Coinciding with today’s announcement of the dual USB-C port-equipped Chromebook Pixel 2 laptop, Google and Belkin today announced separate collections of new USB-C cables and adapters. These new options go well beyond Apple’s upcoming USB-C accessory lineup for the 12″ MacBook, while also including some familiar options at lower-than-Apple prices. They’re amongst the first USB-C accessories to be announced by major manufacturers, as inexpensive USB-C cables from smaller companies are beginning to make their way onto Amazon for pre-order…
On the data and power side, Google’s USB-C lineup notably includes a $13 USB Type-C to USB Adapter, capable of converting a full-sized USB plug into a USB-C plug, as well as a $13 USB Type-C to USB Cable, which could connect a computer with USB-C to a full-sized USB port on typical USB batteries, wall chargers, and hubs. A $60 Universal Type-C Charger (60W) features a 12-foot USB-C cable attached to a boxy wall adapter, promising to serve as “one universal charger for your next-generation [USB-C] devices.” It’s highly likely that the first two accessories will work with the 12″ MacBook, and quite possible that the Charger will, as well.
Google also introduced a $40 USB Type-C to HDMI Adapter, which turns a USB-C port into an HDMI-out port for half the price of Apple’s USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter, and a $40 USB Type-C to DisplayPort Cable, which goes directly from a USB-C port to a DisplayPort monitor. The HDMI Adapter supports up to 4K/30Hz output, while the DisplayPort Cable supports 4k/60Hz output. It’s unclear whether video accessories such as these will work with the 12″ MacBook, but if Apple supports “the USB Type-C alternate mode specifications for video,” they should work. All of the Google cables are shipping within 1-2 days.
Belkin announced a collection of nine USB-C cables ranging from $20 to $30 in price, most notably including a USB-C to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter ($TBD), and new cables that convert USB-C to larger USB formats including Micro-USB ($20), USB 3.1 Micro-B ($30), USB 2.0 Mini-B ($20), and USB 2.0 USB-B ($20). Belkin will also offer a USB-C to standard USB Adapter ($30), a USB-C to standard USB 2.0 Cable ($20), and a USB-C to USB-C Cable ($30). All of Belkin’s cables will ship this summer.
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i suppose nice to see cheaper cable options than the normal Apple Laptops.
but let’s still hate on that new connection.
Why would you hate on the future? Well, the future is wireless, so you won’t even need cables. But without innovation, there’s no progress. And without setting a standard (like HDTV did, like digital projection did, like DVD did) the sheep will fail to adopt and actually move forward.
Google can take away half of Apple’s profits with cheaper accessories.
No…probably more like 80% to 90 % of Apples’s profits are in accessories…if Google made cheaper accessories Apple would be bankrupt….like within 6 months…just a prediction
How many accessories do you think Apple will sell per Macbook?
Uh, bullshit. Utter and complete bullshit. Apple makes the bulk of its margins and its main hardware products. They sold 75,000,000 phones last quarter with an average ASP of like $850. Most people don’t even need to buy accessories or adapters, and whatever Apple makes on those is a drop in the bucket. “Bankrupt within 6 months”? For a company that has 180B in the bank and just generated 13B of profit in the last quarter? You’re utterly and completely insane. Seek some help.
Ignorance.
Is this sarcasm? It must be, because that is the most ridiculous comment I have heard in months. Here is their finance report: http://images.apple.com/pr/pdf/q1fy15datasum.pdf
They brought in $72 billion in the first quarter from iPad, iPhone, Mac and services (iTunes, App Store etc) and only $2.7 billion from what they call “other products” which “Includes sales of iPod, Apple TV, Beats Electronics and Apple-branded and third-party accessories”
Their profits were 7.5 billion, so lets pretend that they made their accessories for free and it was pure profit, there would still be 4.8 billion made from other products.
I can’t believe I had to go through that to prove how bad of a comment that was but it needed to be done.
hahhahahahhhahhhahahha hahhahahhhhahahhhahaha
Apple could stop making all of it’s accessories and never notice the hit in the profit margins
Oh lord, she didn’t realize that this guy was being ironic…
The iPhone ALONE is 60 to 65% of Apple profits in the last couple of quarters, That’s not including Mac, iPad, iPod, iTunes and App Store, So I’m sure Apple couldn’t give a rats A$$ about Accessory profits. Don’t believe me? Just search the numbers and be quiet.
The only thing Google does that is profitable is resell your personal, formerly private data to advertisers and the government.
Everything else they do is in place to improve that profitable business of data collection and sale.
Quite the pyrrhic way to go about it.
so, I get the advanced simplicity of Apple’s vision of one port fits all, but have to have nine cables on my desk that I have to change every time I need a functionality. How’s that for simplicity? I guess apple is a romantic for the old telephone switchboard.
Meh, I know, someway along the line there is a hub coming with a bunch of I/O’s that never ever gives you anything you need. Same as the thunderbolt scam. Switch to thunderbolt now and buy the apple monitor or wait a few years for a hub.
But then again, I’m not in the market for this netbook that apple said they would never make. So what am I complaining for. (apart from vocalizing my fear that they will do the same or something similar with the future rMBP)
Out of curiosity, what are those NINE cables you need to use on a regular basis? If thats the case, even 2 extra USB ports wouldnt help much. Obviously, this product isn’t for you, which is fine. You don’t sound like a typical use case.
What’s a “typical use case”?
But you’re right, this product is definitely not for me. On my rMBP I have a powercable, thunderbolt monitor (which gets my ethernet cable, two chargers for ipad/ipod and firewire for my audio I/O, so that is hub 1), external Hard drive, other external Hard drive (but they’re on hub 2), scanner (though that is indeed not always plugged in), printer and sometimes I like to plug in the old HDMI cable to watch a film in HD (for not having apple TV and not in the market for it either). I regularely use the SD slot to transfer photo’s from the dslr. I lost count, don’t know if I’m up to nine yet. But I guess you see my point.
(To be honest, I just took the number nine from: “Belkin announced a collection of nine USB-C cables ranging from $20 to $30 in price” :) but I really do use all of the stuff mentioned above)
And you’re absolutely right if you’d say I should throw all that outdated material out the door and buy me some wireless, airplay, handoff, wifi, bluetooth gear. Economy has to keep going now, doesn’t it. But then again, maybe I shouldn’t and just not buy the apple netbook.
So it comes back to: why are you complaining. And that’s right, I shouldn’t. I’m not going to buy this netbook and I’ve never considered it. Just a tad afraid that this is the roadbook for future pro machines. But there’s no hint that apple would sacrifice it’s pro line up just for portability, so maybe I’m worried for nothing.
Get a $15 hub. Solved!
well, that’s the problem, ain’t it. There will never be a 15$ hub that has ethernet, big monitor (mine is thunderbolt), firewire (I know, who uses firewire these days, well I do since I bought audio material years ago that still does what it has to do), a bunch of usb I/O’s, hdmi and SD.
But again you are right, I shouldn’t buy this netbook with my needs and stuck with my rMBP. Just hope by the time I’m in the market for an upgrade for the rMBP, I don’t have to break the bank to get all new peripherals as clearly going wireless is the future. And I agree. Just not with my paycheck.
Mind you, I’m not trying to be negative (never used the ridiculous threat, “that does it, I’m switching over” :) ) I just found it rather ironic that you’d buy a 1400$ 2 pound laptop with one connector and have to carry the same weight on hubs and cables (and yes, that is a playful exaggeration :) )
If you look at Apples current Thunderbolt display, it has all the other connections you need for a desktop setting. You plop down your mac and connect power and thunderbolt and you are done. Everything else connects to the Display. Well now that USB-C supports power, a new USB-C display from apple HAS to be coming soon. This would make a SINGLE connection between the display and the Macbook and you would get power, display, ethernet and any other USB/Firewire peripherals you have attached. All through a single connector! That is so awesome!
Apple knew this was coming – and even said so on stage which was honest. I think it’s quite simple: doesn’t care about being undercut. They priced their accessories for a healthy margin with their name (and arguably quality) stamped on, like headphones, and knew that some will buy, others won’t. They just don’t care. No point in competing on price for this stuff.
As far as I am concerned the more that others, including Google promote USB type C, the better it is for Macbook owners.
You have to wonder though how long Lightening will exist for. Especially in the context of the EU’s desire to have phones all using the same thing.. and by the sounds of Google’s video, many android phones and tablets will switch to USB type c soon.
I agree about lightning but I dont think Apple cares about what the EU wants. If my memory serves me correctly, Apple came out with lightning a few months after the EU made their big claim that they wanted all phones to use the same micro usb connector. Pretty sure Apple does what they want. I think the went with USB type C just because they only have one connector and to make it some proprietary thing that needed an adaptor for everything would really piss everyone off. This way they are using a standard that 3rd parties can take advantage of without Apple’s blessing. They had to go with a standard they’re only giving us one port.
Google wants you to pay $1000.00 for there Chromebook which only connects to the internet. For
$1299.00 I can get a new Macbook that does what a real computer should do. Run programs and not just connect to the internet. And at only 2 pounds is over a pound lighter then that fake laptop google is pushing.
What a joke.
For real lol
Google doesn’t profit from Chromebooks or Android. They profit from the personal data those devices collect, which they then use to sell you garbage and sell to their “partners”: anyone.
I had a Chromebook once – was a cheap one – couldn’t do much with it so I sold it. Selling a one at that price is crazy.
Standardpull: Your right, Google do profit from personal data. So do Apple, which is why they have your credit card/bank/address details & let developers make apps which include iAd so you get targeted adverts for your demographic. Let’s not pretend they don’t collect your personal data for profit because they do.
Of course, Google is something else :)
Only thing with the DisplayPort cable, it should also have charging ability…if you’re connecting an external monitor, you’re going to be on a desk with power and will want to be connected to power, as, driving two monitors will drain the battery faster. Let’s hope someone realizes this (maybe even Apple by the time MacBook is available). And yes, the USB C cable does support multiple two way paths, two-way charging while simultaneously transferring data over USB 3.1 (& backwards compatible) and also video, either HDMI, VGA or DisplayPort 1.2.
If you go to Apple’s website, and the Tech Specs on the MacBook, you will see “Native DisplayPort 1.2 Output” as one of the connections it has though USB C port, as well as the ability to drive a second monitor at UHD/4K resolution (“Graphics and Video Support”).
Perhaps by the time the MacBook is shipping, OWC will have an all-in-one solution, like they do for thunderbolt (minus PCI-E expansion, as USB C does not support this.).
guess what people? if we need to get dongles then we still need to have the ports on the laptops.
1) Where’s the SD Card reader? Preferably a model without a cable, just an adapter, USB-C at one end, card reader at the other end.
2) Google is now a HW company? For a stupid company, they sure do dumb things.
I like the design of the new Macbook but really I hate adapters.
I see cheaper adapters, but none mentioned were multi-function.
Apple is Genius, Build a thin laptop remove everything that makes it convenient sell it for the same price then create a whole bunch of $80 add ons that they know your going to need. and we all know apple makes the crappiest wires so you will be replacing them at the very least once or twice for the life of the laptop. Brilliant.
Wait, Belkin went to the trouble of making a 3.1 C to mini? Why? It seems like that for the few people that still need a mini b cable it would make more sense for them to either get the C adapter that provides an A port use an A to mini cable or the adapter that makes micro into mini.
I hit post too earlier, also Belkin made the cable with the A plug end 2.0 and 3.0?
*not 3.0
I must not be awake or something.
the $40 USB Type-C to DisplayPort Cable DOES NOT WORK with the new macbook 2015 – just tried it
What about USB-C to mini HDMI? Does this kind of cable exist at all?
I have a display screen (ASUS MB MB169C+) which has a USB-C port and a mini HDMI on my min PC.
Does this connection work at all??