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Great article - unbelievable really. Is USB-C by all measures now superior to FireWire? Or are we still paying for Jobs' mistake?

• wtallis 9y ago
  USB-C is just a connector. Some of the devices using that connector only support USB 2.0 signaling over that connector, so USB-C does not imply complete superiority over FireWire.
  • walterbell 9y ago
    What protocols are commonly implemented by Intel host chipsets which support the USB-C connector, e.g. on a 2017 laptop?
    • jsjohnst 9y ago
      Thunderbolt 3, DisplayPort, USB 1.1-3.1, FireWire, HDMI, MHL, analog audio, power delivery
      • walterbell 9y ago
        FireWire? That would have been a good addition to the article. Hopefully that will allow older FireWire devices to be used with a USB-C-to-Firewire adapter.
        • pmarreck 9y ago
          A cursory google search did not reveal any USB-C to FireWire adapters; there are Thunderbolt 3 to 2 adapters (Thunderbolt 3 is basically USB-C version of Thunderbolt 2 which is Mini DisplayPort) and there are Thunderbolt 2 to FireWire adapters, so that combo may work
          • jsjohnst 9y ago
            Using a TB3 -> TB2 adapter and a TB2 -> FW800 adapter definitely works on Apple hardware with every FireWire device I've tested (hard drives, cameras, and audio gear)
          • gadgetoid 9y ago
            I've not seen any simple adaptors, but OWC's Thunderbolt 3 dock includes a FireWire 800 port.
    • deleted 9y ago
      [deleted]
  • CydeWeys 9y ago
    Do you have an example of a device that only uses USB 2.0 over a USB-C connector? I wasn't aware of such a thing.
    • mangix 9y ago
      All phones with type c
      • CydeWeys 9y ago
        Not true. My phone, a Pixel, has USB 3.1 Gen 1. The Galaxy S8 is also USB 3.1 but I'm unable to find which gen it is from five minutes' Googling.
    • pitaj 9y ago
      Some smartphones.
      • CydeWeys 9y ago
        Older ones maybe. The latest generations of flagship phones use USB 3.1 over Type-C.
    • samtoday 9y ago
      The Nokia tablet is the first that comes to mind: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokia_N1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokia_N1
      • CydeWeys 9y ago
        That's over two-and-a-half years old though. The kinds of devices using USB-C that are coming out nowadays are using USB 3.1.