Apple ships first self-branded Thunderbolt 3 cable in wake of iMac Pro launch

Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited September 2020
Apple began selling its first-ever self-branded Thunderbolt 3 cable on Thursday, timed alongside the introduction of the iMac Pro, which has four Thunderbolt/USB-C ports for monitors, external storage, and other add-ons.




The cable measures 0.8 meters, or about 2.62 feet. It enables speeds up to 40 gigabits per second, and can supply up to 100 watts of power.

The product costs $39, and Apple is quoting a Dec. 18 date for its first U.S. online deliveries. That's well before the iMac Pro, which should only arrive on doorsteps Dec. 27. Orders for 18-core models are only due in about 6 to 8 weeks.

The entry-level iMac Pro costs $4,999, and comes with an 8-core Intel Xeon processor, Radeon Pro Vega 56 graphics, 32 gigabytes of RAM, and a 1-terabyte SSD. Configurable upgrades can push prices as high as $13,199.

Aside from combination Thunderbolt/USB-C ports, the Pro also has four USB 3 ports, a headphone jack, an Ethernet connection, and an SDXC card slot.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 16
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,093member
    Cue the haters stating they can buy a cheap, Chinese-knockoff TB3 cable for $1.99 on Amazon with a fake Apple logo and be just as good.
    lkruppshark5150chiamagman1979Rayz2016watto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 16
    sflocal said:
    Cue the haters stating they can buy a cheap, Chinese-knockoff TB3 cable for $1.99 on Amazon with a fake Apple logo and be just as good.
    You've posted almost 4000 times.  I wonder if they are all as informative as your "cue the haters" post. :/

    On topic:  Can we add the info that these cables are different from the regular USB-C cables that Apple sells.  The regular cables do not support throughput of high-speed data.  That's part of the reason for the higher cost.
  • Reply 3 of 16
    Mike WuertheleMike Wuerthele Posts: 6,861administrator
    sflocal said:
    Cue the haters stating they can buy a cheap, Chinese-knockoff TB3 cable for $1.99 on Amazon with a fake Apple logo and be just as good.
    You've posted almost 4000 times.  I wonder if they are all as informative as your "cue the haters" post. :/

    On topic:  Can we add the info that these cables are different from the regular USB-C cables that Apple sells.  The regular cables do not support throughput of high-speed data.  That's part of the reason for the higher cost.
    FTA: "It enables speeds up to 40 gigabits per second, and can supply up to 100 watts of power."
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 16
    But most people don’t know that the USB C cable from apple can’t do the same. I didn’t know that and I have a MBP with Touchbar. I also have several USB C cables from Apple and now I’m wondering if these will provide any advantage or what the use case would be for these. Ordering a new 4K monitor soon so I’d like to know before I order that. 
  • Reply 5 of 16
    sflocal said:
    Cue the haters stating they can buy a cheap, Chinese-knockoff TB3 cable for $1.99 on Amazon with a fake Apple logo and be just as good.
    You've posted almost 4000 times.  I wonder if they are all as informative as your "cue the haters" post. :/ 
    His posts have added more value than the "But Apple is overpriced!" drum I've seen you banging in your 50 posts.
    chiamagman1979Rayz2016watto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 16
    Mike WuertheleMike Wuerthele Posts: 6,861administrator
    But most people don’t know that the USB C cable from apple can’t do the same. I didn’t know that and I have a MBP with Touchbar. I also have several USB C cables from Apple and now I’m wondering if these will provide any advantage or what the use case would be for these. Ordering a new 4K monitor soon so I’d like to know before I order that. 
    http://appleinsider.com/articles/17/08/15/psa-thunderbolt-3-cables-longer-than-05m-generally-dont-support-usb-31-speeds

    Don't confuse USB-C with USB 3.1 Type C and Thunderbolt 3. USB-C means literally nothing about data rate or how much power it can carry. All the term USB-C means is that it uses the USB-C connector.

    This new cable is a Thunderbolt 3 one. Whose 4K are you buying, LG's USB-C one, or somebody else?
    chiawatto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 16
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,510member
    I just wish that there was more differentiation between USB C cables. I can’t easily tell, but this has the Thunderbolt symbol, but does it designate that it’s 3? This is a major problem. I recently threw out a whole bunch of usb cables because I no longer knew which was which, and so I decided to start over.

    also, I’m disappointed that the iMac Pro just has Displayport 1.2.
  • Reply 8 of 16
    Mike WuertheleMike Wuerthele Posts: 6,861administrator
    melgross said:
    I just wish that there was more differentiation between USB C cables. I can’t easily tell, but this has the Thunderbolt symbol, but does it designate that it’s 3? This is a major problem. I recently threw out a whole bunch of usb cables because I no longer knew which was which, and so I decided to start over.

    also, I’m disappointed that the iMac Pro just has Displayport 1.2.
    Yeah, that's the basic premise of the link one post above yours.
    chia
  • Reply 9 of 16
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,093member
    sflocal said:
    Cue the haters stating they can buy a cheap, Chinese-knockoff TB3 cable for $1.99 on Amazon with a fake Apple logo and be just as good.
    You've posted almost 4000 times.  I wonder if they are all as informative as your "cue the haters" post. :/

    On topic:  Can we add the info that these cables are different from the regular USB-C cables that Apple sells.  The regular cables do not support throughput of high-speed data.  That's part of the reason for the higher cost.
    If you have to ask, then you've done zero effort to know any better.  Probably typical of everything else you do.
    Case in point - The headline clearly states "Thunderbolt 3" cables, not USB-C.   You just have selective reading skills. 
    chiawatto_cobramacxpress
  • Reply 10 of 16
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,093member

    melgross said:
    I just wish that there was more differentiation between USB C cables. I can’t easily tell, but this has the Thunderbolt symbol, but does it designate that it’s 3? This is a major problem. I recently threw out a whole bunch of usb cables because I no longer knew which was which, and so I decided to start over.

    I'm a little confused by this.  USB-c is mainly just a connector type right?  The way I look at it, unless it has the TB3 lightning bolt logo on it (and the much higher price to go with it) it's just a USB cable for the masses right?  From printers to one's iPhone (with the lightning connector on the other end of course) and there's TB3.  That's all one really has to deal with right?

    These TB3 cables can also be used as "extreme" USB-C cables too right?  Not that I'd pay $50 for it, but it could right?
  • Reply 11 of 16
    Mike WuertheleMike Wuerthele Posts: 6,861administrator
    sflocal said:

    melgross said:
    I just wish that there was more differentiation between USB C cables. I can’t easily tell, but this has the Thunderbolt symbol, but does it designate that it’s 3? This is a major problem. I recently threw out a whole bunch of usb cables because I no longer knew which was which, and so I decided to start over.

    I'm a little confused by this.  USB-c is mainly just a connector type right?  The way I look at it, unless it has the TB3 lightning bolt logo on it (and the much higher price to go with it) it's just a USB cable for the masses right?  From printers to one's iPhone (with the lightning connector on the other end of course) and there's TB3.  That's all one really has to deal with right?

    These TB3 cables can also be used as "extreme" USB-C cables too right?  Not that I'd pay $50 for it, but it could right?
    In theory. Long, active Thunderbolt 3 cables at present CANNOT be used as USB 3.1 Type C cables at the moment, because of problems with Intel's Alpine Ridge TB transceivers. The next version, available soon, should allow it.
    watto_cobrachiatenthousandthings
  • Reply 12 of 16
    But?



  • Reply 13 of 16
    But most people don’t know that the USB C cable from apple can’t do the same. I didn’t know that and I have a MBP with Touchbar. I also have several USB C cables from Apple and now I’m wondering if these will provide any advantage or what the use case would be for these. Ordering a new 4K monitor soon so I’d like to know before I order that. 
    http://appleinsider.com/articles/17/08/15/psa-thunderbolt-3-cables-longer-than-05m-generally-dont-support-usb-31-speeds

    Don't confuse USB-C with USB 3.1 Type C and Thunderbolt 3. USB-C means literally nothing about data rate or how much power it can carry. All the term USB-C means is that it uses the USB-C connector.

    This new cable is a Thunderbolt 3 one. Whose 4K are you buying, LG's USB-C one, or somebody else?
    I’m buying the Lg one in the Apple Store app. Maybe the 5K one. Haven’t decided yet between the two
  • Reply 14 of 16
    Mike WuertheleMike Wuerthele Posts: 6,861administrator
    But most people don’t know that the USB C cable from apple can’t do the same. I didn’t know that and I have a MBP with Touchbar. I also have several USB C cables from Apple and now I’m wondering if these will provide any advantage or what the use case would be for these. Ordering a new 4K monitor soon so I’d like to know before I order that. 
    http://appleinsider.com/articles/17/08/15/psa-thunderbolt-3-cables-longer-than-05m-generally-dont-support-usb-31-speeds

    Don't confuse USB-C with USB 3.1 Type C and Thunderbolt 3. USB-C means literally nothing about data rate or how much power it can carry. All the term USB-C means is that it uses the USB-C connector.

    This new cable is a Thunderbolt 3 one. Whose 4K are you buying, LG's USB-C one, or somebody else?
    I’m buying the Lg one in the Apple Store app. Maybe the 5K one. Haven’t decided yet between the two
    You'll get a sufficiently long USB-C cable for the 4K and TB3 cable for the 5K in the box.
    tenthousandthings
  • Reply 15 of 16
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,510member
    sflocal said:

    melgross said:
    I just wish that there was more differentiation between USB C cables. I can’t easily tell, but this has the Thunderbolt symbol, but does it designate that it’s 3? This is a major problem. I recently threw out a whole bunch of usb cables because I no longer knew which was which, and so I decided to start over.

    I'm a little confused by this.  USB-c is mainly just a connector type right?  The way I look at it, unless it has the TB3 lightning bolt logo on it (and the much higher price to go with it) it's just a USB cable for the masses right?  From printers to one's iPhone (with the lightning connector on the other end of course) and there's TB3.  That's all one really has to deal with right?

    These TB3 cables can also be used as "extreme" USB-C cables too right?  Not that I'd pay $50 for it, but it could right?
    Well, USB C started out as just usb. Then the DisplayPort Group, I think it was, disallowed Intel to use that port for Thunderbolt, so they had to go to something else, and, well, this is what they went to.

    so now we have another usb Frankenstein. This seems to be what happened from the beginning of usb. It just proliferated into a bunch of confusing physical ports. Now USB C is proliferating into a bunch of confusing transport standards. It doesn’t bother me that it’s usb and Thunderbolt, what bothers me is that there’s Thunderbolt 1, 2 and now, 3. Another year or three and we’ll get 4. So, is there a marking as to which Thunderbolt version this is for? Yes, I know it does 3 and backwards. But there were Thunderbolt 1 and Thunderbolt 2 cables as well. But once they moved to USB C can we tell them apart? Ethernet cables have the wire labeled as to the level the cable is, and that makes sense, as just like USB C, the connectors look exactly the same, particularly at first glance, though if you know what to look for, you can see the subtle differences.

    so just as with usb Fast vs usb Full Speed cables, you can’t tell which is which.

    yes, you can use it for usb too.
    edited December 2017
  • Reply 16 of 16
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,510member

    sflocal said:

    melgross said:
    I just wish that there was more differentiation between USB C cables. I can’t easily tell, but this has the Thunderbolt symbol, but does it designate that it’s 3? This is a major problem. I recently threw out a whole bunch of usb cables because I no longer knew which was which, and so I decided to start over.

    I'm a little confused by this.  USB-c is mainly just a connector type right?  The way I look at it, unless it has the TB3 lightning bolt logo on it (and the much higher price to go with it) it's just a USB cable for the masses right?  From printers to one's iPhone (with the lightning connector on the other end of course) and there's TB3.  That's all one really has to deal with right?

    These TB3 cables can also be used as "extreme" USB-C cables too right?  Not that I'd pay $50 for it, but it could right?
    In theory. Long, active Thunderbolt 3 cables at present CANNOT be used as USB 3.1 Type C cables at the moment, because of problems with Intel's Alpine Ridge TB transceivers. The next version, available soon, should allow it.
    That’s right, but these short ones can.
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