Matrox Announces DS-1 Thunderbolt Docking Station for $249

I'll take HDMI and FW800 for the extra $50 from Belkin thanks.

SprodeBoy said:

Remember when Monster was selling HDMI cables for $100?

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What do you mean "Remember" if you want anything over 4' it is almost $100 still

Pegamush said:

still cheaper than buying a new mac

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Also cheaper than buying a new Thunderbolt Display for people who want to upgrade laptop but keep an exiting second monitor.

No FireWire, no daisy chaining and a single USB 3.0 port. 250$.

Wow.

Every time a new Thunderbolt product is announced, I feel more and more like the Thunderbolt Display is a good deal.

If at least Matrox would have added their DualHead2Go technology to this thing it would have been innovative (and somewhat worth the price)...

This stuff adds up when purchased separately... so why do we expect to pay less when integrated together?

Gigabit ethernet card - $30
DVI Card - $40
2 Port USB 3.0 card - $50
sound card - $20
Thunderbolt Cable - $40
Firewire 400 card - $20
Firewire 800 card - $40

Thunderbolt chipset cost ?
New Tech Premium cost ?

angemon89 said:

I can't wait to see what's coming in the future thanks to thunderbolt. This is a good start though.

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I thought that over a year ago, and yet here we are- still wondering.

No deal

No FW 400 or 800, no 2nd TB port. No deal. What are they thinking? Looks like a rush to market.

My only problem with this device is the wall wart that ts going to be required

fox10078 said:

Wish it had another TB port on it. Guess it'll be the end of the chain.

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My thoughts exactly. For that price, it should've contained an HDMI-out and another TB port. I'm not saying I want it to have everything, but for $250, it should provide more AV solutions. As it stands, now you'll just be asking around for a DVI cord instead of mini-DisplayPort. For that much money, it should really provide a solution that issue.

Why have 1 USB 3.0 port and 2 USB 2.0 ports? Isn't USB 3.0 backwards compatible? Why not just have 3 USB 3.0 ports?

And like others are saying... no second TB port, no HDMI out (whose bright idea was it to only have DVI??), no FireWire, no deal.

not worth 250

No firewire?

Only one DVI output? Is it at least dual-link so I can use a 27" monitor?

Where's the TB port?

Only 2 USB 2.0 ports and 1 USB 3.0 ports?

Thunderbolt is a joke for anything other than high-$, high-speed storage.

I think we are all passing it over here because it is really aimed at Ultrabook owners, not Mac owners. It has what a PC user would expect on their box. PC users don't want or need Firewire or even Thunderbolt beyond connecting to the docking station. And the docking station will handle a computer monitor, wired Ethernet, speaker system and their USB peripherals just fine.

Maybe Apple is depending on things like this to take care of the pro market in the future, or maybe they will come up with an Apple branded docking station (other than the monitor) that incorporates some of the things we expect MacBook Pros to lack and even replace the Mac Pro. You can use the dock to add peripherals (optical drive, extra hard drives, etc.) and take care of things like a possibly missing Ethernet port. The only thing that I don't know how well it could handle is upping the performance with enhanced or added graphics cards. But I can definitely see Apple encouraging people to buy a base unit in the form of a laptop and then make it a desktop through a docking station.

dustinsc said:

Maybe Apple is depending on things like this to take care of the pro market in the future, or maybe they will come up with an Apple branded docking station (other than the monitor) that incorporates some of the things we expect MacBook Pros to lack and even replace the Mac Pro. ...But I can definitely see Apple encouraging people to buy a base unit in the form of a laptop and then make it a desktop through a docking station.

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The 27" Apple Thunderbolt Display *is* Apple's answer to the docking station. It provides power, USB, Firewire, Ethernet, speakers, display, camera, and extends the Thunderbolt port. You could hardly ask for more in a docking station, although you might ask for less!

What executive looks at this and says, "Yeah that has everything we need. It'll kill." Honestly, though. How does that person still have that gig? Everyone here can see that it doesn't remotely seem like a good fit in the market.

It's like the ginormous women walking around in skin tight clothes thinking they look good. Everyone knows they don't...

Where's the firewire?

Seriously, no firewire?

Since they aren't going to released it till September, maybe it's not too laye to ask for a V2.0 system near the same time frame.

USB2 powered option, dual or triple display output including 1 HDMI w/audio.

Second TB port so it is in the middle of the chain and a crippled device can be at the end.

That's probably why the Belkin unit is $50 more BTW.

Rocketman

The USB 3.0 port (even though there's only one) is really tempting. I have a couple of USB 3 devices I need to use for work and paired with a USB 3 hub this may work for me.

Old Muley said:

No firewire in either flavor,
No HDMI,
Only 3 USB ports,
and why have the TB port on the front and everything else on the back?

Think I'll pass...

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Firewire is all but dead. Who needs it if there is USB 3.0? TB port is on the front because it's a docking station - this way it's easier to connect your laptop to it.

HDMI and firewire are on the side, right?

This looks like a dock I could pick of for a ****** Dell laptop for $5. It does not offer anything useful... DVI? Honestly? Why not at least offer HDMI also? and why no other thunderbolt port? I would be surprised if they sell a dozen.

Why aren't all three USB ports 3.0? Why would you bother with 2.0 ports in a device like this? Major fail.

And it should have at least one Firewire 800 port. Firewire still beats the pants off USB in sustained throughput.

lilo777 said:

Firewire is all but dead. Who needs it if there is USB 3.0? TB port is on the front because it's a docking station - this way it's easier to connect your laptop to it.

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The problem is Matrox sells products for Audio and Video Pros. They should know that there are lots of legacy FW devices that people rely on.