this post was submitted on 12 Sep 2023
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Can we just switch to fiber interfaces already? TB5 apparently has a one-meter maximum passive cable length, compared to TB4’s already short two meters.
Thunderbolt optical cables exist if you need them, and for anyone who doesn't the extra cost of the optical interface is a waste.
Are you implying that needing a cable more than 1m long is an edge case rather than the norm that should be covered by the standard?
Yes? Most use cases for Thunderbolt are external NVMe drives or laptop docks, those are fine with short cables.
The alternative of getting rid of USB-C plug compatibility and requiring an expensive optical assembly and fragile optical connectors would kill Thunderbolt. It means it's gone from laptops where the space and cost is too high, it means it's gone from iPads where it won't even fit, external NVMe drives will settle for USB due to cost .
Active optical cables ARE part of the standard for those who need it.
Fair enough - that makes a lot of sense.
Need this cable at longer than 1m is an edge case. Longer lengths mean slower transfer speeds as copper has resistance which increases with length.
But then you would need fiber glass cables, put it in your bag/pockets by itself and you have to buy another one
You still need copper unless you don’t want to transmit power too.
Interestingly, fiber technically has more latency than copper - light moves slower through fiber than electrons through copper.