OWC has released two new super-longs Active Optical USB4 CableAvailable in lengths of approximately 10 feet (3 m) and 15 feet (4.5 m) and offer data throughput up to 40 Gbps. According to OWC's press materials, they'll set you back $98.99 and $129.99, respectively, though its website currently lists them at a slightly lower price. This is a bargain compared to Apple is charging,
Leaving aside data throughput, OWC says you can expect the 3m option to provide up to 240W of power, while the 4.5m cable manages 60W. The cables are also covered in braided nylon, which is expected to be nice and flexible. And although they're not Thunderbolt 4 cables, they'll work as you'd expect with other Thunderbolt 3- or 4-enabled devices, including docks and hubs.
Intel generally guarantees Thunderbolt 4 performance up to 2 meters over conventional copper cables. Those cables require special technology to maintain throughput over long periods of time, which is likely part of Apple's 3-meter 40Gbps Thunderbolt 4 cable cost $159,
You can find some USB4 cables up to OWC much less than thatBut longer runs don't offer the same high throughput, which OWC attributes to the electromagnetic interference immunity of fiber-optics.
OWC's cables trace back a bit to Thunderbolt's roots as Light Peak, which was initially developed by Intel and Apple as a fiber optic cable standard. Sony reached out to the laptop just like companies decided to go with copperinstead. Companies like Corning keep up with optical, data-only Thunderbolt Are you covered? If you need a $480 164-foot (50 meter) 5K optical display cable in your life.
In addition to cables, OWC also recently announced a $189.99 Thunderbolt 5 hub, which Went up for preorder in November And now available. It has four Thunderbolt 5 ports and one USB-A port, and supports up to three 8K displays simultaneously at 60Hz.