USB Promoter Group aims to cut risk from dodgy USB Type-C gear

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So it has announced the USB Type-C Authentication specification.

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Read more.

Should have been in the spec from the start not a add on feature.

I'm not sure about this.

It almost feels like it could be used by a company, like Apple for instance, to ensure that only official, Apple, made / sold cables / chargers can be used with an Apple product and it would reject any 3rd party cable (even it was to spec) because it had been locked to a certain certificate.

Happy to be proved wrong.

I can see the reasons but I hope its not just an excuse to charge more. I've done well with £2~3 USB cables in the past and never had an issues. I won't be pleased if I have to start shelling out £10+ for a basic charging cable.

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Originally Posted by Kanoe

I'm not sure about this.

It almost feels like it could be used by a company, like Apple for instance, to ensure that only official, Apple, made / sold cables / chargers can be used with an Apple product and it would reject any 3rd party cable (even it was to spec) because it had been locked to a certain certificate.

Happy to be proved wrong.

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That would happen...

As as has been mentioned already. This is good in theory but could easily be used to lock you in to absurdly overpriced cables from specific vendors...

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Originally Posted by Kanoe

I'm not sure about this.

It almost feels like it could be used by a company, like Apple for instance, to ensure that only official, Apple, made / sold cables / chargers can be used with an Apple product and it would reject any 3rd party cable (even it was to spec) because it had been locked to a certain certificate.

Happy to be proved wrong.

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Tbh, it's only a short step from stating in ts and cs that you have to use apple certified hardware else you could void your warranty to allowing it and recording when uncertified chargers/cables are used. That's just protecting your iPhone that they own.

I'm for this for one reason alone and that is a lot of users aren't technically minded and see "plug, end that fits, it must work", if the device told you this could be dangerous then excellent. Because of numerous past fires which have caused injury or even death. Apple is the least of my worries unless they use this system to make their cables stupidly priced and therefore you have to pay through the ear for it.

Unfortunately, the human condition of shrugging causes the desire for to outweigh the against.

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Originally Posted by Kanoe

I'm not sure about this.

It almost feels like it could be used by a company, like Apple for instance, to ensure that only official, Apple, made / sold cables / chargers can be used with an Apple product and it would reject any 3rd party cable (even it was to spec) because it had been locked to a certain certificate.

Happy to be proved wrong.

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Already been done with ink cartridges

Thunderbolt does this already. Further proves TB3 is USB 3.1 done properly.

Oh and generic but still certified TB3 cables are only around £18, thats hardly breaking the bank for peace of mind with a cable that wont kill your USB/TB controller or the PC itself.

Apple products always have the extra Apple tax on top.

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Originally Posted by Kato-2

Oh and generic but still certified TB3 cables are only around £18, thats hardly breaking the bank for peace of mind with a cable that wont kill your USB/TB controller or the PC itself.

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I just bought an Asus Transformer tablet/laptop convertable for £150 which comes with a USB C socket. If a cable to put in it costs over 10% of the price of an entire PC, then USB will have lost its way.

OTOH, if cheap cables just mean that charging is slower because that should still be safe, then that wouldn't be so bad.

£18 for a dumb cable is ridiculous - I'd expect silver wire for that much. Are there any logic gates in TB3 cables, or it is just massively overpriced passive components?