1. Is an M1 a computer or a Tinker Toy?
And 2. Has Apple weighed in on the M1/Thunderbolt issues yet, even if only to acknowledge them?
1. It is a powerful, flexible computer.
You're too serious.
That was, of course, a facetious question, but considering the
many configurations of ports, cables, and devices you've reported having had to experiment with before achieving your desired results (or lack thereof), "Tinker Toy" isn't all that far from being an appropriate analogy.
2. The issue is is the standards for the interface and those are driven by a committee headed by Intel. As far as I know Intel has never admitted to an error of any type.
My original question remains unanswered: Judging from the timing, the basic Thunderbolt standard was developed before Apple Silicon was off the drawing board, maybe even before it was even on the drawing board, so how could that committee, even with Apple sitting on it, have considered it as a factor in the development of the standard?
Intel couldn't have known its ins and outs, so even if the development of the standard and Apple Silicon were concurrent, the ball was in Apple's court to "put the pieces together."
And under any circumstances, isn't it curious that Apple hasn't even acknowledged the issue yet? It's certainly not an inconsequential one.