USB-C

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USB-C gets a bit more universal as the EU’s mandate goes into effect

Apple, charging cables, EU, European Commission, Lightning, Tech, USB-C, usb-c pd, usb-c power delivery / /

Fewer bricks, standardized “fast charging”

The most significant impact this USB-C requirement has had so far is on Apple, which, while initially resisting, has gradually shifted its products from its proprietary Lightning connector to USB-C. Its latest iMac comes with a Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, and Magic Trackpad that all connect via USB-C. The firm stopped selling the Lightning-charging iPhone 14 and iPhone SE in the EU after December 28.

Section of the EU law regarding USB-C charging, with a plug showing

People who understand electrical terminology, and live in an EU member country, will soon have a better understanding of how many more cables they’ll need to buy for their newest gadget.

Credit: European Commission

People who understand electrical terminology, and live in an EU member country, will soon have a better understanding of how many more cables they’ll need to buy for their newest gadget. Credit: European Commission

In addition to simply demanding that a USB-C port be present, the Directive requires that anything with “fast charging”—pulling more than 5 volts, 3 amperes, or 15 watts—enable the USB Power Delivery (USB PD) standard. This should ensure that they properly negotiate charging rates with any charger with USB PD rather than require their own proprietary charging brick or adapter.

In Europe, devices must indicate on their product boxes whether they contain a charging plug or mid-cord brick. A different label will indicate the minimum and maximum power that a device requires to charge and whether it can support USB PD or not.

Can the EU make cables and cords get along?

The EU’s celebratory post on X is heavy with replies from doubters, suggesting that mandating USB-C as “THE charger” could stifle companies innovating on other means of power delivery. Most of these critiques are addressed in the actual text of the law, because more powerful devices are exempted, secondary power plugs are allowed, and wireless largely gets a pass. “What about when USB-D arrives?” is something no person can really answer, though it seems a vague reason to avoid addressing the e-waste, fragmentation, and consumer confusion of the larger device charging ecosystem.

How the Common Charger Directive will be enforced is yet to be seen, as that is something left up to member nations. Also unproven is whether companies will comply with it across their international product lines or simply make specific EU-compliant products.

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Some of Apple’s last holdout accessories have switched from Lightning to USB-C

Apple, Lightning, magic keyboard, Magic Mouse, Magic Trackpad, Tech, USB-C / /

One of the last major holdouts against USB-C has majorly loosened its grasp. All the accessories that come with Apple’s newest iMac—the Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, and Magic Trackpad—ship with USB-C charging and connection ports rather than the Lightning ports they have featured for nearly a decade.


“These accessories now come with USB-C ports, so users can charge all of their favorite devices with just a single cable,” Apple writes in announcing its new M4-powered iMac, in the way that only Apple can, suggesting that something already known to so many is, when brought into Apple’s loop, notable and new.

Apple’s shift from its own Lightning connector, in use since 2012, to USB-C was sparked by European Union policies enacted in 2022. Apple gradually implemented USB-C on other devices, like its iPad Pro and MacBooks, over time, but the iPhone 15’s USB-C port made the “switch” somewhat formal.

The iMac and its color-matched accessories kept with Lightning until today’s new release. The back of the iMac has long featured USB-C ports, but the accessories were charged with USB-C-to-Lightning cables. This leaves the iPhone SE and iPhone 14 as the remaining Lightning-port-ed Apple gear that Apple still sells. Apple’s Vision Pro battery pack contains a kind of Lightning-style connector, although not a true Lightning cable. The forthcoming iPhone SE will, given the need to sell it in Europe, almost certainly feature USB-C as well.

It has been a slow, brokered, and uneven path, but it’s getting to the point where a collection of good USB-C cables and charging bricks can power most of your computing devices… except for those with very specific charging demands, like a Raspberry Pi or the cheap or old stuff that still takes USB micro. And some things just refuse to give up barrel chargers, like certain enterprise laptops and network switches.

Regardless, it’s a big day for those who only want one kind of cable on their desk.

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Thunderbolt Share simplifies dual-PC workloads—but requires new hardware

intel, Tech, Thunderbolt, USB-C / /

Thunderbolt 4 or 5 —

App comes out in June, but you’ll need a PC or dock licensed to use it.

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Thunderbolt 5 cable

Intel

Intel this week announced new Thunderbolt software made for connecting two PCs. Thunderbolt Share will require Intel-licensed hardware and is looking to make it simpler to do things like transferring large files from one PC to another or working with two systems simultaneously.

For example, you could use a Thunderbolt cable to connect one laptop to another and then configure the system so that your keyboard, mouse, and monitor work with both computers. Thunderbolt Share also enables dragging and dropping and syncing files between computers.

The app has similar functionality to a KVM switch or apps like PCmover, Logitech Flow, or macOS’ File Sharing and Screen Sharing, which enable wireless file sharing. But Thunderbolt Share comes with Intel-backed Thunderbolt 4 or Thunderbolt 5 speeds (depending on the hardware) and some critical requirements.

In a press briefing, Jason Ziller, VP and GM of Intel’s Client Connectivity Division, said that the speeds would vary by what the user is doing.

“It’s hard to put a number on it,” he said. “But I’d say, generally speaking, probably expect to see around 20 gigabits per second… That’s on a Thunderbolt 4 on a 40 gig link. And then we’ll see higher bandwidth on Thunderbolt 5 [with an] 80 gig link.”

You could use Thunderbolt Share to connect a laptop to a desktop so they can share a monitor, mouse, and keyboard, for example. The systems could also connect via a Thunderbolt dock or Thunderbolt monitor. Ziller told the press that the feature could support FHD screen mirroring at up to 60 frames per second (fps), and higher resolutions would result in lower frame rates.

Per Ziller, the feature could pull some CPU and GPU resources depending on the workload and hardware involved. Full video mirroring, for example, would be a more taxing task. Ziller said.

Thunderbolt Share requires Windows 10 or newer to work, but Intel is “exploring” addition OS support for the future, Ziller told the press.

New hardware required

You might be thinking, “Great! I have a Thunderbolt 4 desktop and laptop I’d love to connect right now.” But no hardware you own will officially support Thunderbolt Share, as it requires Intel licensing, which will cost OEMs an extra fee. That means you’ll need a new computer or dock, which Intel says will start releasing this year. Thunderbolt Share will not be part of the Thunderbolt 5 spec, either.

When Ars Technica asked about this limitation, Intel spokesperson Tom Hannaford said, “We focused on partnering with the OEMs to test, validate, and provide support to ensure all new Thunderbolt Share-enabled PCs and accessories meet the performance and quality standards that users expect with Thunderbolt technology. Working with our OEM partners in this way to bring Thunderbolt Share to market will ensure the best possible multi-PC experience for creators, gamers, consumers, and businesses.”

Partners announced this week include Acer, Lenovo, MSI, Razer, Belkin, Kensington, and Plugable, and Intel says there will be more.

“Thunderbolt Share is a more advanced experience than what the baseline Thunderbolt spec should require,” Hannaford said. “That’s why we’re offering it as a value-add feature that OEMs can license for supported hardware going forward rather than requiring they license it as part of the base Thunderbolt spec.”

The Verge reported that Thunderbolt Share “doesn’t strictly require a Thunderbolt-certified computer” or Intel CPU. Ziller told the publication that USB4 and Thunderbolt 3 connections “may work, we just really don’t guarantee it; we won’t be providing support for it.”

Intel’s portrayal of Thunderbolt Share as something that needs rigid testing aligns with the company’s general approach to Thunderbolt. Still, I was able to use a preproduction version of the app without licensed hardware. Using a Thunderbolt 4 cable, the app seemed to work normally, and I moved a 1GB folder with Word documents and some images in about a minute and 15 seconds. Your experience may vary, though. Further, some Macs can link up over a Thunderbolt cable and share files and screens without licensing from Intel.

The test version of Thunderbolt Share is temporary, though. Those who want to use the officially supported final version will have to wait until the app’s release in June. You’ll also need a licensed third-party PC or dock to become available.

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