Apple promises to provide Macs with ARM processor with Thunderbolt support

Apple will equip its future Macs with ARM processors with Thunderbolt support. The Mac mini with A12Z developer soc doesn’t have that yet. So far, only Macs with Intel CPUs have Thunderbolt support.

In a statement, Apple told The Verge that the company remains committed to Thunderbolt and that the technology will also be supported in Macs with ARM processors. The company emphasizes that Thunderbolt was jointly developed by Intel and Apple and that it sees a future in the standard.

There was ambiguity about Thunderbolt support in Macs with ARM processors, because the Mac mini with A12Z soc doesn’t have it. The versions with Intel CPUs do. The iPad Pro models with USB-C connection also do not have Thunderbolt support. If Apple plans to provide its ARM hardware with Thunderbolt support, it is possible that future iPads will also receive that support.

It is not yet known which version of Thunderbolt the Macs with ARM processor will receive. Intel presented Thunderbolt 4 on Wednesday, which has many similarities with Thunderbolt 3. With the new version, users get more guarantees; so it will always be possible to connect two 4k screens to a Thunderbolt 4 port. With Thunderbolt 3, this is also possible, but not with all implementations. Thunderbolt uses the same connector as USB-C, but offers more options.

Apple announced in June that it was making the switch to ARM processors for its Macs. The first Mac with its own processor from Apple will appear at the end of this year, and the transition should be completed two years later.

Apple Pro Display XDR, one of Apple’s Thunderbolt-enabled devices