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| Left: Thunderbolt-2 Cable (tiny Thunderbolt on plug), Right: Mini Display Port |
Have you tried to order a Thunderbolt-2 cable?
I've been in the technology game for a long time but I've rarely witnessed the rapid demise of a connection-standard like what seems to have happened with Thunderbolt-2 and the cables that make it work.
If you picked up a MacPro Cylinder computer for a bargain price you're in for a shock when you go to buy Thunderbolt-2 cables to connect it.
Apple quit making them. OWC quit making them. Who else makes them?
If you have "used" Thunderbolt-2 cables that still function I predict there will be a lucrative secondhand market for them because these very special cables have active electronics in the plug-ends and the gadgets they connect together were expensive and are useless without these now extinct cables.
I contacted OWC by email and they told me "it's unfortunate but we have no schedule for Thunderbolt-2 cables to return". In the nicest of ways, they were telling me they are done with T-2.
CONFUSION IN THE MARKET
Thunderbolt cables have a little thunderbolt printed on each plug to help identify them.
Don't be fooled by Mini-Display Port cables which look virtually identical (no Thunderbolts printed on them), feature connectors that fit Thunderbolt-2 sockets and a budget low price; one of these will not function connecting an Apogee Thunderbolt-2 converter to a Mac computer. It's not just Apogee, it's any Thunderbolt-2 gadget that relies on a proper cable to function. The cables have evaporated from the market place.
APPLE THUNDERBOLT CONVERTER
Apple still has their Thunderbolt-2 to Thunderbolt-3 adaptor in the marketplace, it costs $50 to $60 depending on where you buy it. Unfortunately you still need one functioning Thunderbolt-2 cable to connect this adaptor.
EPILOGUE
Treat your Thunderbolt-2 cables with great respect and they should last a long time. Good Luck!
DIG DEEPER
Here is a link to the H.o.T. article about Thunderbolt-2 and 3, complete with detailed photos of the plugs and their descriptions.
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