Mike Wuerthele

netrox said:

This is so hilarious. It means absolutely nothing. All TB and USB devices get detected if they are connected. It doesn't mean it's gonna do anything. 

The bolded is an over-simplification of the handshake and identification process. Devices have to handshake properly to get this identification, and they can't always do that if the operating system or kernel in question doesn't have "hooks" for it. The fact that it's identifying properly in the chain is a positive.

So, while I agree that it may not ultimately result in anything, the statement that "it means absolutely nothing" isn't true.

SpamSandwich said:

They’re against a bill opposing forced labor? I think this story is in desperate need of additional context.

The bill is loaded with all kinds of crap, the specifics are as of yet unknown, and ultimately, nobody knows Apple's position. We'll see.

crowley said:

Very confusing, it’s been said many times that TB3 hubs aren’t possible.

We have questions that OWC danced around on the phone. They published a video yesterday discussing it, but what they're talking about, seems contrary to the TB3 spec.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwJgCxmjh8A&feature=youtu.be

design4use said:

I think this works only for devices that support Thunderbolt 4, which allows for hub topology, unlike the daisy-chaining that Thunderbolt 3 requires. Thunderbolt 4 is only released on Intel 11th gen mobile chipsets, which a few early PC ultrabooks will be shipping with.

Confirmed: This works on any TB3 Mac with Big Sur.

We'll be discussing it more in December.

ednl said:

The USB 4 name is misleading. It's technically correct because the new specification doesn't mandate supporting the fastest speed (40 Gbps). The actual supported USB speed is 10 Gbps on the new Macbooks, just like on the old ones. It's exactly the same "USB 3.2 gen 2".

This is incorrect, according to Apple. As I have said before, and have elaborated upon with Apple, the controllers are full USB 4 controllers, with USB-4 speeds. Just because the spec sheet below it says compatible with USB 3.2 gen 2 does not mean that it is not USB 4, with all that entails.

What it certainly is not is Thunderbolt 4, which we'd have preferred to have been more clear and not had to hunt down Apple PR folks to confirm.

We'll be testing more as we see more native USB4 (not TB3) peripherals.