning cable, which is why I assumed it could be an original Apple cable.

I see several discussions that the current, braided cable is 240W but only USB 2 speeds so I suppose something similar would be the case for the older version, at least re data transmission.

EDIT: I realised that I have Blackmagic Speed Test on my Mac so connected an NVME in a Satechi enclosure and tested data speeds. That resulted in an unwhopping 36 megabyte/sec read and write speed.

I think I'll relegate this cable to the pile of use-only-if-necessary cables I have.

That sounds like the standard USB-C charging cable Apple supplied with those computers. It only supports USB 2.0 speeds but will supply enough power to charge larger laptops with the appropriate adapter. All of Apple’s charging cables also only support USB 2.0 speeds. They’re not thunderbolt or USB 3 or 4.

 

[jaytv111]

Apple's USB cables are USB 2.0 only. They are meant for charging, but can be used for data transfer albeit slow, perhaps in an emergency situation. Even their new Beats cables are 2.0.

Apple has Thunderbolt (3, 4, and 5) cables that support most protocols used in USB/Thunderbolt/Displayport.

I think Apple didn't want 3.x data cables that aren't Thunderbolt in order to prevent consumer confusion. You want high speed USB data, Displayport, or Thunderbolt, there's one cable for that. But you may buy 3rd party cables with 3.x USB without Thunderbolt if you want.

 

[pullman]

Thank you very much to both of you, I can see the logic behind that from Apple's perspective.

One thing (and this is a bit of a tangent so apologies for that) I noticed when I looked for images online of Apple's cables is that the current braided cable terminates directly in the plugs without a sort of rubber sleeve before the plugs. The old one I have does have such a sleeve which gives a pretty solid impression. Sort of reminds me of heat shrink put around XLR cables. Wonder why Apple has skipped that on the new version? It's the same on the Magsafe charger for the iPhones. The current version lacks the sleeve whereas the previous one has it.

That sounds like the standard USB-C charging cable Apple supplied with those computers. It only supports USB 2.0 speeds but will supply enough power to charge larger laptops with the appropriate adapter. All of Apple’s charging cables also only support USB 2.0 speeds. They’re not thunderbolt or USB 3 or 4.

Apple's USB cables are USB 2.0 only. They are meant for charging, but can be used for data transfer albeit slow, perhaps in an emergency situation. Even their new Beats cables are 2.0.

Apple has Thunderbolt (3, 4, and 5) cables that support most protocols used in USB/Thunderbolt/Displayport.

I think Apple didn't want 3.x data cables that aren't Thunderbolt in order to prevent consumer confusion. You want high speed USB data, Displayport, or Thunderbolt, there's one cable for that. But you may buy 3rd party cables with 3.x USB without Thunderbolt if you want.