Apple's 3 meter Thunderbolt 4 Pro cable is now available

Posted:
in General Discussion edited May 2022
First announced alongside the Mac Studio, Apple's 3 meter Thunderbolt 4 Pro cable is now available to order online, and for pickup later in the month at some Apple Retail locations.




At the March unveiling of both the Mac Studio and the Studio Display, Apple launched a Thunderbolt 4 Pro cable, which was promised to be coming in both a 1.8 meter and a 3 meter edition.

Initially, only the 1.8 meter version was available, and it faced some criticism because it cost $129. A teardown revealed why it was costly, however, and potentially worth the money.





Now the 3 meter version is available in the online Apple Store, where it costs $159. To buy, users have to choose the 3 meters option from the order page's drop down menu.

At time of writing, the cable can be ordered now and will typically ship to buyers starting on May 12, 2022. It is not yet available in retail stores, but Apple's online site says it will be available for pickup from May 20.

Many vendors now sell Thunderbolt 4 cables, though with mixed quality. Other than Corning's optical Thunderbolt cable line that does not pass power, this is the first Thunderbolt 4 cable longer than 2 meters that will provide full power and data speeds.

Read on AppleInsider

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 14
    dutchlorddutchlord Posts: 214member
    $159 for a cable right? #byebye
  • Reply 2 of 14
    fastasleepfastasleep Posts: 6,420member
    dutchlord said:
    $159 for a cable right? #byebye
    Active Thunderbolt cables are expensive, this isn't news. This is also the only option available if you need this length and power/data.
    thtkillroywatto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 14
    jdwjdw Posts: 1,339member
    dutchlord said:
    $159 for a cable right? #byebye
    Active Thunderbolt cables are expensive, this isn't news. This is also the only option available if you need this length and power/data.
    Length/power/datarate/value aside, what is a practical use-case for this TB4 cable right now?
  • Reply 4 of 14
    killroykillroy Posts: 276member
    jdw said:
    dutchlord said:
    $159 for a cable right? #byebye
    Active Thunderbolt cables are expensive, this isn't news. This is also the only option available if you need this length and power/data.
    Length/power/datarate/value aside, what is a practical use-case for this TB4 cable right now?

    A raid that's not on your desktop.
    welshdogjdwwatto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 14
    welshdogwelshdog Posts: 1,898member
    killroy said:
    jdw said:
    dutchlord said:
    $159 for a cable right? #byebye
    Active Thunderbolt cables are expensive, this isn't news. This is also the only option available if you need this length and power/data.
    Length/power/datarate/value aside, what is a practical use-case for this TB4 cable right now?

    A raid that's not on your desktop.

    Right, like a RAID in a sound cabinet because it's too noisy to be in the room.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 14
    echo002echo002 Posts: 1member
    I’m considering it to use with a Mac Pro and Pro Display. I’ve been looking for a way to move the Mac away from right next to my desk without having to deal with a dock. 

    Unless someone can suggest a Thunderbolt 3 cable that is the same size or longer.  This might be my answer. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 14
    MplsPMplsP Posts: 3,931member
    dutchlord said:
    $159 for a cable right? #byebye
    AI had a link to a YouTube video with a teardown of this cable a few weeks ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBWnb0ZIlEA&t=403s

    This is not just a bundle of wires soldered to a connector at each end - there's more than a bit of engineering involved to achieve the capabilities. If you don't need them then you can get by with a cheaper cable. If you need them then you'll understand the price.
    killroywatto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 14
    killroykillroy Posts: 276member
    welshdog said:
    killroy said:
    jdw said:
    dutchlord said:
    $159 for a cable right? #byebye
    Active Thunderbolt cables are expensive, this isn't news. This is also the only option available if you need this length and power/data.
    Length/power/datarate/value aside, what is a practical use-case for this TB4 cable right now?

    A raid that's not on your desktop.

    Right, like a RAID in a sound cabinet because it's too noisy to be in the room.

    Or you just don't wanna keep your desktop cluttered with an eight drive raid.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 14
    jdwjdw Posts: 1,339member
    killroy said:
    jdw said:
    dutchlord said:
    $159 for a cable right? #byebye
    Active Thunderbolt cables are expensive, this isn't news. This is also the only option available if you need this length and power/data.
    Length/power/datarate/value aside, what is a practical use-case for this TB4 cable right now?

    A raid that's not on your desktop.
    Thank you for that.  I clicked "Informative" on your post.  I appreciate it.  But other than a RAID, what are the practical use-cases for a TB4 cable right now?  (I'm asking because I'm obviously not in the market for a RAID and am just curious.)
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 14
    fastasleepfastasleep Posts: 6,420member
    jdw said:
    killroy said:
    jdw said:
    dutchlord said:
    $159 for a cable right? #byebye
    Active Thunderbolt cables are expensive, this isn't news. This is also the only option available if you need this length and power/data.
    Length/power/datarate/value aside, what is a practical use-case for this TB4 cable right now?

    A raid that's not on your desktop.
    Thank you for that.  I clicked "Informative" on your post.  I appreciate it.  But other than a RAID, what are the practical use-cases for a TB4 cable right now?  (I'm asking because I'm obviously not in the market for a RAID and am just curious.)
    Someone with a display (Studio or XDR) who'd like more than a 1m or 2m cable to their Mac, respectively. Someone running a TB PCI box, dock, audio interface, whatever and want to keep it 3 meters away from their Mac. Not sure what's difficult to figure out about this other than this product is not something you need.
    watto_cobrathtkillroyHonkers
  • Reply 11 of 14
    jdwjdw Posts: 1,339member
    Someone with a display (Studio or XDR) who'd like more than a 1m or 2m cable to their Mac, respectively. Someone running a TB PCI box, dock, audio interface, whatever and want to keep it 3 meters away from their Mac. Not sure what's difficult to figure out about this other than this product is not something you need.
    While I certainly appreciate the answer, I don't appreciate the totally unnecessary sass in the closing sentence.  Another reason that sass is a low blow is because the reasoning behind my query is obvious -- I am curious to hear if there might be a use-case I would have for it. And guess what?  When those answers come, you folks who provide the answers will also be helping out every single other person who reviews this thread too!

    The "free sharing of knowledge with no strings attached" is the basis for the existence of forums like this.  When an article doesn't give us enough detail, we ask each other NICELY (as I did) and then of course we expect a reply that at least was constructed with some tact.

    KINDNESS.  It works every time it's tried.  AND, it's worth more the all the knowledge in the world.
    muthuk_vanalingam
  • Reply 12 of 14
    crowleycrowley Posts: 10,453member
    jdw said:
    Someone with a display (Studio or XDR) who'd like more than a 1m or 2m cable to their Mac, respectively. Someone running a TB PCI box, dock, audio interface, whatever and want to keep it 3 meters away from their Mac. Not sure what's difficult to figure out about this other than this product is not something you need.
    While I certainly appreciate the answer, I don't appreciate the totally unnecessary sass in the closing sentence.  Another reason that sass is a low blow is because the reasoning behind my query is obvious -- I am curious to hear if there might be a use-case I would have for it. And guess what?  When those answers come, you folks who provide the answers will also be helping out every single other person who reviews this thread too!

    The "free sharing of knowledge with no strings attached" is the basis for the existence of forums like this.  When an article doesn't give us enough detail, we ask each other NICELY (as I did) and then of course we expect a reply that at least was constructed with some tact.

    KINDNESS.  It works every time it's tried.  AND, it's worth more the all the knowledge in the world.
    You got your answers to your obvious questions.  Quit whining.
    thtfastasleep
  • Reply 13 of 14
    fastasleepfastasleep Posts: 6,420member
    jdw said:
    Someone with a display (Studio or XDR) who'd like more than a 1m or 2m cable to their Mac, respectively. Someone running a TB PCI box, dock, audio interface, whatever and want to keep it 3 meters away from their Mac. Not sure what's difficult to figure out about this other than this product is not something you need.
    While I certainly appreciate the answer, I don't appreciate the totally unnecessary sass in the closing sentence.  Another reason that sass is a low blow is because the reasoning behind my query is obvious -- I am curious to hear if there might be a use-case I would have for it. And guess what?  When those answers come, you folks who provide the answers will also be helping out every single other person who reviews this thread too!

    The "free sharing of knowledge with no strings attached" is the basis for the existence of forums like this.  When an article doesn't give us enough detail, we ask each other NICELY (as I did) and then of course we expect a reply that at least was constructed with some tact.

    KINDNESS.  It works every time it's tried.  AND, it's worth more the all the knowledge in the world.
    Welcome to the Internet. You’re going to have a rough time if you keep projecting like this. 
  • Reply 14 of 14
    Why does the article compare a cheap usb-c cable to a tb4 cable? There are cheaper tb4 cables out there. At least do apples to apples comparisons. I’m always wary of tb4 branded cables on amazon. I thought the tb4 label was supposed to mean a better level of features baked in by default. Amazon always lets people claim that they’re verified, but i’m sure they don’t enforce anything. Would be great to see an actual shootout between some major cable brands vs this apple cable to see how different they are. 
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