6 ms·

USB-C sure turned into a mess, didn't it? So far, I only have two such devices (a cell phone and a set of headphones), and there's no problem charging either. B

USB-C sure turned into a mess, didn't it? So far, I only have two such devices (a cell phone and a set of headphones), and there's no problem charging either. But even there, we already have proprietary extensions (Qualcomm quick charging, for instance), and then there's Thunderbolt, and now this. I'm not enthusiastic about wading into the world of "every port looks identical but isn't" that USB-C has given us. I have to keep my cell phone charger cable with the charger at all times, because it's my only cable compatible with Qualcomm quick charging. Naturally, there's no visible indication of this.

sonograph 5y ago
After only reading the headlines promising the bright future of USB-C, I am very disappointed now that I carry three USB-C in my backpack for different use-cases.
- yurishimo 5y ago
  Can you explain the differences between them? I don't have many USB-C devices (Switch and MacBook) but wouldn't you be able to use the most "fully featured" cable for every scenario?
  - ev1 5y ago
    The most "fully featured" cable with a USB-C tip is often like <0.5m long.
    - notatoad 5y ago
      which perfectly ecapsulates the "problem" with usb-c: everybody wants a cable with all the features, but only wants to pay for the cheapest cable. and then gets frustrated when their $3 cable doesn't support thunderbolt and high-power modes. you can get 3-metre thunderbolt cables if you want, you just have to pay a lot for them. all the problems with USB-C can be solved by spending more money. if you want to go the cheap route and buy cables that don't support all the various modes, then you're going to end up with a bunch of cables that don't support some modes and have to keep track of which ones those are. if you regularly use devices that need higher-spec cables, it's probably worth keeping one good high-spec USB-C cable in your bag, instead of three terrible ones.
    - texasbigdata 5y ago
      And $40+. Buying a long one for a music recording interface (that sweet sweet I/O) was super painful. I guess it's cheaper now but in what world is a $50 cable to power an accessory reasonable in any way. Source: https://www.sweetwater.com/c1225--Thunderbolt_Cables https://www.sweetwater.com/c1225--Thunderbolt_Cables
      - ev1 5y ago
        It's kind of funny when (pre-covid) at the office people would point out my dock TB/USBC connector and how thick it was. It carries probably 100W+ for power, multiple 4K displays, ethernet, half a dozen USB3 ports... I'd rather it not be the thickness of a 5W charging cable.
7ewis 5y ago
It's not _terrible_, but could definitely be improved. I'm fairly content with my current situation. My phone has 'WARP' charge, which fully charges it in less than half an hour, however it can also charge (at a slower rate): * Earphones * Shaver * Handheld Fan * MacBook I rarely connect my devices to a display, but that is supported with my cable too. The only device I use semi-regularly that isn't USB C is my Bose QC35s, but they last ~20hrs so usually last a few weeks due to my low usage. On the other hand, my Mac charger can charge my phone (and obviously Mac) but none of the other devices...
ak217 5y ago
I don't know, the flipside is that Thunderbolt delivers genuinely cutting-edge interconnect capabilities. I can run two 4K60 displays and a dozen peripheral devices, and charge my laptop, all via a single cable off of my $100 Thunderbolt 3 dock. There is no other technology that comes close to this capability at this price point.
- asdff 5y ago
  At the same time, I have no idea if the cable I have is a thunderbolt or usb-c cable. There is no standard marking.
  - lajamerr 5y ago
    You might not know in advance which is a problem but it seems pretty trivial issue. Just test it and see if it works, if it doesn't return it and get a different one. Then repeat the process until you get the one you need.
    - asdff 5y ago
      Or you could look at the cable from the getgo and read a simple marking and not have to do this song and dance.
  - polutropos 5y ago
    Your Thunderbolt cables don't have the lightening bolt logo on them? I didn't think it was a 'requirement' but every TB cable I've seen always has the thunderbolt icon.
    - asdff 5y ago
      Not my apple one.
      - djrogers 5y ago
        Then it's either not genuine Apple or it's not Thunderbolt. This is what an Apple Thunderbolt cable looks like: https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MD862LL/A/apple-thunderbolt-cable-05-m https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MD862LL/A/apple-thunderbo...
danhor 5y ago
Quick Charging 3.0 is more-or-less a hack and shouldn't be done on usb-c (unfortunately, cheap manufacturers still do). Quick Charging 4.0 is just USB-PD, so a different name but compatible.

sonograph 5y ago

After only reading the headlines promising the bright future of USB-C, I am very disappointed now that I carry three USB-C in my backpack for different use-cases.

yurishimo 5y ago
Can you explain the differences between them? I don't have many USB-C devices (Switch and MacBook) but wouldn't you be able to use the most "fully featured" cable for every scenario?
- ev1 5y ago
  The most "fully featured" cable with a USB-C tip is often like <0.5m long.
  - notatoad 5y ago
    which perfectly ecapsulates the "problem" with usb-c: everybody wants a cable with all the features, but only wants to pay for the cheapest cable. and then gets frustrated when their $3 cable doesn't support thunderbolt and high-power modes. you can get 3-metre thunderbolt cables if you want, you just have to pay a lot for them. all the problems with USB-C can be solved by spending more money. if you want to go the cheap route and buy cables that don't support all the various modes, then you're going to end up with a bunch of cables that don't support some modes and have to keep track of which ones those are. if you regularly use devices that need higher-spec cables, it's probably worth keeping one good high-spec USB-C cable in your bag, instead of three terrible ones.
  - texasbigdata 5y ago
    And $40+. Buying a long one for a music recording interface (that sweet sweet I/O) was super painful. I guess it's cheaper now but in what world is a $50 cable to power an accessory reasonable in any way. Source: https://www.sweetwater.com/c1225--Thunderbolt_Cables https://www.sweetwater.com/c1225--Thunderbolt_Cables
    - ev1 5y ago
      It's kind of funny when (pre-covid) at the office people would point out my dock TB/USBC connector and how thick it was. It carries probably 100W+ for power, multiple 4K displays, ethernet, half a dozen USB3 ports... I'd rather it not be the thickness of a 5W charging cable.

7ewis 5y ago

It's not _terrible_, but could definitely be improved. I'm fairly content with my current situation. My phone has 'WARP' charge, which fully charges it in less than half an hour, however it can also charge (at a slower rate): * Earphones * Shaver * Handheld Fan * MacBook I rarely connect my devices to a display, but that is supported with my cable too. The only device I use semi-regularly that isn't USB C is my Bose QC35s, but they last ~20hrs so usually last a few weeks due to my low usage. On the other hand, my Mac charger can charge my phone (and obviously Mac) but none of the other devices...

ak217 5y ago

I don't know, the flipside is that Thunderbolt delivers genuinely cutting-edge interconnect capabilities. I can run two 4K60 displays and a dozen peripheral devices, and charge my laptop, all via a single cable off of my $100 Thunderbolt 3 dock. There is no other technology that comes close to this capability at this price point.

asdff 5y ago
At the same time, I have no idea if the cable I have is a thunderbolt or usb-c cable. There is no standard marking.
- lajamerr 5y ago
  You might not know in advance which is a problem but it seems pretty trivial issue. Just test it and see if it works, if it doesn't return it and get a different one. Then repeat the process until you get the one you need.
  - asdff 5y ago
    Or you could look at the cable from the getgo and read a simple marking and not have to do this song and dance.
- polutropos 5y ago
  Your Thunderbolt cables don't have the lightening bolt logo on them? I didn't think it was a 'requirement' but every TB cable I've seen always has the thunderbolt icon.
  - asdff 5y ago
    Not my apple one.
    - djrogers 5y ago
      Then it's either not genuine Apple or it's not Thunderbolt. This is what an Apple Thunderbolt cable looks like: https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MD862LL/A/apple-thunderbolt-cable-05-m https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MD862LL/A/apple-thunderbo...

danhor 5y ago

Quick Charging 3.0 is more-or-less a hack and shouldn't be done on usb-c (unfortunately, cheap manufacturers still do). Quick Charging 4.0 is just USB-PD, so a different name but compatible.