5 ms·

It’s why I always buy TB3 (or now TB4) cables rather than a cheaper USB-C to USB-C. Due to the strict requirements on TB cables, you can pretty much guarantee i

It’s why I always buy TB3 (or now TB4) cables rather than a cheaper USB-C to USB-C. Due to the strict requirements on TB cables, you can pretty much guarantee it’ll support any use case (alt modes, PD, etc). Sometimes overspending is worth the headache prevention.

jbverschoor 4y ago
Apple just released a €159 cable
- jsjohnst 4y ago
  And? Apple used to sell a way more expensive than that TB2 cable if high price is your point and besides, saying Apple charges a premium price for a premium product (like this) is about as insightful as saying the sky is blue.
- CharlesW 4y ago
  FWIW, Monoprice's 1m USB4/TB4 cable (100W) is $25. https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=41946 https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=41946
  - username190 4y ago
    Apple's cable is 3m, which is likely most of why it's more expensive. https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MWP02AM/A/thunderbolt-4-pro-cable-3-m https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MWP02AM/A/thunderbolt-4-p...
    - jsjohnst 4y ago
      Their 1.8m cable is $129, so still >2x the price of competitors. It’s an extremely well made cable, but overkill, probably?
  - kingcharles 4y ago
    Do you have any of these? The photos show no markings on the cable at all, which is a bummer. If I get some I'll have to put zip tie tags on them to label them, otherwise I'll never remember which ones are the good ones or not.
- paulmd 4y ago
  3m is beyond the max cable length specified by Thunderbolt, so it requires active extenders (they're hidden in the plugs) and tight manufacturing and shielding. You're paying extra for the ability to break that max length spec, and it's one of only a handful of products that do it. The only other one I'm aware of is the Corning Active Optical Cable series which costs $360 for a 10m Thunderbolt 3 cable or $479 for a 30m cable, or $215 for a 10m Thunderbolt 2 cable (ie slower and different connector, potentially needs a $50 converter on each end). Also those Corning cables have a reputation for failing barely out of warranty even if they are treated very delicately. Amazon reviews are full of "my cable failed 1 year and 1 month after purchase and Corning told me to go eat a dick" type reviews. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1577008-REG/optical_cables_by_corning_cor_aoc_ccu6jpn005m20_thunderbolt_3_usb_c_optical.html https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1577008-REG/optical_c... Also, just FYI, but max length spec on a USB 4 cable (which will support Thunderbolt-like features) is 0.8m and you'll need to use special cables to get the full capabilities there too, you can't just use a $15 usb-c to usb-c cable you bought off amazon. Just like some usb-c cables only support usb 2.0 speeds, you won't get full-duplex 40gbps signaling out of a 10gbps half-duplex USB 3.1 cable. USB certification isn't magic, these are physics-based electrical/RF problems here and high-capability cables/devices require more expensive implementations. But anyway go ahead and click through that B+H link and look through their thunderbolt 3 cable category for another 3-meter cable. You won't find any. If 2 meters is not enough... your options are Apple, Corning, or nothing. The Apple premium is still a thing, but I'd expect competitors to clock in around $100 if/when they come out. There is always a steep price inflection once you move from passive cables to active cables or fiber. If you can avoid that, great, use a shorter cable. If you can't, you have to pay up. Not everyone can just move everything closer (eg running through walls) and it's always so disappointing to see people arguing against consumers having options just because they don't personally need them. No one is making you buy this, but the people who do now have an option they didn't before. That "if I'm not interested in a product then it shouldn't exist at all!" mindset seems to be extremely pervasive in the tech space and I just don't get it, not every product has to be aimed at you personally. It's "center of the universe syndrome" as one of my teachers liked to call it. I've looked at the Corning cables for setting up a Vive Wireless Adapter that can be in a different room from my desktop rig (adapter goes in a Thunderbolt enclosure, mounted on the wall, thunderbolt optical cable goes through the walls...) but the price and the failures kinda scared me off. I get that this won't work for normies, but personally I'd prefer to have the transceivers and the fiber be separate so I can replace one or the other if needed. Shipping it pre-assembled is fine but given we're talking about a $500 investment here I'd want it to not break in a year or at least to be semi-repairable if it does.

jbverschoor 4y ago

Apple just released a €159 cable

jsjohnst 4y ago
And? Apple used to sell a way more expensive than that TB2 cable if high price is your point and besides, saying Apple charges a premium price for a premium product (like this) is about as insightful as saying the sky is blue.
CharlesW 4y ago
FWIW, Monoprice's 1m USB4/TB4 cable (100W) is $25. https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=41946 https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=41946
- username190 4y ago
  Apple's cable is 3m, which is likely most of why it's more expensive. https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MWP02AM/A/thunderbolt-4-pro-cable-3-m https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MWP02AM/A/thunderbolt-4-p...
  - jsjohnst 4y ago
    Their 1.8m cable is $129, so still >2x the price of competitors. It’s an extremely well made cable, but overkill, probably?
- kingcharles 4y ago
  Do you have any of these? The photos show no markings on the cable at all, which is a bummer. If I get some I'll have to put zip tie tags on them to label them, otherwise I'll never remember which ones are the good ones or not.
paulmd 4y ago
3m is beyond the max cable length specified by Thunderbolt, so it requires active extenders (they're hidden in the plugs) and tight manufacturing and shielding. You're paying extra for the ability to break that max length spec, and it's one of only a handful of products that do it. The only other one I'm aware of is the Corning Active Optical Cable series which costs $360 for a 10m Thunderbolt 3 cable or $479 for a 30m cable, or $215 for a 10m Thunderbolt 2 cable (ie slower and different connector, potentially needs a $50 converter on each end). Also those Corning cables have a reputation for failing barely out of warranty even if they are treated very delicately. Amazon reviews are full of "my cable failed 1 year and 1 month after purchase and Corning told me to go eat a dick" type reviews. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1577008-REG/optical_cables_by_corning_cor_aoc_ccu6jpn005m20_thunderbolt_3_usb_c_optical.html https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1577008-REG/optical_c... Also, just FYI, but max length spec on a USB 4 cable (which will support Thunderbolt-like features) is 0.8m and you'll need to use special cables to get the full capabilities there too, you can't just use a $15 usb-c to usb-c cable you bought off amazon. Just like some usb-c cables only support usb 2.0 speeds, you won't get full-duplex 40gbps signaling out of a 10gbps half-duplex USB 3.1 cable. USB certification isn't magic, these are physics-based electrical/RF problems here and high-capability cables/devices require more expensive implementations. But anyway go ahead and click through that B+H link and look through their thunderbolt 3 cable category for another 3-meter cable. You won't find any. If 2 meters is not enough... your options are Apple, Corning, or nothing. The Apple premium is still a thing, but I'd expect competitors to clock in around $100 if/when they come out. There is always a steep price inflection once you move from passive cables to active cables or fiber. If you can avoid that, great, use a shorter cable. If you can't, you have to pay up. Not everyone can just move everything closer (eg running through walls) and it's always so disappointing to see people arguing against consumers having options just because they don't personally need them. No one is making you buy this, but the people who do now have an option they didn't before. That "if I'm not interested in a product then it shouldn't exist at all!" mindset seems to be extremely pervasive in the tech space and I just don't get it, not every product has to be aimed at you personally. It's "center of the universe syndrome" as one of my teachers liked to call it. I've looked at the Corning cables for setting up a Vive Wireless Adapter that can be in a different room from my desktop rig (adapter goes in a Thunderbolt enclosure, mounted on the wall, thunderbolt optical cable goes through the walls...) but the price and the failures kinda scared me off. I get that this won't work for normies, but personally I'd prefer to have the transceivers and the fiber be separate so I can replace one or the other if needed. Shipping it pre-assembled is fine but given we're talking about a $500 investment here I'd want it to not break in a year or at least to be semi-repairable if it does.