https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thunderbolt_(interface)#Thunde...
Thunderbolt 3 is basically an extension which builds on top of USB-C. As such it's fully backwards compatible.
Re:MacBook Pro
by potatolicious on Thursday October 27, 2016 @02:50PM
(#12808245)
No, but the ports are dual-mode. Plug a USB-C thing into it and it's a USB port. Plug a Thunderbolt device in and it's a Thunderbolt port.
Similar to the dual-mode mini-DP/Thunderbolt ports of the past.
The ports introduced today absolutely are USB-C.
If all USB ports on machine are also thunderbolt ports, it looks like a security problem.
From what I understand, they are merged. Meaning that USB C and Thunderbolt 3 are compatible, but you will get more throughput when you are TB3 to TB3 than when mixing with USB C (I may be off!)
* USB-C is the physical port, TB3 uses USB-C
* TB3 is an alternate mode of USB, if you have TB3 you have USB[0]
* The reverse is not true, you can have non-TB3 USB-only ports
[0] well technically not necessarily, the USB-C and USB-3.1 standards are completely separated but that'd be really stupid
Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C are not the same, right?