If you ’re thinking that because the new MacBook just has a unmarried port , it ’s not ever run short to be able-bodied to do work sit on top of your desk attached to an outside monitor and a bunch of peripherals , do n’t despair . The USB - C formatis clever and various , and USB - C dockage Stations of the Cross should be on the horizon .
In the running - up to the promulgation of the new MacBook , there was at least one anon. rumor - spreader — the one whowrote in to the Accidental Tech Podcast — who say that Apple would be selling a USB - C dockage post as a MacBook appurtenance . What we got were annunciation of a few Apple - branded adapter cables , but nothing more substantial than a cable offering baron , a single USB character A port , and video out .
While I was intrigued by the idea of Apple embracing the concept of a desktop docking station by building its own , it ’s plausibly good this way . The estimator supplement market is a vivacious one , and I have high hope that as USB - coulomb port wine spread across the Mac merchandise business line ( and PCs as well ) , there will be a immense number of USB - C appurtenance out there .
Apple has seldom embraced the idea of a docking station for its laptops , a gadget that sits on your desk and join to various desk-bound peripheral . Sure , there was the Duo Dock — and why am I not surprised thatChristopher Phin wrote about it this week?—but it was more like a VCR you slip in your laptop into like it was a videocassette . Very ’ 90s . TheDuo MiniDockwas a routine more in the spirit of more forward-looking laptop computer dock .
think BookEndz ?
alternatively , it ’s been third company that have take up the thrill when it come to letting Mac laptop substance abuser quickly set up at an agency desk . For several years I used a BookEndz , basically a pliant skeleton with a clump of plugs stick around out , match precisely to the locations of those port wine on the side of a PowerBook . ( It was not remotely refined , but it did reduce the amount of plugging and disconnect I did . )
For the last couple of long time I was working in theMacworldoffices , I used an Apple Thunderbolt Display , which double as a docking station of a sort . Every morning I ’d secure a MagSafe power cable television service and a undivided Thunderbolt transmission line into my MacBook Air , and I ’d mechanically gain a 27 - column inch proctor , Gigabit Ethernet , an external FireWire thrust , and a USB mike .
The Thunderbolt Display makes a decent dock for a MacBook Air or Pro , but not the fresh USB - C MacBook .
When I was setting up my home plate office , I wanted a similar experience – but did n’t require to bribe the Thunderbolt Display . alternatively , I corrupt a 24 - inch Dell reminder and theBelkin Thunderbolt Express Dock . ( There ’s now aThunderbolt 2 translation . )
The Belkin dock is n’t cheap — the new one give out for $ 300 — but I really love its flexibility . This is the variety of product I hope we see for USB - C organisation . The MacBook ’s one port is n’t a big upshot if you could plug it in to a single cable to gain access to a whole emcee of dissimilar devices .
Belkin ’s Thunderbolt 2 Express Dock HD
When I gear up up my Thunderbolt wharf in my family post , it was connected to Gigabit Ethernet , several USB machine , a speaker system via an audio - out jack , and my international monitor . I ’d plank my MacBook Air , lid closed , into aTwelve South BookArc , and on the spur of the moment I had a fully machine-accessible desktop computer .
In fact , even though I ’ve now splurge on theiMac with Retina 5 K , I ’ve keep the Thunderbolt dock around . Rather than throw a whole crew of cables running out the back of my iMac ( which floats above my desk , bestride on an adjustable arm ) , I ’ve obtain only two : the powerfulness cable and a Thunderbolt cable running to the bobtail . ( I probably would n’t expend $ 300 on a dock just to slim down cable clutter , but I know some masses who might . And I had the dock already , so … )
So far there have n’t been too many USB - C peripheral announcements . Belkin haspreannounced some cables . But I ’m excited about the possibility that USB - C provides . Someone will make a great USB - C docking equipment , and MacBook drug user will be thankful for it .
