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manu chao

macrumors 604
Jul 30, 2003
7,219
3,031
Well, IMO, with hindsight 20-20, it would have made a lot more sense to go with USB 3.0 in lieu of the early TB ports, and it probably would have made sense to not have an exclusive 1 year TB agreement with Intel since that's part of why it's taking so long for the larger market to respond.
Since these early TB ports where doubling as mDP ports, using USB 3 ports instead of them would have left the computers with no native external display port, not really a smart idea.

Only once there are two TB ports, one can argue that one should have been a USB 3 port instead. But that really only applies to the rMBPs, as on desktops the number of USB 3 ports is not really limited by the presence of any TB ports.

The only real thing to blame Apple for would be to have introduced USB 3 one year later than other manufacturers.
 
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ArcAngel66

macrumors regular
Jun 26, 2009
156
8
So the idea is you connect the TB port on the front of this device to the TB port on your mac - and the HDMI/DVI would go from this device to an external monitor?

My question is: Would I be able to connect an Xbox to the HDMI/DVI port on this device, and then connect my TB Display to the front TB port on this device?


I'm really just looking for a way to play my Xbox on the TB Display.

It seems like tons of people are asking this question (even in this thread), and there's so much confusion over this daisy chaining crap, that nobody has really clear answers.
 

thekev

macrumors 604
Aug 5, 2010
7,005
3,343
That doesnt change the fact that thunderbolt is dead. No one is buying it, theres hardly any choice in devices and whatever there is to buy, its way overpriced.

Its dead.

I wouldn't go that far. I would say that most of those on here seem to have misunderstood Apple's goals in implementation. I don't think they care how many third party peripherals are enabled over thunderbolt. If you look at most of the Mac lineup, the transition to mini displayport was complete prior to thunderbolt. Thunderbolt allowed Apple to produce a docking station display and offer an okay consumer RAID box. The people looking for eGPUs and things like that need to realize that peripherals with potentially large fixed costs tweaking drivers and firmware aren't going to originate on OSX unless they can charge huge margins to ensure against a loss. Anyone who thought this would all come from OSX was drinking enough kool-aid to warrant a personal visit from Wilford Brimley.
 

Rfitz89

macrumors newbie
Sep 21, 2012
4
0
Unfortunately it is too much to ask for. Tb does not work like this. You cannot create two ports via a dock when connected to one port on the computer.


Well that is just annoying. My dad's dell latitude sits next to me right now in a dock that has both a VGA and DVI out, plus he can run a third monitor from the VGA out on the laptop.....me...I can run one monitor in addition to my laptop screen...
 

theSeb

macrumors 604
Aug 10, 2010
7,466
1,893
none
So the idea is you connect the TB port on the front of this device to the TB port on your mac - and the HDMI/DVI would go from this device to an external monitor?

My question is: Would I be able to connect an Xbox to the HDMI/DVI port on this device, and then connect my TB Display to the front TB port on this device?


I'm really just looking for a way to play my Xbox on the TB Display.

It seems like tons of people are asking this question (even in this thread), and there's so much confusion over this daisy chaining crap, that nobody has really clear answers.

There are plenty of clear answers. Whether people believe them is another story.

This is a dock for display OUT. Not display IN. I have yet to see a laptop with display IN HDMI or DVI. In other words, you connect this dock to your Mac using one Thunderbolt cable. It then gives you many different ports by connecting just one cable. That is great. What is not great? The fact that the dock only has one Thunderbolt port. Which means that it has to be at the end of the TB chain since there is no way to connect another TB device into to continue the TB chain. (unlike the similar Belkin dock which should be coming out soon)

What is also not great? The fact that it does not have enough ports to justify the price. I would expect more USB 3 ports and at least one FW 800 port (again, something that the Belkin dock promises to have)

Do you have any other specific questions?

----------

Being able to create a Y-split in a TB chain was one of the features explicitly mentioned when TB was launched (whether the current implementation of TB supports that in a reliable fashion is another question).

I should have said "currently". Wikipedia mentions that TB can be daisy chained or in a hub, but does not provide any details on how that works. Based on my understanding of the current TB implementation, splitting the TB signal is not how the protocol works at all. Splitting the TB signal into other protocols (like this dock is doing) is another matter.
 
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Tech198

Cancelled
Mar 21, 2011
15,915
2,151
I thought hubs died off ages ago...

They are still used today ??

I guess when new technologies like Thunderbolt, or any future technologies that allow you to connect to a hub and sniff traffic, these will always be around.

Good to know hubs are still good for one thing now-a-days .:) even if they are in-secure, just add an extra $100 or so to support these new technologies, and hubs will always survive. :(
 

theSeb

macrumors 604
Aug 10, 2010
7,466
1,893
none
Well that is just annoying. My dad's dell latitude sits next to me right now in a dock that has both a VGA and DVI out, plus he can run a third monitor from the VGA out on the laptop.....me...I can run one monitor in addition to my laptop screen...

I can run 3 external monitors + the internal screen on my rMBP. I have not seen any one try to run more, but in theory it might be possible if you use Apple's thunderbolt displays and daisy chain them, depending on what the GPU can handle (and I am too lazy to look it up right now).

Depending on which Mac you have, you might be able to run more displays, but the first external display would have to be an ATD, and you would need another TB device to put between the ATD and the non-TB monitor.
 

theSeb

macrumors 604
Aug 10, 2010
7,466
1,893
none
I thought hubs died off ages ago...

They are still used today ??

I guess when new technologies like Thunderbolt, or any future technologies that allow you to connect to a hub and sniff traffic, these will always be around.

Good to know hubs are still good for one thing now-a-days .:) even if they are in-secure, just add an extra $100 or so to support these new technologies, and hubs will always survive. :(

How are hubs "in-secure"? Yes, docking stations and hubs are very much alive, unless you have been living under a rock since "ages ago".
 

theSeb

macrumors 604
Aug 10, 2010
7,466
1,893
none
Not using my fave Google? Errr... you lost me.

He is kind of repeating what Stetrain told you in a more cryptic way and suggesting that you could have found the information yourself, if you had used google search.

"Apple just had a one-year exclusive deal to it."
 

willcapellaro

macrumors 6502
Oct 20, 2011
345
6
Mini DP is piggybacking on TB and not the other way around. How many external displays are you hoping to connect?

Difficult question to answer because I jump around between two offices and a home studio... I own two ACDs and have access to an ailing vintage Cintiq (one of the middle sized ones with big bezels) and any number of cheap dell monitors.

I would probably use 2 dells at one location and ACD+Cintiq at my main.

Thunderbolt Displays and a new Cintiq HD touch is on my Xmas list but I'll never pull the trigger - going Retina is enough expense in itself. Though the TB display does have the nice added feature of Ethernet... and it will suck that I'll be paying to replace a perfectly good computer (MBP15 2010) that simply doesn't support more than one external monitor. That's the only problem I'm trying to solve here... I don't even use my internal monitor more than half the time, and that won't change with Retina.

It's funny that we have to buy stuff for our stuff.
 

lordofthereef

macrumors G5
Nov 29, 2011
13,161
3,720
Boston, MA
He is kind of repeating what Stetrain told you in a more cryptic way and suggesting that you could have found the information yourself, if you had used google search.

"Apple just had a one-year exclusive deal to it."

"Fave" would be the operative word that I am not understanding.
 

theSeb

macrumors 604
Aug 10, 2010
7,466
1,893
none
Difficult question to answer because I jump around between two offices and a home studio... I own two ACDs and have access to an ailing vintage Cintiq (one of the middle sized ones with big bezels) and any number of cheap dell monitors.

I would probably use 2 dells at one location and ACD+Cintiq at my main.

Thunderbolt Displays and a new Cintiq HD touch is on my Xmas list but I'll never pull the trigger - going Retina is enough expense in itself. Though the TB display does have the nice added feature of Ethernet... and it will suck that I'll be paying to replace a perfectly good computer (MBP15 2010) that simply doesn't support more than one external monitor. That's the only problem I'm trying to solve here... I don't even use my internal monitor more than half the time, and that won't change with Retina.

It's funny that we have to buy stuff for our stuff.
With a rMBP you're able to connect 3 external monitors quite easily without needing an ATD. You have two TB ports, which can be used to connect two monitors, with the right adaptor, up to 2560x1600. You also have an HDMI port, which can be used to drive up to a 1920x1200 monitor. Note that I am assuming this, since it's all I can confirm by driving a Dell U2412 monitor. However the latest HDMI version can go up to 4K resolution, but none of the tear downs have mentioned exactly which version the HDMI port is and I don't have a 4K display handy to be able to test. Instead they waste their time on crying about the use of "glue". :rolleyes:

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"Fave" would be the operative word that I am not understanding.

Favourite.

"Your fave google" = "Your favourite search engine"

I guess this is how the young generation speaks these days.
 

Tucom

Cancelled
Jul 29, 2006
1,252
310
i want to be able to daisy chain so it needs (what I would want)

*throughput thunderbolt
*why not just usb 3 at this point? 3-4 ports would be great
*ethernet is nice
*dual video out would be great
*audio in out is nice

Guess some people didn't read the post all the way through, it says there's a USB 3.0/2.0 port on the front.


But I'm still with you, why not make them ALL USB 3.0? Ridiculous design decision IMO
 

lilo777

macrumors 603
Nov 25, 2009
5,144
0
What is the point in this product?

All macs (apart from air) have built in LAN, USB, display out and in/out audio.. Whats the point? If you need more USB plugs get one of those splitters/extentions etc..

I see many people here are not familiar with the advantages of having a docking station. Well, that's a Mac forum so it's understandable. It's very simple really. When I come to my office, I stick my HP laptop into a docking station which immediately gives me the following connections:

* power
* wired mouse
* wired keyboard
* two monitors
* ethernet

That's 6 cables (and I can have more if I needed). I will connect and disconnect my laptop to this station several times a day as I need to go to various meetings.

TB station is less versatile but it's a start.
 

mac jones

macrumors 68040
Apr 6, 2006
3,257
2
Guess some people didn't read the post all the way through, it says there's a USB 3.0/2.0 port on the front.


But I'm still with you, why not make them ALL USB 3.0? Ridiculous design decision IMO

Yeah, i just don't know what's up with that. I've seen that before plenty of times; USB 2 and 3 ports on the same machine.

Why do they do this? Makes no sense as USB is backward compatible.
Money? ....hey it's always money...duh :D
 

Tech198

Cancelled
Mar 21, 2011
15,915
2,151
How are hubs "in-secure"? Yes, docking stations and hubs are very much alive, unless you have been living under a rock since "ages ago".


From a technical stand-point, hubs don't scan any traffic.... anything entering it will be transmitted on all devices connected to it.

Therefore, if you have Wireshark on Cain & Abel on one of the connected devices (computers). you can easily see necessary info.

While I guess Thunderbolt would have secure measures in place to protect this, its still do-able, since its still PCI-Express. (more or less).
 

lilgto64

macrumors member
Apr 13, 2009
36
0
Ohio
Bookendz

I have two Bookendz Docking stations - one for my 17" 2011 Macbook Pro and another for my 15" 2011 Macbook Pro. On the 15" I have an external Thunderbolt display. I cracked open the Bookendz unit and modified it to accept the Thunderbolt cable directly from the monitor. It not only works very well but is quite convenient - I just wish the docking station included a clamp or something to hold the power cord as sometimes when I return from a business trip I set the Mac on the dock - and plug in the dock but forget to connect the power. I am not even talking about a pass though - just a slot or something that the magsafe connect could slide into and be "captured" would be nice.

A pass through Thunderbolt cable might also be nice - although with the authentication chips in the cable I am not sure if that would be possible - might need a hub chip in the docking station versus a straight through connector extension.
 

throAU

macrumors G3
Feb 13, 2012
8,775
6,936
Perth, Western Australia
What is the point in this product?

All macs (apart from air) have built in LAN, USB, display out and in/out audio.. Whats the point? If you need more USB plugs get one of those splitters/extentions etc..

Point:

You have 1-2 cables (power and TB) to unplug when you leave your desk.

All the device cables you have plugged into the dock will stay plugged into something and not fall down behind your desk.


It isn't an extension thing, its a convenience thing.
 

hchung

macrumors 6502a
Oct 2, 2008
689
1
The technology behind thunderbolt is fine. Its Apple being stupid again, just like with Firewire and just like with all their other overpriced proprietary crap and how they executed the implementation of it.

2 years in, and I've still yet to see ONE SINGLE thunderbolt product on a store shelf.

Oh? Do tell us some details. What of the execution?
 

manu chao

macrumors 604
Jul 30, 2003
7,219
3,031
The last sentence in his statement kind of gives it away I think...
And how does Apple 'execute' product launches by third-party manufacturers? Promising every manufacturer to purchase at least 50'000 units itself? And then bulldoze them to keep the second-hand price high?
 

lucasmonger

macrumors member
Aug 24, 2008
62
0
Illinois
Wish it had just a little more

All I need is a pair of displayports or one more DVI or HDMI port so the MacBook Air (with only a single thunderbolt port) could drive two non-apple monitors.
 
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