Dave Del Vecchio wrote:Frank Engel wrote:Dave Del Vecchio wrote:Unfortunately due to protocol differences, you still can't use a Thunderbolt 1 device with a USB-C port (even with an adapter).
Not if it is a USB-C only port, but if it is a TB3 port (which usually doubles as a USB-C port) you can use Apple's adapter as it is bi-directional.
Yes, that is what I mentioned earlier. A Thunderbolt 3 port can work as a USB-C port, but the reverse is not true, an ordinary USB-C port cannot behave as a Thunderbolt port. It can get confusing because the same physical connector is used for both types of ports.
Looking forward to the day when USB4 is mainstream and this distinction goes away.
From what I have read, they are incorporating TB into the USB spec but as an optional feature, so not all implementers of USB4 are guaranteed to provide TB support. While incorporating it into the spec may result implementation being a bit more widespread than it is now, it still may not be entirely universal.
In the current (and I am assuming future) scheme, the USB-C "alt mode" capability is essentially being used to carry the TB protocol over the wire, so it is basically a nested protocol now being carried within the USB connection, much like you have TCP and UDP that get carried over IP which can be carried over Ethernet, PPP, etc...