Malcolm Owen for AppleInsider:
Apple has included a collection of “Pro” Thunderbolt 3 cables in its list of accessories for the new Mac Pro, including the odd option of a 3-meter cable, a length that is not typically covered by the standards governing Thunderbolt 3 cable specifications.
Under the “Other Accessories” category are three listings for the “Apple Thunderbolt 3 Pro Cable,” which suggests some alternative version of the existing Thunderbolt 3 cables it sells with some extra element to benefit the Mac Pro in some form. The three listings are not linked to other pages, so there are no published details as to what is “Pro” about them at this time.
The existence of a 3-meter Thunderbolt 3 Pro Cable is odd, as the standards relating to Thunderbolt 3 specify the longest a metal cable can be is two meters and still provide full Thunderbolt 3 speeds. At present, there are no vendors of optical Thunderbolt 3 cables.
Sources of AppleInsider within Apple not authorized to speak on behalf of the company have confirmed the existence of the three-meter length, but refused to elaborate.
MacDailyNews Take: Filed under: Things that make you go “hmm.”
We’ll find out soon enough.
If you look at the hands on pictures of the Mac Pro and pro display, there are some that show cables that appear to be enclosed in fabric or a fabric like material rather than the usual plastic, and are probably much more durable. I assume those are likely the pro cables mentioned here.
In the KeyNote, there was mention of running up to six of these monitors at once—that may require extra cable length.
I envisage other placements of the monitor some three metres from the cpu.
Thunderbolt 3 cables are active cables, i.e., there is electronics in each end of the cable. Maybe, just maybe, the 3 m Thunderbolt 3 Pro cables (and by association the 2 m Thunderbolt 3 Pro cables) have electronics that go well beyond the specifications to give more headroom to the throughput and thus greater assurance that the cables can transport the highest data rates at all times.
Nah. That’s Apple of 15 – 20 years ago. That’s not Apple under Tim (unless he could charge 3x what any other Thunderbolt 3 cable costs).