Feature Everything you need to know about USB-C & Thunderbolt 3 on Apple's new MacBook ProByWednesday, November 16, 2016, 09:11 am PT (12:11 pm ET) Apple has decisively transitioned its new MacBook Pros to use the slim, unidirectional new USB-C port first introduced on the Retina MacBook a year and a half ago. Its latest MacBook Pro machines not only supply more connectors, but also support the enhanced new USB 3.1 Gen 2 and Thunderbolt 3 protocols for blazing fast wired connectivity and high resolution displays. Lightning, USB-C and the original USB-AFlex your powerLike the Retina MacBook, the new MacBook Pro models no longer use MagSafe, Apple's quick release magnetic plug for delivering power. Apple sells rather expensive replacement MacBook adapters, but given its support for standardized USB-C Power Delivery, you can now shop around for less expensive alternatives. USB-C is smaller and omnidirectionalDid you notice how quickly the 'Apple isn't innovating!'
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Crowd changed its tune to 'Apple is disrupting the comfortable status quo!' ?The company's decisive move to USB-C on the Retina MacBook was constrained by the fact that Apple only put one port on the machine, but the new MacBook Pros deliver two (on the low end 13 inch model without a Touch Bar) or a luxurious four on its other MacBook Pro models (more USB ports than any other previous MacBook Pro).Despite offering twice the USB ports of its previous MacBook Air, the new models are even thinner, thanks in part to the smaller size and volume consumed by the much more compact USB-C port. Like Lightning, the new port also works when plugged in either direction. However, Apple's Lightning plug can support USB 3.0 speeds, as it does on the 12.9 inch iPad Pro (supporting the Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter). It does not appear that any other iOS devices currently support USB 3 speeds over Lightning, however.The new MacBook Pro models not only support USB 3.1 (up to 5 Gbps speeds, used by the Retina MacBook) but also the newest USB 3.1 Gen 2, which supports data transfers up to 10 Gbps.Beyond USB, the super flexible, uniform 'everything on one connector' design of USB-C also support's Intel's Thunderbolt 3, which multiplexes PCIe and DisplayPort. Thunderbolt 3 has an upper limit of 20 Gbps per channel on two separate buses, supporting throughput of up to 40 Gbps. DisplayPort 1.2 drives the graphics capabilities of the AMD Radeon Pro GPU to drive four external display streams beyond the built in screen (Apple said the GPU also draws the Touch Bar, but the system does not enumerate the Touch Bar as a connected display).An attached 5K display takes up two DisplayPort 1.2 streams (effectively stitching together two displays into one large panel), meaning you can 'only' connect two 5k displays.
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However, Apple's implementation of DisplayPort 1.2 and Thunderbolt 3 means a 5k display can be driven over a single cable, an industry first. Thunderbolt 3 is clearly the future of cabling high performance peripherals, displays and external storage units. The fact that it uses the same physical connector as USB 3.1 Gen 2 on the new MacBook Pros makes it even more flexible and universal, without adding additional ports and requiring specialized, unique cable types.However, you'll most certainly need new cable adapters for some of your existing devices, including your iPhone. Several low cost USB docks, some sporting an SD Card reader, should adequately handle most user's backward compatibility needs.Remember that USB-C cables are not all the same: some (like the 'charge cable' Apple bundles) can only support USB 2 (!) while other versions can only support USB 3 but not Thunderbolt 3. Some versions are also limited by their power capacity.I did not have a Thunderbolt 3 cable or storage system to test. However, the internal SSD uses PCIe, just as Thunderbolt does.
It is very fast, scoring 1875.4 MBps (15,000 Mbps) in writes and consistently maxing out the benchmark app at its upper limit of 2,000 MBps (16,000 Mbps or 15 Gbps) for reads. That's really fast.
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