MacBook Docks
- Thread starter tidusjar
- Start date
Proper docks - Bit like a ThinkPad type dock that the MBA clips/slots into? The only one I've seen was a kickstarter called Landing Zone I think.
There's a few Thunderbolt attached "docks" kicking around now from companies like Belkin, Matrox, CalDigit and Elgato. They're kind of a halfway house between what I would consider a dock and a port replicator.
It's a shame really. If Apple made proper docking stations they'd be taken more seriously in corporate environments. I remember when they were a computer company. None of this post-PC guff. Ah the good old days!
There's a few Thunderbolt attached "docks" kicking around now from companies like Belkin, Matrox, CalDigit and Elgato. They're kind of a halfway house between what I would consider a dock and a port replicator.
It's a shame really. If Apple made proper docking stations they'd be taken more seriously in corporate environments. I remember when they were a computer company. None of this post-PC guff. Ah the good old days!
I've never seen a docking station and a Windows laptop work correctly together, for what it's worth, so I'm not sure that Apple not having one is such a massive loss. When they aren't forgetting the display settings users are busy ripping the connector off the motherboard and rendering the entire thing useless, and just to add icing on top the dock is only good for a couple of years of laptop models before HP or Dell decide that consistency is boring.
If you don't fancy the ~£150 Thunderbolt 'docks' then USB 3.0 DisplayLink stuff plays relatively nicely with Macs.
If you don't fancy the ~£150 Thunderbolt 'docks' then USB 3.0 DisplayLink stuff plays relatively nicely with Macs.
Going slightly OT, IBM/Lenovo ones are near bulletproof in my experience. The just replaced one ran for 4+ years and covered everything from 12" Ultraportables to 15" AutoCAD behemoths.
Can't comment on HP/Dell. We buy IBM/Lenovo for a reason.
Can't comment on HP/Dell. We buy IBM/Lenovo for a reason.
I have been tempted to get the CalDigit Thunderboltstation before but realised I do not tend to plug my rMBP into my monitors on my desk much at all (I have a hackintosh desktop there).
That being said, if it were my only computer I'd definitely see the value in it. I use a laptop at work and plugging into an Apple Thunderbolt display giving video, ethernet, keyboard, firewire external drive etc in one is very handy.
That being said, if it were my only computer I'd definitely see the value in it. I use a laptop at work and plugging into an Apple Thunderbolt display giving video, ethernet, keyboard, firewire external drive etc in one is very handy.
Of course using a thunderbolt display would give you the benefits of using a dock... https://www.apple.com/uk/displays/
I'm personally waiting for them to update this for me to use with my rMBP
I'm personally waiting for them to update this for me to use with my rMBP