USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 are no longer new technology. But the similarities and differences can still wind up confusing even long-time users of the Mac. Where this tends to manifest itself these days isn’t so much with connectors and adapters, but with power.
Some cables with USB-C connectors can carry data, video, and networking traffic while also supplying low-wattage power to USB devices. They’re capable of charging iPhones and iPads, but not maintaining or recharging an Apple laptop.
Others cables with the same connectors can pass up up 29W (watts), 30W, or 100W of power—but may be limited to USB 2.0 data transfer speeds…or might handle anything built into the Thunderbolt 3 specification including 100W of juice!
