This is why I'm quite disappointed that Apple exited the display business. Small issues like this highlight the different scope of LG and Apple business models. As a display manufacturer, LG is primarily concerned with a display that works well in its primary use (e.g. when it's on) and much less concerned about secondary uses - it's not really their problem. Apple, on the other hand, is concerned with the overall user experience, and has designed their business model around this (including cost centers like customer service / genius bar appointments). LG just feels a lot less pain on this issue than Apple would.

Hopefully Apple can find a way to preserve a certain level of user experience now that they're no longer manufacturing. There's no MFi certification equivalent for Mac, but it seems like there should be.

This is probably also relevant for wifi routers, now that they've left that business too.

Is this official? Did they make some kind of statement? I think during the even they showed a Mac Pro connected to a monitor but it wasn't Apple. I was kind of confused by that at the time but now it might make sense.

There was also a thread on here yesterday about how they've existed the router business. Very odd, since so many of their customers like having a complete ecosystem.

Apple had the one-cable thing back in 1998.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Display_Connector

Power went the other way, but still. Crazy it's taken us this long to get back to it.

But NeXT had it in '88, power included (!): http://www.uk.netbsd.org/ports/next68k/faq.html#connections

The reason is that USB2 cables are cheaper and easier to make longer. The charge cable is 2m and $19, the Belkin 1m is $22, the Belkin Thunderbolt 0.5m is $22, and the Belkin Thunderbolt 2m is $52.

Also, the charge cable is emarked and supports charging at 5A (100W). Regular USB C cables only support 3A and 60W.

But to answer your question: no. We don't run Windows at home and have no such test equipment.

Is there a monitor that doesn't suffer this issue? My Dell's USB hub power is linked to the monitor power. I can't plug a mouse into the monitor if I want to use that mouse to wake up the computer.

My Dell P2715Q display does work properly as a hub when it's asleep.

The P2715Q has all sorts of quirks. I have a pair of them connected to my Windows computer, and when they go to sleep, Windows basically forgets where all the open windows were and disperses them somewhat randomly. Of all the monitors I've used, I've only ever experienced this with the P2715Q.

I also notice that the power output of the USB ports on the monitors is barely enough to charge any recent mobile device.

That's because it's probably supplying the USB spec of 500ma. That's not a fault, it's how it should work. The usb-looking chargers that come with many recent mobile devices are using a bastardized set of "not really standards" to let them pump more juice through the USB port than is allowed.

But some do allow it to go out of spec, and if that happens you'll only be able to get that extra power if you are using a "charging only" cable (which tricks the phone into thinking it's plugged into a power-only USB outlet and it tries to draw more than 500ma).

So with a USB cable (that's not actually a USB cable), plugged into a USB port (that's not actually a USB port) you can get over that, but it's not meant to run that way on several levels.

It's one of the things that USB-C is meant to solve. Let the device and power source negotiate on how much can be sent and received by each (even being able to swap which way power is going). Sadly that means that cables are no longer just a bunch of metal in a wrapper, they need a set resistance or in some cases built-in IC's, and that means that now a shitty cable can cause issues.

Instead of "sleeping", they appear to make the OS think they've been powered down/disconnected instead. When a monitor goes to sleep, I can hear the "device disconnected" chime in Windows, which should not happen.

And yeah, it is going to confuse a lot of people.

Edit: In case it wasn't obvious to the readers, the reason behind the missing toothbrush and missing USB-C 3.1 cable are the same.

Who the hell expects a toothbrush with their laptop? Or a random USB cable in that matter?

Since Apple's shipping a "random USB cable" anyhow, it would make sense for them to ship the version of it that actually does all the things they've been advertising.

Now, do people need USB-cables when using their electronic devices? And would that little extra be appreciated?

I've been thinking two of the 4K LG monitors Apple offers next to each other in portrait orientation would be nice. However, the lower UHD resolution at 27" rather than 21" probably makes a lot more sense for me if I want to be able to sit further away from the display.

If my eyes are 3-4ft away, 160ppi probably doesn't even look like it has less definition than 220ppi.

I remember someone saying that the nominal usage wattage of a newer MBP 15" is around 15W, perhaps double if CPU taxed.

I also have an audio interface connected to my sound monitors, and it is also quite bad for it to lose its power, producing a loud blasting sound. If monitor becomes a power supply, we need it to never stop supplying it, just like notebook doesn't stop when it goes to sleep.

BTW, Windows and Linux have the same problems. The fault lies with the storage device vendors.

Is this a new feature? I've never heard of monitors charging laptops before.

Can you imagine if AC power had the same plug for both 110V and 220V? And you just had to "guess" which one was the right one?

That's a common problem with power supplies that require setting a hard switch to choose between 110V and 220V.

It's hard to see the profusion of semi- and incompatibilities permissible in the USB-C connector as anything but a regression.

On that note, always look on the back for a manual switch. Just to be safe. Its unlikely a regular consumer would need to but I'm learning to change my habits.

The Apple-supplied cable is probably a USB 2.0 cable, with a chip indicating it can handle 5A.

https://www.wired.com/2011/06/thunderbolt-cable-teardown-rev...

Thunderbolt 2 had the same compatibility issue in that it was the same connector as Mini DisplayPort but couldn't run over a standard DP cable. That was pretty minor since it's not like everyone has a pile of loose DP cables sitting around.

On the other hand, your average consumer never uses a Thunderbolt device to begin with on account of them being significantly more expensive than other accessories. They'll likely never run into this even with it using a USB-like cable, and the people who do need TB will figure it out.

Thunderbolt displays can do hubs at full speed, the 5K LG Ultrafine has 3x USB 3.1 gen 1, which IIRC means up to 5 Gbps (vs 480 Mbps for USB 2).

Not sure why your comment was marked [dead] but I just vouched it so it should be back.

I think what is more of a concern would be the possibility that some laptops now tend to unthrottle the CPU when on AC power (or more accurately throttle their already LV CPUs when on battery), which can mean the internal temp gets pretty high and can be bad for the battery.

That being said, we have no guarantee that the power management is being done properly, but Apple seems to really have a handle on the power usage of their devices (even if they can't quite figure out their connectors or software). It's definitely a concern on lower end laptops.

Indeed part of battery quality is to let the device manage when charging happens, but a big problem is that the device is expected to be charged when being hooked up to a charger for a bit. You don't want customers to walk away from home thinking they have a charged device, but end up only being able to use the device for a short time.

I guess there is some well thought out system to it.

good to get it confirmed here.