I write this from the latest MacBook Pro. I’ve been running this as my primary machine for almost a month. When I’m not grinding out
the latest soon-to-be-released I-swear-I-am-on-schedule book
in a coffee shop, I sit at my desk and plug the MacBook into a Studio Display. This braided black cable does it all: video, power, and everything else plugged into the Display.
One cable. A Thunderbolt cable.
The stakes are lower in
cable selection
than in
charger selection
, but the cables really aren’t the situation. It’s the
ports
.
The USB Situation
usb-c is a shape, not a speed
Same plug, seven protocols. Your iPhone cable and a Thunderbolt 5 cable share a connector and a 250× speed gap. You can’t tell by looking.
THE LIE
Same USB-C connector. Seven protocols. 250× speed spread.
THE AGE
USB 2 has been 480 Mb/s since 2000. The cable Apple ships still runs at original-iPod speed.
THE GAP
iPad Pro’s box cable is 83× slower than the port it plugs into.
THE TRAP
MacBook Neo’s two USB-C ports look identical. One is 20× faster.
THE NAMES
USB-IF has renamed 5 Gb/s four times since 2008.
THE BUY
Apple Thunderbolt 5 if you have Thunderbolt. Cable Matters 10 Gbps if you don’t.