I am confused . . . not for the first time!
I have been used to using USB-1, USB-2 and USB-3 for the past 20 years but the new Black USB-A ports appear to be somewhat different.
I believe they will support everything up to USB-3 but they also appear to promise something more . . .
What is all that business about Thunderbolt and USB-4?
Could someone explain simply in layman's terms please?
Mac mini, macOS 10.15
USB-A says what the shape of the port is. It can be USB-1, USB-1.1, USB-2, USB-2 Revised, USB-3.0, USB-3.1, USB-3.2. The maximum supported theoretical speed for these USB-A ports on the Mac mini (2023) is listed by Apple as 5 Gbps. The speed of the connecting device also matters for this.
The combined USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 ports have a different shape; notably rounded on the sides. It can be almost any USB version through backwards compatibility. The maximum supported theoretical speed for these ports on the Mac mini (2023) is listed by Apple as 40 Gbps. The speed of the connecting device also matters for this.
attachment/47608c1d-ce1a-4407-bdb1-eb2fcfdd7367
Where did you get that from? I didn’t see it listed so confusingly on Apple’s site.
USB-A says what the shape of the port is. It can be USB-1, USB-1.1, USB-2, USB-2 Revised, USB-3.0, USB-3.1, USB-3.2. The maximum supported theoretical speed for these USB-A ports on the Mac mini (2023) is listed by Apple as 5 Gbps. The speed of the connecting device also matters for this.
The combined USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 ports have a different shape; notably rounded on the sides. It can be almost any USB version through backwards compatibility. The maximum supported theoretical speed for these ports on the Mac mini (2023) is listed by Apple as 40 Gbps. The speed of the connecting device also matters for this.
attachment/47608c1d-ce1a-4407-bdb1-eb2fcfdd7367
Where did you get that from? I didn’t see it listed so confusingly on Apple’s site.
Thank you for that informative explanation.
The confusing screenshot was from Mactracker.
Exactly what can the USB-A ports do?
