USB-C Question

[nadroj915]

Do any / all USB-C cables work as charging/thunderbolt cables on the new Macs? Or are there different grades/specs of cables that I have to be careful of?

Come to think of it - I think I need information in general about USB-C cabling. I've just read that there are differences, depending on if you want thunderbolt capability, USB 3.1 capability, etc, and that not all cables will work for every function.

Specifically, I'm interested in charging capability, thunderbolt capability, and USB 3.1 capability. What do I need to know about which cable I'm going to connect to my Mac?

Thanks in advance!

 

[honestone]

It looks like you need some kind of hub (I assume the "main" connection on your Mac is USB-C). Here are the results of a google search for "USB-C Hubs that include Thunderbolt, Charging, and USB 3.1 capabilities":

https://www.google.com/search?q=USB...rome..69i57.6672j0j1&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Yes, there seems to be quite a few choices. I cannot recomemnd any particular one, as both of my Macs have USB 3.1 and Thunderbolt ports (my Mac Mini also has a Firewire 800 port).

 

[nadroj915]

Actually I have a really good hub. I'm specifically just asking about USB-C cables - are there differences depending on applications and functions? I have heard for example, that one cannot use just any USB-C cable if they want to be taking full advantage of the thunderbolt capability, or even USB 3.1 capability. Apparently Apple has even stated - the USB-C cable included with the new macs (for charging) is only capable of USB 2.0 data transfer speeds.

 

[honestone]

Sorry I could not help you, as my Macs all have USB 3.1 ports, and Thunderbolt ports (and a Firewire 800 port on my Mac Mini).

 

[nadroj915]

no worries - maybe somebody else will pipe in.

 

[Cory Cooper]

Hello,

The Apple USB-C Charge Cable - (2 m) supports charging USB-C devices, and also supports USB 2 for syncing and data transfer between USB-C devices. I believe that is the one included with the current MacBook line, for use with the AC Power Adapter bricks. The Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB‑C) Cable (0.8 m) is an actual Thunderbolt 3 USB-C cable, which supports Thunderbolt 3 data transfer up to 40 Gbps, USB 3.1 Gen 2 data transfer up to 10 Gbps, DisplayPort video output (HBR3), and charging up to 100W. Note the Thunderbolt symbol printed on the connectors of the Thunderbolt 3 USB-C cable.

C

 

[nadroj915]

Hello,

The Apple USB-C Charge Cable - (2 m) supports charging USB-C devices, and also supports USB 2 for syncing and data transfer between USB-C devices. I believe that is the one included with the current MacBook line, for use with the AC Power Adapter bricks. The Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB‑C) Cable (0.8 m) is an actual Thunderbolt 3 USB-C cable, which supports Thunderbolt 3 data transfer up to 40 Gbps, USB 3.1 Gen 2 data transfer up to 10 Gbps, DisplayPort video output (HBR3), and charging up to 100W. Note the Thunderbolt symbol printed on the connectors of the Thunderbolt 3 USB-C cable.

C

Thanks, that is very helpful. Am I only able to acquire such cable from Apple? If there are other manufacturers, do they put the same symbol on the cable?

 

[Greenman]

Appleinsider has an article on this hear,
http://appleinsider.com/articles/16...usb-c-thunderbolt-3-on-apples-new-macbook-pro

Thunderbolt 3 spec announced with support for USB-C connector, transfer speeds of up to 40Gbps
By (e-mail address removed)
Tuesday, June 02, 2015, 05:21 am PT (08:21 am ET)

The next generation of the high-speed Thunderbolt specification was announced on Tuesday, ditching the legacy Mini DisplayPort connector for the new smaller, reversible USB-C standard, and offering transfer speeds of up to 40Gbps with high-end cables.

Thunderbolt 3 will be a "superset" for USB 3.1, which runs at 10Gbps. Using a standard USB-C cable, Thunderbolt 3 will offer transfer speeds of twice that, at 20Gbps.

Users who buy an active copper USB-C cable will gain access to 40Gbps transfer speeds with Thunderbolt 3. And optical cables supporting the new standard will offer that same speed over greater distances when they hit the market next year.

Because Thunderbolt 3 is compliant with the USB-C standard and USB 3.1 specification, the cabling will also simultaneously support DisplayPort 1.2, third-generation PCI Express, and power supply for recharging notebooks at up to 100 watts.

With a single active copper cable, Thunderbolt 3 will enable dual 4K monitor support simultaneously with 10-gigabit Ethernet networking.

Computers supporting the Thunderbolt 3 specification are expected to hit the market later this year. It's likely that it will require Intel's next-generation Skylake processors.

Apple was among the first to adopt the new USB-C connector with its all-new 12-inch MacBook, featuring a single USB-C port for both charging and connecting devices. USB-C is reversible, like Apple's proprietary Lightning connector, but the open standard is expected to be adopted by most forthcoming PCs and will not be limited to Apple hardware.

The USB-C connector on Apple's current MacBook. Future hardware will support Thunderbolt 3 in addition to USB 3.1.

With support for Thunderbolt 3, it's likely that USB-C ports will find their way onto Apple's MacBook Pro lineup with an accompanying Skylake upgrade. Apple recently upgraded its 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pro models with Force Touch trackpads, but those machines continue to feature legacy full-size USB connectors, and do not feature any smaller USB-C plugs.

Because the unified Thunderbolt 3 port standard won't arrive until later this year with new hardware, Apple's current sole USB-C machine, the 12-inch MacBook, will not support the new specification.

Its a way for Apple to keep you buying new cables