Good part is physical connector still USB Type-C and protocol backward compatibility to Thunderbolt 3, USB 3.x
Yes, but sounds like a potential cable nightmare ...
Actually, the exact opposite. USB-C has been around for years now, as has TB3. People who have invested in TB3 cables will likely get the most benefit from the coming USB4, as those cables should work to the full potential of USB4. Those who bought the cheaper USB-C cables will have them continue to work as fast (but not any faster) than they did before, which they will likely be satisfied with for quite some time.
The changeover (which will undoubtedly take years) will have minimal impact on people who've bought new Macs in the past four years, and only slightly more impact on iOS-only and PC owners due to the predominance of Lightning and USB-A and B connectors still in peripherals (but that has been changing). As these things go, it will probably be a pretty smooth transition due to the base technology (TB3) having been out for quite some time.
The major headache I suspect will be getting cable manufacturers to truthfully label their cables with the correct max speed rather than "up to" handwaving that still technically covers a cable only capable of 5Gbps. In short, if you got cheapie two-wire USB-C cables, you'll probably need to replace them in a few years with better-quality 4-wire ones that can at least do the 10Gbps (ie USB 3.1 Type C gen 2) level. Consumers will probably rarely if ever take full advantage of USB4 and won't really care, but will benefit greatly from cheaper peripheral and accessories that can handle at least current USB-C speeds. Pros who've been with Apple in particular are probably delighted that this is being standardized across platforms and without another incredibly stupid name!
Good part is physical connector still USB Type-C and protocol backward compatibility to Thunderbolt 3, USB 3.x
Yes, but sounds like a potential cable nightmare ...
Actually, I think it would be an improvement. Or a potential one anyway.
The nightmare is what we have now - USB C connector but no standard on what the cables are capable of in terms of power, speed, etc, nor any standard as to whether a given USB port is straight USB or thunderbolt. And then there's the whole USB 3 naming cluster...
Yes, but this won’t make that go away... doesn’t it just add yet another type of cable connection that won’t be supported by lesser cables, making confirming you have the right one necessary?
Im not using USB-C cables at the moment, but there seem to be a lot of complaints about this. It reminds me of the HDMI problem, where even cables rated to support high speed connections don’t actually do that on some sets, something I have had first hand experience with.
Good part is physical connector still USB Type-C and protocol backward compatibility to Thunderbolt 3, USB 3.x
Yes, but sounds like a potential cable nightmare ...
Actually, I think it would be an improvement. Or a potential one anyway.
The nightmare is what we have now - USB C connector but no standard on what the cables are capable of in terms of power, speed, etc, nor any standard as to whether a given USB port is straight USB or thunderbolt. And then there's the whole USB 3 naming cluster...
Yes, but this won’t make that go away... doesn’t it just add yet another type of cable connection that won’t be supported by lesser cables, making confirming you have the right one necessary?
Im not using USB-C cables at the moment, but there seem to be a lot of complaints about this. It reminds me of the HDMI problem, where even cables rated to support high speed connections don’t actually do that on some sets, something I have had first hand experience with.
I find it funny that when a company (lets just say Apple) simplifies it’s product line with very clearly differentiated capabilities we hear people complain about engineering by marketing department.
Now, USB seems to have no coherent marketing whatsoever and all communications about product capability comes straight from the engineering department.
Maybe it’s not such a bad idea to let marketing have a seat at the table after all.
I just can't believe that we're three years into USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 and there still isn’t a single goddamned USB-C hub or Thunderbolt 3 display on the entire goddamned market. One USB-C 5k display and it's expensive and kinda sucks. What a fucking garbage fire.
I just can't believe that we're three years into USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 and there still isn’t a single goddamned USB-C hub or Thunderbolt 3 display on the entire goddamned market. One USB-C 5k display and it's expensive and kinda sucks. What a fucking garbage fire.
The LG5K is absolutely a Thunderbolt 3 display. So is the LG5k2k that we reviewed a few weeks ago.
Comments
The changeover (which will undoubtedly take years) will have minimal impact on people who've bought new Macs in the past four years, and only slightly more impact on iOS-only and PC owners due to the predominance of Lightning and USB-A and B connectors still in peripherals (but that has been changing). As these things go, it will probably be a pretty smooth transition due to the base technology (TB3) having been out for quite some time.
The major headache I suspect will be getting cable manufacturers to truthfully label their cables with the correct max speed rather than "up to" handwaving that still technically covers a cable only capable of 5Gbps. In short, if you got cheapie two-wire USB-C cables, you'll probably need to replace them in a few years with better-quality 4-wire ones that can at least do the 10Gbps (ie USB 3.1 Type C gen 2) level. Consumers will probably rarely if ever take full advantage of USB4 and won't really care, but will benefit greatly from cheaper peripheral and accessories that can handle at least current USB-C speeds. Pros who've been with Apple in particular are probably delighted that this is being standardized across platforms and without another incredibly stupid name!
Im not using USB-C cables at the moment, but there seem to be a lot of complaints about this. It reminds me of the HDMI problem, where even cables rated to support high speed connections don’t actually do that on some sets, something I have had first hand experience with.
Now, USB seems to have no coherent marketing whatsoever and all communications about product capability comes straight from the engineering department.
Maybe it’s not such a bad idea to let marketing have a seat at the table after all.
The Ultrafine 4K is USB 3.2 gen 2 type C.