When you buy a USB-C cable you can get ones that charge fast, charge slowly, transfer data fast, transfer data slowly, or don’t transfer data at all. It gets even more confusing if you head down to JB HiFi and but another USB-C cable because it’s possible to get a USB-C data cable that has a slower charging rate! Here’s a screenshot from Apple’s support pages: Source: I have no problem with Apple including the cheaper charge cable, but it would have bene nice to have a note about this, or option to upgrade at the time of purchase. But the cheaper one will not transfer data from your old MacBook to your new one.

Guess which one Apple included when you purchased your new MacBook Pro? The cheaper one. The one one the right will charge your computer and it will also allow you to connect to another computer, or a SSD drive, iPad or any other Thunderbolt device.

The one on the left will charge your computer. If you look very closely you can see the Thunderbolt symbol on one side of the connector of the Thunderbolt cable. But one is a ‘Charge Cable’ and one is a ‘Thunderbolt Cable’. (That refers to the shape of the connector on the end).

Have a look at these 2 items in the Apple Store: This cable will charge your computer, but not transfer data. The cable looks the same shape, but the Thunderbolt cables made by apple have a thunderbolt symbol on one side. Some of Apple’s cables USB-C cables are Thunderbolt and some are not. It’s very similar to a thunderbolt cable. Read on and I’ll explain the differences. Apple saved themselves some $$$ by throwing in a cheaper cable that you can only use to charge. The USB-C cable that is supplied with new MacBook Pro is NOT a thunderbolt cable. The next day I tried again, this time with a different cable, and it worked. I used the USB-C cable that came with my new MacBook Pro to connect the two computers together. For some reason it did not recognise my old MacBook Air. When I unboxed my new MacBook Pro I booted it up and followed the prompts to connect my old MacBook Air to transfer my old files across.

Macbook pro usb c charger cable