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donfromsandy Author

Level 1

4 points

Connecting to Apple USB-C port with USB-A and USB 3 (USB-3) cables

The new M3 iMac spec says it has two Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports and two optional USB 3 ports. The back of the computer has four Type-C (USB-C) ports, two marked with the Thunderbolt lightning and two unmarked. Based on this reference (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB) and personal experience, one would expect a USB 3.n port to be a Type-A connector with a blue insert which would be backward compatible with older ubiquitous USB Type-A connectors with the white insert. That is not the case. One must use an adaptor (i.e. USB-C to USB Adapter - Apple) to connect a USB 3 cable to the USB 3 ports on the new iMac. Am I misunderstanding or is Apple taking liberty with their naming conventions?

iMac (M3, 2023)

Posted on Dec 4, 2023 6:30 AM

Connecting to Apple USB-C port with USB-A and USB 3 (USB-3) cables

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