whodiini

About

Username
whodiini
Joined
Visits
14
Last Active
Roles
member
Points
256
Badges
1
Posts
24

Reactions

33Like2Dislike25Informative

  • USB4 Version 2.0 to offer up to 80 Gbps data transfer

    whodiiniwhodiini
    USB is NOT consumer friendly. The fact that 1) for exactly the same cable, the numbering scheme changes constantly as spheric explains  2) There are almost no labeling requirements for cables so all USB C cables look alike.  The only ones I see have labels are thunderbolt 3 and 4.  That means people (like me) have drawers of cables that only work for certain functions, yet all look alike.  I am reduced to putting a Zip tie on each cable and using my own abbreviation system to explain what that cable does.  e.g. 60W power,  USB 3.1G2, no thunderbolt, no echip; another one 100W power, thunderbolt 3, echip, no USB 3.1G2; another one 100W power, USB 2.0
    sphericM68000twokatmewbaconstanglollivercaladanianentropyschiamuthuk_vanalingamdewme

  • New version of macOS Catalina supplemental update now available

    whodiiniwhodiini
    Very beta like release.  Lots of problems.  cant burn a dvd from finder.  Itunes split of functions into finder sync, music, movies - lost functionality, lost usability.  Supplemental update killed my mac mini.  About 80% into original update, fans were going full blast and then mac mini died. Its uncharacteristically poor quality.  Sloppy is the right word. Rushed out the door before it was ready.  Stay away until the 15.2 release so they can make it work. Its the worst release since the original os X first version and I have tried them all!
    baconstangsteveau

  • USB-C cable shopping for an iPad or Thunderbolt 3 Mac is still a nightmare for consumers

    whodiiniwhodiini
    I am surprised that this article does not list the best cable.  What a person wants is a cable that works with all standards.  After a lot of research (more that this author it seems), the longest universal cable is made by Apple.  It is .8m, which is the longest passive cable I could find.  (Usually they are .5m) "This 0.8-meter cable supports Thunderbolt 3 data transfer up to 40 Gbps, USB 3.1 Gen 2 data transfer up to 10 Gbps, DisplayPort video output (HBR3), and charging up to 100W. Use this cable to connect a Mac with Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 3 devices such as docks, hard drives, and displays. You can daisy-chain up to six Thunderbolt 3 devices. " 

    2.6 feet and will do everything.  $39.  If you need longer, you need to wait for the new ones like the author says.

    The other major problem that the author does state is that there is no LABELING standard, which means that you can have a stack of USB-C cables and have NO idea which one is for what.  If you buy the other cables, then you get to decide - do you want thunderbolt 3 but not USB 3.1 gen 2?  Or do you want to be throttled on thunderbolt 3 to 10Gbps?  60W?  100W?  Everytime I need a USB cable, I need to look at the cable and try to recall what kind of cable it is and if i cant remember, I have to determine by trial and error.  So I am throwing out all my cables except the Apple ones.  

    My opinion is that right now, get the Apple 2.6ft cable that is universal and if you need longer, get the 2m thunderbolt 3 cable.  You will have just 2 types of usbC cable:  2.6 ft universal and 6 ft thunderbolt 3 and your life is simple. The amount of money you save isnt worth the headache or time to have a bunch of specialized cables that each has different limitations.

    BTW, here is some tech details: active means there is a chip on the connector, passive means no chip.  Passive has limits to the length before the signal degrades.  usually .5m, but apple's is .8m, which is significant in terms of usability.  active chips only do thunderbolt and not usb3.1 right now.
    chiaStrangeDaysstevenozspace2001dtb200watto_cobraappleexpat