Articles about USB 4

At its big iPad event, alongside a new iPad Air, Apple today launched the new iPad Pro boasting an ultra slim, lightweight design. Available in 13-inch and a more portable 11-inch size, the new iPad claims the title of Apple's thinnest device ever.

Weighing less than a pound, the 11-inch model is just 5.3 mm thick, while the 13-inch model is even thinner at just 5.1 mm.

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With so many USB-C multiport adapters on the market these days, I'll be honest, it can be hard to get excited about new models. I mean, look, the dongles all pretty much work the same way, right? The adapter turns a single USB-C port into several useful ports.

Today, however, Satechi has a new such product that got my attention. Called "USB-4 Multiport Adapter with 2.5G Ethernet," the exciting aspect is in the name -- you get multi-gig Ethernet. Sure, plenty of similar adapters provide gigabit Ethernet, but the 2.5G offering here is rather special.

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USB4 is already plenty fast, with its theoretical maximum speed of 40Gbps. Quite frankly, it is much faster than most consumers truly need. Most people are not even taking full advantage of current USB4 speeds. But rather than leave well enough alone, The USB Promoter Group has instead decided to push boundaries once again, this time with what it calls USB4 Version 2.0.

The group has announced this second generation of USB4 doubles maximum transfer speeds, this time topping out at 80Gbps. But don't worry; the new standard is backwards compatible with the first gen of USB4, plus the even older USB 3.2, USB 2.0, and Thunderbolt 3. Best of all, USB4 2.0 performance should be possible using existing USB4 cables.

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Do you need a USB charging adapter for your many devices? If so, you should probably invest in a GaN charger these days. If you aren't familiar, these chargers use a special technology that allows then to efficiently output high wattages of power while retaining a pretty small footprint. Depending on the model, you may be able to charge both your laptop and smartphone using the same diminutive charger.

Today, Anker launches a whole family of new GaN charging products under its "GaNPrime" branding. The product line consists of a diverse group of products that offer varying wattages and connection types (USB-A, USB-C, and AC). In other words, there should be at least one product to meet your needs.

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Thunderbolt docks and docking stations are rather common, but believe it or not, Thunderbolt hubs are still quite rare. Quite frankly, other than the excellent offering from OWC that we previously reviewed, there really are no other such hubs on the market.

Well, folks, today this changes as Plugable launches its own such hub for both Windows and Mac. Called "TBT4-HUB3C," the company seems quite proud that it uses the Intel Goshen Ridge chipset, and rightfully so. You see, this chipset makes the hub compatible with both Thunderbolt 4 and USB4. This makes the hub very versatile. In addition to the TBT4-HUB3C, the company is releasing a new high-end Thunderbolt 4/USB4 cable in two lengths -- 1 meter (TBT4-40G1M) and 2 meters (TBT4-40G2M).

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