[MacTUG] Thunderbolt3 VS USB-C

[Donald Duff-McCracken]

While reading up on Thunderbolt3 today, I learned some stuff which may (or may not) be news to you:
I had thought Apple had merely slapped the “Thunderbolt 3” moniker on top of their implementation of the “USB-C” protocol. It appears I was being overly cynical ;-)

1.       “Thunderbolt” was developed by Intel, not Apple and other PC manufacturers use it (and even sell it with that name) eg http://www.infoworld.com/article/2609556/computers/not-just-for-macs--thunderbolt-rumbles-into-pcs.html.
2.       Intel set the standard for Thunderbolt 3 to use the USB-C connector! (https://www.cnet.com/news/thunderbolt-3-and-usb-type-c-join-forces-for-one-port-to-rule-them-all/)
3.       Thunderbolt 3 is not just USB-C remarketed. And it is not an Apple-con job. It is a superset of USB-C. Really USB-C is just a connector standard, and (if you ignore its use in with Thunderbolt 3) normally its fastest  and default use would be in USB 3.1, and a USB 3.1 implementation is “considered a full-featured” implementation of USB-C (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB_Type-C).
4.       So Thunderbolt 3 is way faster and has more features then ‘regular’ USB-C.  Compared USB-3.1 (the default use of USB-C), Thunderbolt3 can transfer data 4 times faster, pushes more power, bigger vid bandwidth 2 monitor support), etc

Perhaps I have been drinking the “rainbow Apple-Koolaid” again, so correct me if I am wrong about these factoids!

#SorryAppleForBeingSoCynical


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Donald Duff-McCracken
Technical Services Manager
Mapping, Analysis & Design
Faculty of Environment
University of Waterloo
(519) 888-4567 x32151
https://uwaterloo.ca/environment-computing/about/people
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