Of course Apple is charging $150 for a Thunderbolt cable
The Apple Studio Display was announced at the March 2022 event and while it looks like a super impressive display – especially when it’s backed up by an M1 Ultra-powered Mac Studio – you’re going to have to pay a lot of money for accessories.
This is most clear when it comes to its cables. As reported by MacRumors, the Studio Display comes with a 1.8-meter Thunderbolt 4 cable out of the box. That’s actually a decent length for a display cable, especially if you plan on keeping your PC on your desk while you work anyway. But if you need something longer, well, it’ll cost you.
Apple has a 3 meter Thunderbolt 4 cable listed on its store for $159. That’s right, for almost two hundred bucks, you can get a longer display cable. We get that Thunderbolt cables in general are pretty expensive, but $159 for a cable is just outrageous.
Is it worth it?
Then again, if you do need a 3 meter Thunderbolt 4 cable, there aren’t really many options out there. A lot of Thunderbolt cables max out around 2 meters (6.4 ft), and a cable at that length will run you about $70 on Newegg.
Is that extra length worth doubling the asking price? I don’t think so, but if your setup really does demand that your PC is set up a whopping 9 feet away from your display, then it doesn’t seem like you really have a choice anyway, at least until third-party 3-meter Thunderbolt 4 cables flood the market – and that is only a matter of time.
Of course, when you look at how Apple is charging $129 for its 1.8 meter cable, the upcharge for doubling the length doesn’t really seem that bad. But here’s a bit of a pro tip when it comes to cables for your PC. As long as you’re buying a Thunderbolt Certified cable, it doesn’t really matter where it comes from. Our advice is going to be to buy the cheapest cable you can find that supports the Thunderbolt 4 specification.
Just like with the gold-plated HDMI cables at your local Best Buy, you really don’t need the fancy one to get the job done. Trust me.
Audio player loading… The Apple Studio Display was announced at the March 2022 event and while it looks like a super impressive display – especially when it’s backed up by an M1 Ultra-powered Mac Studio – you’re going to have to pay a lot of money for accessories. This is…
