The price of newness: New MacBooks are suffering from clutter in the USB-C accessory world

USB-C the future, they say. Faster, simple, durable, they say. They are probably not lying, but the future, unfortunately, only the future owes.

At present, things are not so beautiful. Owners of devices equipped with the new version of the ubqua interface (nominally the Retina Display MacBook and some smartphones on the Android side) are suffering from an absolutely unruly marketplace, full of cables and accessories with potentially dangerous and lying specs.

There have been many cases of people literally frying their fabulous new computers or phones because of poor quality cable, which would be an extreme consequence, but numerous other stories of damage from USB-C accessories to a greater or lesser extent. , are popping up over the internet. Was it the USB apocalypse?

First, it is good to explain the (most common, at least) cause of these problems. It all lies in the fact that the USB-C interface capable of transferring data and power at very high rates is often much higher than the equipment itself is capable of receiving. Some less "serious" manufacturers have not been totally rigorous in their cable manufacturing and identification process, or, in other words, are selling cat for hare: putting in a cute package with seemingly reliable information, and an absolutely poorly made and dangerous product. .

Some manufacturers, for example, produce USB-C to USB-A cables (the old version, which we are all used to, from the port) and “forget” to limit transfer rates according to the capacity of the older generation. ; The result is obviously not cool. Others make USB-C to USB-C cables using internal components of the USB-A version, which also produces disastrous results.

By now you might be wondering: But the cable market has not always been a mess dominated by manufacturers. xing-ling whose last concern is the quality and durability of your products? Elementary, my dear Watsons: yes, of course! However, until the advent of USB-C, the USB interface was not able to transfer power at a potentially destructive rate; therefore, cases of devices destroyed by cables and chargers although they have always existed were far less common.

Fortunately, there is hope: a few months ago, the USB-IF announced the launch of a protocol for specifying authenticity for USB-C cables. With it, computers, smartphones and other input-equipped devices will be able to confirm the authenticity of the accessory connected via 128-bit encrypted communication. In order for the commission to certify a particular cable or accessory, it must follow a series of standards and specifications to ensure maximum safety in operation.

Apple - USB-C Lightning Cable

Apple USB-C Lightning Cable

This protocol has an additional advantage, in which it will also be possible for each user to specify which type of accessory can be connected to the equipment's USB-C port, for example, an enterprise can limit connection recognition only to devices marked as trusted.

The bad part is that the protocol is still under development and no one knows exactly when it will actually go into action. It is also important to remember that while USB-C equipped devices may receive a software update to use the certificate, cables and chargers already on the market are out of the party, which may possibly force everyone to exchange all their accessories when the protocol is released. At last, Benson Leung (Google employee) has to continue his hard and heroic task of testing, model by model, the USB-C cables to classify the good and the bad.

What about the MacBook, what is it like in this story?

You can argue that everything I've said so far is not very important to MacBook owners, since they all received a perfectly capable and safe USB-C cable from Apple. Well, first of all, the thing is not so simple: cables get lost, they break, they commit suicide, and a lot of people are not willing to spend money to replace them with other originals. s see the iPhone and the ever-growing (and more creative) market for alternative Lightning cables.

USB-C port of new MacBooks

The problem, however, goes much deeper than that. As you well note this article from 9to5Mac, the final USB-C specifications were finalized only after the first Retina display MacBook was released in 2015. Apple updated the computer software, its own USB-C accessories and even made a recall Some of the cables are faulty, but the third party accessory mismatch rain especially with MacBook version 2016, already following the final specifications of the new interface remains.

For example, external batteries for the Apple laptop 2015 version do not work on the 2016 model because the latest one requires a minimum of 18W accessories (while its predecessor would accept any external battery from 5W onwards). Connecting MacBooks to 4K monitors via USB-C is also more ubiquitous than anything else, with a tiny range of compatible monitors and profuse compatibility issues.

Things, after all, are not as beautiful as Apple would like them to be. Keep in mind, however, that USB-C is not leaving anytime soon; on the contrary, he is just beginning. The next MacBook Pro, for example, should come with some such ports even Thunderbolt 3 now uses the connector.

That's the wonder of technology: It matures and becomes almost natural over time. I do not doubt that will be so with USB-C, but in the meantime of doubts and uncertainties, I only leave you two recommendations: use sunscreen and only buy cables and accessories from recognized brands.