The USB Situation
3 days ago
- #Technology
- #Review
- #USB-C
- The author uses a MacBook Pro with a single Thunderbolt cable connecting it to a Studio Display for video, power, and peripherals.
- USB-C is a shape, not a speed, with the same connector supporting seven protocols and a 250× speed gap between cables like an iPhone cable and Thunderbolt 5.
- There is a significant speed disparity: USB 2 remains at 480 Mb/s since 2000, the iPad Pro cable is 83× slower than its port, and MacBook Neo ports can vary by 20×.
- The USB-IF has renamed 5 Gb/s four times since 2008, adding confusion to cable and port specifications.
- Backward compatibility has downsides, such as slow performance when using a USB 2 cable with an expensive drive, leading to 'silent success' that can be as problematic as failure.
- Most users lack the time or equipment to verify cable specifications, so the author recommends a Treedix USB cable tester for accuracy.