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Why Is Apple's USB-C Cable $130?

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Kenrou

Kenrou

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Joined
Aug 14, 2014
Apple's new Thunderbolt 4 USB-C cable costs a staggering $130, more than ten times the price of a generic USB-C cable. But what's the difference between Thunderbolt and USB-C? Adam is joined by electrical engineer Zach Radding to examine Lumafield's CT scans of Apple's cable as well as three non-Thunderbolt USB-C cables to understand the engineering and components that make up these cables.

 
Well...

Can't watch the video but for starters, Thunderbolt 4 != USB C, they use the same connectors but that's about it. Quick look on Amazon, cheapest cables from brands I've actually used and semi trust are a 2.3ft Anker for $36 and a 2m Cable Matters for $60.

I'm guessing the Apple cable being referenced is the 1.8m/6' Pro? Still a little over twice as much as the CM yeah,, but not the 10x as implied.
 
freakdiablo said:
but for starters, Thunderbolt 4 != USB C, they use the same connectors but that's about it.
Click to expand...
www.tomsguide.com

Thunderbolt 4 vs USB4: What's the difference?

The key differences between Thunderbolt 4 and USB4, explained
www.tomsguide.com www.tomsguide.com

It’s hard telling Thunderbolt 4 and USB4 apart. Both use a USB-C connector, are capable of 40Gbps speeds, support video passthrough and can power and charge devices. While it’s tempting to think of Thunderbolt 4 and USB4 as basically the same, the two technologies have some distinctive differences. It boils down to minimum requirements....
Click to expand...
...USB4 devices can have a minimum of 20Gbps link speeds. In comparison, all Thunderbolt 4 devices have a 32Gpbs minimum requirement. UBS4 has a 7.5W minimum power requirement whereas Thunderbolt 4 doubles it with a minimum of 15W. The minimum power and speed requirements are important to keep in mind when purchasing a device. You’ll need to check a device’s specs since manufacturers can choose between 20Gpbs and 40Gbps speeds with USB4. With Thunderbolt 4, you’ll always get a minimum of 32Gbps and 15W.

Thunderbolt 4 cables support 40Gbps speeds over 2 meters. In contrast, UBS4 can only support 40Gbps within one meter and reduces to 20Gbps on cables that are 2 meters or longer. You can tell the difference between Thunderbolt 4 and USB4 cables by their distinct logos. Thunderbolt 4 cables have a lightning bolt with a 4 while USB4 has the iconic USB logo with either a 20 or a 40.
Click to expand...
 
I see it as if you only transfer data, then it doesn't matter if you use a TB or USB-C cable (high quality, at least). We wish that cables were as good as a manufacturer says, but it is often far from reality. This is why most cables for high-speed storage are very short. The same, short cables are dedicated for USB SSD and other devices like NAS/DAS or external graphics.
I had luck with some cheap 2m USB-C cables that were still working fine at 20Gbps. I have a USB4 SSD on the way for review, so I may check it later with various cables, but I would like not to buy additional cables only for that one test.

TB supports daisy-chaining, so you can connect additional devices or use additional features (that barely anyone uses anyway). In theory, TB and Lightning cables should be the same. The only difference is that older Apple devices were using their connectors, but cables with USB-C type connectors shouldn't make a difference, so I have no idea why they charge so much for a simple cable. Their cables are usually thin, and I hear people constantly complaining that they break near the plug. I guess the best would be to find one of the cheap Chinese manufacturers who actually offers good cables. I won't hide that I'm really lost in all these brands, like Amazon is flooded by various brands and I don't trust any of them.

As ED mentioned, the difference is in USB and TB controllers. Try to connect USB 3.2 Gen2x2 (20Gbps) storage to a TB4 port and you will see it will be limited to 10Gbps. It won't even run at USB 3.2 Gen2x2 speed because of how the controller works. So it could be easier to understand, read it as USB = one path, TB = multiple paths. When you connect a USB device to a TB port, only one path works, so the maximum bandwidth is limited.
 
I like my iPhone lol.

I am not a sheep though.

More of a black one if I am.. its just how I was raised :)

Side by side it looked nicer than my coworkers S22 and took nicer pics :D

To me its just a phone, not a way of life..
 
freeagent said:
I like my iPhone lol.

I am not a sheep though.

More of a black one if I am.. its just how I was raised :)

Side by side it looked nicer than my coworkers S22 and took nicer pics :D

To me its just a phone, not a way of life..
Click to expand...
and crazy people always claim they're not crazy.... :chair: :D

JKing.... phones are phones...It's just what eco system you are in.:cheers:
 
dfonda said:
and crazy people always claim they're not crazy.... :chair: :D
Click to expand...
I only have a few issues, a pill a day keeps me ok :D

I never understood the hate. I mean you have the play store, yeah sure I guess you can sideload stuff, but after the first few times of jailbreaking my early Apple stuff.. it got kinda boring. I dont mind rolling legit these days.

I would never buy a computer from them though, I am not that dedicated.

They can pound sand for all I care, I would never spend that coin on a cable :D
 
The wife & I both have an iphone & an ipad. She just recently needed to update both of her devices. The ipad was so old it wasn't getting IOS version updates & a few of her favorite apps quit working because of that. Her phone started to get hot & battery life was in the toilet (IMO she got her money's worth out of both). Both of her new devices are intentionally the last gen of the old lightning connector because we have those cables all over the place. The next upgrade is gonna suck because we have so many of the older cables & will be forced to the new Thunderbolt USB-C cable for whatever gets replaced.
 
Last edited:
So.... a certified 40 gbps usb4 cable won't work? In what way(s) won't it work It will only run 20 gbps? But charge fine in new apples?

It just has to be a 40 gbps tb4 cable, right? Is there something proprietary in the Apple brand cables?


WhitehawkEQ said:
USB4 and Thunderbolt 4 are..........Thunderbolt has electronics in the cable, USB4 does not.
Click to expand...
FTFY, i think, lol. They both use Type-C connectors, but different protocols (usb4 is based on TB3 and aligned with tb4, fyi...I dont find these to be terribly different in practice).

Though, would a 40gbps usb4 rated cable have those same electronics? They sure look similar. Is the electronics due to increased le


Is the short of it, for apple users, if you need 40 gbps transfer over 2m, go tb4($$), but if you don't and can deal with 20gbps($) any '40 gbps' (that actually does it) is fine?
 
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USB-C is a connector, not a protocol. :)

So, the image you're showing me is of a certified USB4(protocol) 40 gbps cable?

What speed of cable is that showing? Did the video share what each type of cable was supposed to be?

Edit: It's an Amazon basic type-c cable and cheaper..lol. it would have been nice had they compared apples to apples in cables.

...put it up against a certified usb4 40 gbps 240W+ cable ($40) against it before we start buying it hook line and sinker...
 
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In Googling "Thunderbolt 4" to find out what's so special I came across one for "only" $69 on Apple.com Still no cigar- nobody's getting one in their Christmas stocking.

My wife has an iPad, keeps her out of trouble. ;) I would kind-of like to have an iPad, because all the tablets I've ever seen are crappy, under-powered and abandoned by their manufacturer when it comes to up to date software. However, if I had an iPad I'd just want to put Linux on it....https://ipadlinux.org/
 
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