3 ms·

So Thunderbolt 4 devices and cables always have all USB features? Just buy a thunderbolt 4 hub?

by Traubenfuchs 6y ago

outadoc 6y ago
They're prohibitively expensive.
- izacus 6y ago
  Well, that's the side effect of demanding 40Gbps capable cables just to charge your headphones.
  - MichaelZuo 6y ago
    Yup, peace of mind in the USB world apparently comes at a large cost.
    - secabeen 6y ago
      Yeah, people want to have their cake and eat it too. They want every device to support and pass through every modern feature, the highest speeds, and the fastest charging, but they also only want to pay less than $5 per USB interface, and they want full backwards compatibility with all historic devices. It's just not possible, we are pushing the boundaries of what's possible physically. Apple solves the problem by over-provisioning everything; but as you note, Apple products are expensive. Additionally, there are hundreds of manufactures making equipment that uses the USB ports, but which don't follow the specs beyond what's needed to "make it work", and they can't be stopped through legal or trademark enforcement as they're largely-foreign, and they just fold and re-appear as a different company if ever challenged legally.
DougBTX 6y ago
Seems like a well worn path: either pay more for the full-featured option, pay less for the minimal-feature option, or do the research to find the cheapest option which does everything you need.
- hrktb 6y ago
  Sadly paying through the nose for a Thunderbolt hub doesn't guarantee a good experience, it still sucks in a number of ways.
eqvinox 6y ago
Yes, TB (both 3 & 4) cables always have all USB features. They can still be 3A or 5A for power delivery though. As far as hubs are concerned... they're designed for TB uplinks; AFAIK most silicon that exists can fall back to USB3 with significantly reduced functionality but you're gambling again at that point. I'd recommend against it.

So Thunderbolt 4 devices and cables always have all USB features? Just buy a thunderbolt 4 hub?

outadoc 6y ago

They're prohibitively expensive.

izacus 6y ago
Well, that's the side effect of demanding 40Gbps capable cables just to charge your headphones.
- MichaelZuo 6y ago
  Yup, peace of mind in the USB world apparently comes at a large cost.
  - secabeen 6y ago
    Yeah, people want to have their cake and eat it too. They want every device to support and pass through every modern feature, the highest speeds, and the fastest charging, but they also only want to pay less than $5 per USB interface, and they want full backwards compatibility with all historic devices. It's just not possible, we are pushing the boundaries of what's possible physically. Apple solves the problem by over-provisioning everything; but as you note, Apple products are expensive. Additionally, there are hundreds of manufactures making equipment that uses the USB ports, but which don't follow the specs beyond what's needed to "make it work", and they can't be stopped through legal or trademark enforcement as they're largely-foreign, and they just fold and re-appear as a different company if ever challenged legally.

DougBTX 6y ago

Seems like a well worn path: either pay more for the full-featured option, pay less for the minimal-feature option, or do the research to find the cheapest option which does everything you need.

hrktb 6y ago
Sadly paying through the nose for a Thunderbolt hub doesn't guarantee a good experience, it still sucks in a number of ways.

eqvinox 6y ago

Yes, TB (both 3 & 4) cables always have all USB features. They can still be 3A or 5A for power delivery though. As far as hubs are concerned... they're designed for TB uplinks; AFAIK most silicon that exists can fall back to USB3 with significantly reduced functionality but you're gambling again at that point. I'd recommend against it.