Since Apple launched a microfiche cloth to clean the screen of Macs for 25 Euros a few months ago, nothing can surprise us anymore. Until a few weeks ago, those from Cupertino launched a cable Thunderbolt 4 with a price of 149 Euros. “Another new scam,” some thought.
But this time, oddly enough, the price is “more or less” justified. The technicians of ChargerLAB it was “peeled” to see what was inside the connections, and it really is a high-tech accessory.
Apple presented along with the new MacStudio and its matching screen StudioDisplay a Thunderbolt 4 cable capable of transferring data at a speed of 40 Gbps, and capable of powering a device with up to 100 W of power. Its price: 149 Euros for the wing.
So it didn’t take long for the guys at ChargerLAB to buy one, and peel it back to see what the hell is inside it to get those streaming and charging capabilities, and also see if its price is justified or not. And the truth is that they have been very surprised. Undoubtedly, its price is according to what it offers.
It is a cable that is only five millimeters in diameter and houses a coaxial cable of 19 threads. The cable is sheathed in a water and dust resistant woven layer. Beneath this protective sleeve is another layer of protection made from a thermoplastic that includes a thin metallic layer to insulate it from magnetic fields.
The two end connectors are protected by a hard plastic casing and a brass cover where the different components are located. One of them is a intel-chip which manages the Thunderbolt connection and reconstructs the signal to reduce jitter. The 24 pins of each connector are all gold plated.
Without a doubt, a cable of the highest quality. A necessary quality, to be able to reach the specifications mentioned above: a 40Gbps data transmission and one 100W charging of power Brutal.
