Here's Why Apple's Thunderbolt 4 Cables Are So Expensive

Clip from Lew Later (What You Might've Missed During Apple's Big Event) - • What You Might've Miss...

[@ananthprem8804]

Differences between HDMI 2.1 and Thunderbolt 3/4: Some folks in the comments had raised this point, so i decided to look into it and find the reasons for why Thunderbolt exists and why some folks swear by it. HDMI: - primarily audio/video transmission - HDMI 2.1 - upto 40/48Gbps (one-way), audio return requires less bandwidth. Thunderbolt: - A/V, data and power transmission - TB 3/4 - 40 Gbps, - upto 100W USB PD (power delivery) - upto 10Gbps Ethernet - can support external GPU's (Windows laptops) Thunderbolt 4 specific: - video signal to 2 4k displays (daisy chain), or 1 8k - when laptop connected to dock, should be able to wake-from-sleep via dock-connected keyboard/mouse Apparently TB3 cables needed to guarantee 40Gbps (bi-directionally) for only 0.5m, and TB4 certification required 40Gbps for at least 2m. Considering that TB3 came out in 2015 and TB4 in 2020, there seems to be quite some technical challenge in achieving TB4 standards. So if the user's only concern is an external display, an OLED TV (via HDMI) may make more sense than a monitor. What Apple is trying to do (with the Studio monitor) is to create an extension of the computer with a single cable. No turning on the monitor, no secondary power cables for laptops, no worries of how webcam and mic data can be transmitted back to the computer etc. Hope this helps!!

[@datdudeinred]

Great info but for 1.5k-2k that display is sh*t. An Alienware qd oled monitor is 10x better quality of picture & much higher brightness etc for less money ofc no webcam, speakers but lets be honest all can be added later & much better quality. ppl buying the mac studio will have studio monitors anyways.

[@venize3050]

@@datdudeinred One is aimed at gaming and the other one is for productivity, I don't think you can really compare them, the only thing that is true, they are both expensive.

[@vedantsingh_]

@@datdudeinred you obviously know nothing about displays…

[@bubbleir]

@@datdudeinred you've lost your damn mind if you think that shit is better for productivity. Oled monitors are great for consuming media due to insane levels of contrast but has very inaccurate and oversaturated colors. Not only that, its barely 1440p. I get that you pc masternerds got a hate boner for anything apple but dear god the studio monitor is NOT for you (gamers/casuals).

[@datdudeinred]

​@@vedantsingh_ LOL and you do? keyboard warriors like you are the biggest fools.

[@banchik]

Did I miss when he explained why it’s so expensive?

[@djrez2107]

nope i missed it too

[@lemagreengreen]

@@djrez2107 Yeah they failed to mention why. All Thunderbolt cables over 0.8M in length require active re-timing chips on either end of the cable. There are cheaper cables that don't have these chips and you will find they limit bandwidth to 20Gbps, with the re-timing chips the full bandwidth is on offer on these 2M/3M cables. "Intel certified" active Thunderbolt cables with the chips are usually kinda pricey although Cable Matters make them for a lot less than Apple.

[@186bingo]

Same

[@krombopulost4699]

Good. I want them to keep raising prices.

[@Blurriy]

Fellow shareholder? Lol

[@CricketEngland]

Oh they will don’t you worry and even though they make at least 50-75% if not higher profit on everything they sell , they will continue to increase prices year on year and believe me in a few years time you will be paying like $2000 jut for the backs iPhone

[@datdudeinred]

Because you are a cat? 😂

[@simonhool3073]

@@Blurriy The price of a product has little affect on share price or dividend return. Apple famously didn’t give dividends for years.

[@Blurriy]

@@simonhool3073 if they made it cheaper it would make the margins worse which does affect the stock price

[@KerimKero1903]

Man, they didn’t chech LTT videos. They were testing thunberbolt via fiber connection. It works great and also for like 10+ meters

[@PhilfreezeCH]

Yeah and they are even more expensive (way more) so there is that.

[@psycl0ptic]

Thunderbolt 3 cable is fully compatible with thunderbolt 4 ports. No speed differences between Apple TB3 and TB4. Some PCs only implemented half speed TB3 on their ports. So an optical TB3 cable will work without issues or speed degradation on apple TB4 port.

[@arbaretailsystems4722]

Thank you for this information, I always ponder why the asking price for products such as this are so expensive. It makes you realize the very real necessity that funds are to manage and maintain clean and clear-cut tech such as laptops

[@melgross]

I think that Corning or others still make longer optical TB 3 cables. But the pricing makes these almost seem free.

[@EChino92]

If one were to upload videos recorded on iPhone 15PM and GoPro to their MacBook Pro, will this cable still work with the iPhone 15PM? I understand the 15 Pro's use just regular USBC.. but will this cable still work with the iPhone 15 pro max?

[@VenansiusFortunatus]

I have used thunderbolt 2 2m cable for quite sometimes, and use it daisy chain to others imac for data transfer, And it’s fasttt

[@AmauryJacquot]

corning still makes optical TB3 cables, they re available on amazon

[@user-ug6ox4pu6q]

Will you benefit from a USB4/Thunderbolt4 cable that can transfer 40 Gbps at 15 feet, instead of the 6 feet?

[@josir1994]

A apple stamp and a thunderbolt stamp, that's surely expensive

[@ScottParisi]

Nice cable but I don't notice any provisions for strain relief. Didn't, however, check their website.

[@DeepakChauhan-zt5kv]

I am sure you can use the long Tether Tools Cable instead. Those are pretty good.

[@AustinTyWeir]

You can still get optical TB3 cables that are quite long

[@sharkzor]

TB above 0.8m needs an ACTIVE cable. They have chips and other components. Thats why they are more expensive

[@Sputz3]

150.00 for a cord? WTF

[@YouBetterCallSaul]

Linus solved this problem bc he uses only thunderbolt so he can keep his PC in another room

[@Miki-ny7ct]

Can you use usb c on thunderbolt 4 MacBooks?

[@lennaertgoris]

This doesn't really answer the question though, Apple's 1.8m cable is twice as expensive as the competitions 2m cable. For the 3m version, I get it, they have a monopoly atm. But since it is out of spec, what guarantees do you have that it will work with anything but Apple products?

[@aninditabasak7694]

It will work just fine. Come on, it’s just a cable and will work with Windows and Linux PCs just as well.

[@MohammadSalah1979]

ههههههههههههههه 1.48 From laughing so much, I had a stomach ache

[@eathenalexander2836]

Did he say a "free" one meter cable? 🤣🤣🤣

[@TheDro]

i heard the black ones were a bit longer

[@Minemac2]

They do make thunderbolt 3 optical cables

[@jeremias3363]

2:45 actually the mac studios fans are quiet, the loud part is the power supply. It's made by I think 4 different manufacturers and I've experienced many having very audible coil whine.

[@TheRexTera]

Time for another Arthouse UnboxTherapy Apple Unboxing Video

[@milandc7248]

Hope they are good…

[@zackhpittman]

They do make Optical TB3/TB4 cables... I have several of the 150ft ones

[@vedantsingh_]

Corning ones?

[@David-eq4xb]

@@vedantsingh_ yes, me too

[@teabreakbeats]

Sweet - I can run 3m to a dock and then another 3m to a monitor?

[@mariodiy4517]

I wouldn't be surprised if in the next two console generations, consoles and TVs may use TB4 given how small it is. Maybe not to transmit the 40GBit date transmission, but video/sound and power. Who knows. I never thought I would use apps on my phone to order food 12years ago.

[@offroadsnake]

For me just i wish that in Thunderbolt ports can Enter My USB cable without Issues and be compatible. They fancy stuffs i left to Apple XD

[@isaiahalleman8055]

Apple needs to bring the headphone jack back.

[@blockheads88]

The Studio Display has only Thunderbolt 3 port. The specs don’t say if you are getting an Thunderbolt 3 or 4 cable. My bet it will be an Thunderbolt 3 Cable.

[@mbvglider]

I was wondering about that. This must be a brand new cable because they only make TB cables in 0.8m (TB3) in 1.8m (TB4) so far, and the current TB3 cable is white, and on their specs sheet, it shows a 1m black cable. I only have experience with their short TB3 cable (which is $39), but it's a really good cable, as in it fully supports 40 Gbps and USB-C 3.1 backwards compatibility, which not all TB cables do. Especially when I was testing the Ultrafine 5K, I noticed that a lot of so-called certified TB3 cables could not carry a 5K signal, and the USB-C hub wouldn't be reliable with many cables of various length (other than the bundled stock cable from LG), and some would work well with Apple Silicon but not with Intel Macs, but the Apple TB3 cable was one of the few that never had any issues whatsoever. For the most part, a fully equipped TB3 cable should function identically to a TB4 cable, so I'm not overly concerned.

[@thataakarsh790]

*You thought you’re getting a cable?*

[@leeward6762]

A high quality Thunderbolt 3 cable is a Thunderbolt 4 cable. "Thunderbolt 4" is just as stupid as the new USB naming system. No real difference between 3 and 4, both 40Gbps.

[@gliderman9302]

@@leeward6762 thunderbolt 4 actually has more features compared to thunderbolt 3 , like 2 4K displays or one 8k display instead of just one 4K display. The PCIe bandwidth has been increased from 16Gb/s to 32Gb/S . It can also wake up laptops from sleep just by pressing a key . Intel has increased the minimum required specs for the thunderbolt cables , that’s why they are very pricy

[@brazenbunnies]

They’re magic, and worth every penny

[@enadegheeghaghe6369]

Someone drank the Koolaid. LOL

[@bioglassmusic]

plugable TB4 cable soo much cheaper and work fine.

[@Droidrevenge]

I think that the real motivation for all apple costs are users

[@Jah_Rastafari_ORIG]

I figured out how to put a Pyrex measuring cup, a handful of pennies and a sock on a baking sheet and stick it in the oven; if I time it just right, I get a Thunderbolt-4 Pro cable; trouble is, it's only 1.7 meters.

[@prasadt772]

I'm just patiently waiting for the moment when apple will be selling the Screws separately. (For environmental reasons of course)

[@prasadt772]

Each Screw costing $20 a pop.... ❗

[@rochitgurung9090]

Lame joke

[@acadianhockey3784]

Damn that chair got folded

[@JohnnyJohnJon83]

3meters coming soon !!!!!!!

[@lemagreengreen]

Thunderbolt 3/4 cables over 0.8M (I think) are all gonna be kinda pricey if they're real-deal since they've got active retiming circuitry to support the length. Of course Cable Matters are able to sell 2M/3M Intel certified TB4 cables much cheaper than Apple can because Apple.

[@TheDNW]

Just gonna wait for Amazon Basics versions like everything else lol.

[@JR-uy2nd]

I can't find any 3 meters tunderbolt4 cable, but a 2 meters one costs 50 dollars on Amazon. So yes, long thunderbolt 4 cables are expensive, but these apple ones have only one thing of special: They are super expensive.

[@Christopher-pe6zj]

$129 for a 1m cable... the world has seriously lost their damn minds.

[@neostephens8980]

See, Apple can charge that ridiculous price b/c they know that the KZbinr vlogers and the online Bloggers will blow sunshine up their butts about how much better their thunderbolt cables are compared to something like OWC's or Cable Matters and they know the Applites will buy that crap - literally and figuratively.

[@SeoFam01]

They'll be sellig the packaging at this rate

[@DNOJ]

1000ft long , Palladium wrapped wires

[@nikhilchoudhary2137]

Linus made a video on 50 m thunderbolt cable

[@yongukjung5390]

So apparently CableMatters launched a 3-meter long TB4 cable that does everything Apple cable does. Intel certified, 100w charging, usb4, everything. For $65. The monopoly was short-lived, thank god.

[@KNMK259]

1:48 Drum rolls.

[@adden2242]

Wow it is expensive, daym 😅 ouch in the wallet.

[@HelloNotMe9999]

Here’s why they are expensive: Pure Unadulterated Greed, and you’re stupid enough to buy it.

[@joeloliver7599]

Is that Apple going USB-C?

[@netaverse7694]

Basically but with apple's proprietary spin on it for data transfer 🙄

[@Yzyenthusiast]

@@netaverse7694 when did thunderbolt become apple proprietary???

[@Yzyenthusiast]

And apple introduced their first USB c device in 2015 before Samsung, dell, lenovo or any competitions. Only Nokia beat them to market

[@nightwing8666]

@@netaverse7694 this is some 1Head response lol

[@ZaberfangX]

They're made by Slave laber, the high cost ones. That cost 1 penny more at the sweatshop per day.

[@jianyuhua]

IQ tax

[@ejicon3099]

Not trying to be an ass but this video doesn't explain why Thunderbolt 4 cables are so expensive? I've watched it twice.

[@mrjeffjob]

Yeah I stopped watching at another 1:30 and went to the comments. I can’t stand when they chit chat and NEVER get to the f’ing point!

[@tabaghdissar]

Thunderbolt cables are expensive but even 3m isn't enough for a sit/stand table with monitor arm.

[@Michael_Brock]

Good engineering costs money. On my legacy TV set up (AV stack, TV/video/sky/free view box/hdr) I have an expensive 12m scart cable used for a 1 metre run, but it does everything. All pins are wired and have individual shielding and shielding around the whole bundle. 20 pins all wired, with grounded individual shielding, no interference with audio cables (hi-fi) that run close in from my audio stack (playstation5/amp/2 tape decks/5 disk cd/dvd multichanger). Will admit that apple will make you pay the apple tax, doubling or trebeling the price. But good engineering costs!

[@amberjones7253]

Maxonar TB4 cable soo much cheaper and work well!

[@NathanMilkie1]

Lew, your hat is off-kilter.

[@digwillhachi]

good luck buying one off amazon, you have literally no idea if you getting a cable that does what it says it does.

[@floridajames04]

You mean USB C Cables lol

[@l3loodyfingers]

For a cable?

[@hugosorolla9478]

In Brazil this cable cost US$357. HUEHUEHUEBRBRBRBR

[@leeward6762]

A high quality Thunderbolt 3 cable is a Thunderbolt 4 cable. "Thunderbolt 4" is just as stupid as the new USB naming system. Not much difference between 3 and 4, both 40Gbps.

[@melgross]

No, that’s not correct. A TB 4 cable carries 100 watts of power, a TB 3 cable doesn’t.

[@leeward6762]

@@melgross TB 3 can carry 100 watts of power, there are a few differences but that isn't one of them

[@SmokeSeshCentral]

Ima stick to my 10ft 15$ usbc works just as good if not better cause i can buy 10 of them for the price of one apple

[@jasonhill9088]

It's so apple can line them pockets with trillion dollar bills, yo.

[@friday145]

Tax will get you over 2k

[@sanchezs7614]

Ill just wait till the good Chinese knock offs come out 🤣

[@treynolds94]

Special until your cat eats it.🐈‍⬛

[@Kevynmorgan]

Just wait until another company produces it for half the price

[@BookClubDisaster]

I already know everyone is going to laugh at me but here goes. I wanted a longer cable for my Studio Display. The one Apple provides is ridiculously short (probably to spur you on to upgrade). I bought a six foot $25 TB4 cable off Amazon. But that still wasn't long enough. I saw Apple is the only one who makes them longer so I let them commit a hate crime against my wallet and I got the 3 meter version. Honestly............I don't think it's placebo here...........I think the image quality has improved. Yes, it's all the same spec, the same 1's and O's but there can still be differences in signal strength, shielding, etc. It might still be a ripoff but I do think it's better.

[@StarInfinite00]

I present you the thunderbolt cable adapter by apple...only $569

[@KerimKero1903]

That’s too cheap man. I mean only a stand was $999.

[@fonutama9230]

I bought a short Thunderbolt 4 cable for 40 bucks. This price for 1.8 meter is not outrageous.

[@helmutreitter9622]

you didn't answer the question why the cables are really so special and why they are so expensive.

[@ahappycoder2925]

The answer is that Thunderbolt is a very high bandwidth cable that is more difficult to produce. 100W power + 40GBps data transfer rate

[@neostephens8980]

Umm, b/c Apple made it and these guys will pay whatever for it just because Apple made it.

[@jehovy]

1 meter = 3.28084 feet

[@ChickenPermissionOG]

1.8m is slightly less than 6 feet not long at all

[@alexb5766]

Corning makes thunderbolt 3 cables up to 50 meters.

[@mariodiy4517]

A single cable to handle simultaneous data transfer, video output, Ethernet, AND power delivery...yeah it's going to cost a lot. It definitely cleans up the cable clutter. It's not for everyone. Razer is coming out with a 2M TB4 cable for $109. It's being sent to me for review. Unfortunately, I don't have the set up to use it's full potential. It's going to be underused to provide PD from my USB C dock to my Dynabook laptop at work...but I am going to enjoy less cables on my desk... I'm already using a Nomad Goods 1.5M cable that can handle 100W and USBC 3.2 speeds to power my dock using a 65W Charger from VOLTME.

[@DevilsAdvocate669]

bro usbs already do that.

[@schimanoman2817]

td;dr cuz its Apple, duuh

[@alexandergr9856]

Special with China making them for 1 dollar and apple selling them 4 $200 😂😂😂

[@roshanbhakta8903]

It's apple will sell for more

[@JamesMcGillis]

Proprietary cables go way back with Apple. Buy Apple and expect to pay extra for your supposedly "exclusive" experience.

[@robinarora8137]

It’s not like people have to buy everything Apple, people love complaining and hating… lol

[@blackkrakken349]

It's hilarious how he's always whining about Apple prices when he's walking around with a $2000 Samsung phone and selling $50 phone cases🤣

[@dopessongs3635]

Value my friend

[@youngjacuzzi3676]

ok ive bought two of those cases and their worth it.

[@blackkrakken349]

@@youngjacuzzi3676 Yeah, go to Amazon and you'll get the same or better for $10. So does that mean you're a "Lew Sheep" buying high price items when you can get the same for cheaper? I mean that is exactly what people say about Apple customers.

[@justindiffenderfer7484]

I mean, Apple's prices are legitimately insane. $2,200 for an 8 TB SSD and they're more prone to data loss. Double the industry standard pricing for RAM even before they integrated it into the SOC, and the RAM was at the lowest speed for DDR4. Now they sell a $200 keyboard and it doesn't even have function keys.

[@blackkrakken349]

@@justindiffenderfer7484 NO, the price is " legitimately insane"...TO YOU‼️ Just like the other guy who commented that Lew's $50 phone case that he can easily get for $10 on Amazon is "worth it" to him, so why can't Apple prices be "worth it" to the people who buy their products?

[@Chilled-FiBro]

To summarize, it’s because the Gas prices are going up.

[@Playstation10000]

Oh the iFanBoy couldn't justify the price not only by saying these cables are special when the same time there are thunderbolt 4 cables with the same specs in 1/3 of the price. How much apple is paying you.

[@lawrenceandrews4367]

All they nees to do is add Displayport

[@SimonLYW]

What about the webcam, speakers and thunderbolt hub aspects? Presumably that’s the need for the bandwidth.

[@lawrenceandrews4367]

​@@SimonLYW MY DISPLAY DOESN"T NEED SPEAKERS, WEBCAM.

[@SimonLYW]

@@lawrenceandrews4367 I understand that those are your preferences, but this display ships with those features.

[@lawrenceandrews4367]

@@SimonLYW wouldn't it work anyways with displayport 2.0

[@blvckparis.]

For me $129 for a thunderbolt 4 cable is cheap…

[@FriarPop]

I bet you tell people to buy electric cars and stop being poor for complaining about $7 gas.

[@panzerkampfwagen161]

I bet there are people who consider a 1000$ thunder bolt 4 cable cheap aswell

[@blvckparis.]

@@panzerkampfwagen161 I can make $1K only for 5 mins from my work…

[@ceesparxxx]

Unless it's a collectable, everything goes down in price. I remember when Auxiliary cables were $50........now you can buy them for $5 from a gas station lol.

[@josephs3973]

They're expensive because Intel has a monopoly on it and can charge whatever they want for the licensing and that money gotta come from somewhere.

[@jasongooden917]

I bought a 10 foot usb c thunderbolt to usb c thunderbolt cable for my M1 iPad Pro on Amazon for a fraction of the price and it braided too

[@Yzyenthusiast]

Pls drop the link I need a cheap long thunderbolt cable

[@MichaelGGarry]

TB3/4 or USB though?

[@Yzyenthusiast]

@@MichaelGGarry that’s why I want him to drop the link because that seems so untrue

[@vedantsingh_]

@@Yzyenthusiast he’s probably lying and it’s probably not certified. We all know thunderbolt is the bleeding edge, that comes at a cost.

[@Yzyenthusiast]

Where did you get it??

[@roshanbhakta8903]

It not especial it's apple money

[@quality.tr6sh]

1.8 meters is not long???!! i think youll find most women disagree

[@Jesticles85]

did i miss it or did he not actually give a reason for them being so expensive? all he said was that they are "special". basically, if u spend you money on Apple anything, you're a sucker.

[@DigitalNomadOnFIRE]

Apple monitors have to be the dumbest thing on the planet (and I'm an Apple fan). Get a high refresh rate HDR 4k monitor for like $400

[@BookClubDisaster]

You sound like a gamer. Some of us would MUCH rather have 218 ppl than high refresh rate.

[@jordanmackay6746]

Thunderbolt 4 has the same specs as thunderbolt 3 so these are overpriced as fuck considering you can get 5m cables for $50

[@ahappycoder2925]

Yeah but passive TB3 cable can only be .5m long

[@itplanet480]

I really respect you guys,for pointing on this,,I'm sorry,,are you Americans

[@Martin-X]

1.8 meters is a fair price honetsly lower than what I was expecting. Thunderbolt 4 requires a very low noise high quality cable that degrades the longer it is.

[@royaldecreeforthechurchofm8409]

Yeah for low quality cables like apple

[@royaldecreeforthechurchofm8409]

Length does not degrade high quality cables

[@Martin-X]

@@royaldecreeforthechurchofm8409 Yes it does. At 40gb/s ur running at the limitations of physics. Thats why Optical Thunderbolt is used for long distance.

[@royaldecreeforthechurchofm8409]

@@Martin-X no, low impurity is the factor in having short cables

[@SimonLYW]

@@royaldecreeforthechurchofm8409 what does that mean? My understanding is the same as @Google Users’s.

[@martinmiller7623]

What a great idea. Teaching on tv I wonder if anyone really wants it easy if you don’t mind foolishness. I have your answer but you have to get a research degree.

[@ASK-hy3vn]

I'm just imagining if Apple had invented the internet and how much we would be paying for it now, and they wouldn't call it 5G, but some weird acronym to justify their prices 😂😂

[@SimonLYW]

To be fair, apple/jobs have actually contributed quite a bit to the internet, Tim Berners-Lee used a NeXT machine, WebKit, the push towards html5 and richer websites built on w3c standards, full mobile web browsers which lead to better website designs and the adoption of flexible designs, the “appification” of web services. All of that came free to us.

[@theyjustwantyourmoney4539]

All their products are overpriced

[@MichaelGGarry]

Nope. Over and over again, people like Linus and others show this is simply not true and still people make the same silly claims on here.