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ZenDock Tries to Solve Age-Old MacBook Docking Problem
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Apple refuses to license the MagSafe port to anyone, so none of the docks will include the power cable.
Ahhh. Just watched the video and it makes sense. Cool idea..... but losing the thunderbolt ports is ridiculous.... and $179?!?!?
The Retina version just seems odd and poorly thought out.
* All of the functionality it has could be provided by plugging a single thunderbolt cable into your mac. No need for that large multiport plug thing hanging off the side.
* It removes both your left side thunderbolt ports, and doesn't provide an ethernet socket (an utterly bizarre decision given that this is exactly the kind of thing that docks usually provide).
* Essentially it's not much more (in terms of real useful functionality) than a thunderbolt to USB 3.0 adapter.
* All of the functionality it has could be provided by plugging a single thunderbolt cable into your mac. No need for that large multiport plug thing hanging off the side.
* It removes both your left side thunderbolt ports, and doesn't provide an ethernet socket (an utterly bizarre decision given that this is exactly the kind of thing that docks usually provide).
* Essentially it's not much more (in terms of real useful functionality) than a thunderbolt to USB 3.0 adapter.
It's useful until you stop using a device that matches up. Apple refreshing the device doesn't mean you have to jettison the prior generation and buy the current one.
Bit late responding to this article but has no one seen:
http://www.hengedocks.com
They have vertical docks for the older MacBooks and a new (up for pre-order) horizontal dock that gives access to:
I like this Apple docking company much better...
http://www.hengedocks.com
They have vertical docks for the older MacBooks and a new (up for pre-order) horizontal dock that gives access to:
- 3 external displays
- 6 USB 3.0 peripherals
- 2 audio devices
- an Ethernet connection
- an SD Card
- a FireWire 800 device
- power.
I like this Apple docking company much better...
Can't they do all of these by extending just one thunderbolt port? Why to dock to all the ports?
Their new horizontal dock looks great. Personally I was always iffy about the verticals because I don't like losing the notebook screen or assuming I'll use external keyboards/mouse/trackpad.
I would like to see the port config on the MBA model as it shows the Retina version, not sure if the Air has as many extra ports.
I like them too. Unfortunately, when I bought my 15" Retina about 7 months ago, they had a dock for it advertised as "under development".
And now, 7 months later, the proposed vertical dock has been replaced by a horizontal one which I don't like the design of, and they still haven't put out a product.
If they put out a vertical retina dock, I'd buy it in a heartbeat.
I can't see why not. What's even more silly is that they haven't included an ethernet port for the retina, so despite purchasing a dock, you STILL need to use a thunderbolt->ethernet adapter to connect to a wired network, which strikes me as a massive oversight. Worse still, the dock itself swallows up both thunderbolt sockets, so it apparently stops you being able to use a wired connection at all. Given that docks are generally used in stationary locations, wired ethernet is exactly the kind of thing many people want.
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The Retina version of the ZenDock has one mini display port, with a Thunderbolt pass through, so in theory you can still connect two external monitors by using the Thunderbolt pass through, as any non Thunderbolt equipped DisplayPort monitor must be the last item in the chain.
The caveat is this does not work when using an Apple Thunderbolt equipped monitor.
See: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5219?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US
Number's 19 & 20.
The caveat is this does not work when using an Apple Thunderbolt equipped monitor.
See: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5219?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US
Number's 19 & 20.
Exactly. And if you bought a Thunderbolt dock, not only would you get more options for connections, but it wouldn't be obsolete when you replace the laptop!!
Seems like a badly thought out product on the whole... I agree with the other posters, they have kind of missed the whole point over Thunderbolt.
The part you attach to the Macbook Pro is much too wide for my tastes also, however I do understand as it is because of the stupid new magsafe connector.
The part you attach to the Macbook Pro is much too wide for my tastes also, however I do understand as it is because of the stupid new magsafe connector.
A Public Service Announcement from the ZenBoxx Founder.
Hello MacRumor people!
Im the creator of ZenDock. It has come to my attention some people may have been on psychedelic drugs while viewing our Kickstarter page. Please allow me to clear the air:
To my knowledge:
All in good fun people, I hope you enjoy the ZenDock, we truly think its the best solution out there for most (but not all) people.
For more info see our website at http://www.ZenBoxx.com or if you want to get the ZenDock cheaper and faster than anybody else, you can pre-order it for $139 on the Kickstarter page http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/coleflournoy/zendock-the-best-dock-for-your-macbook/
Hello MacRumor people!
Im the creator of ZenDock. It has come to my attention some people may have been on psychedelic drugs while viewing our Kickstarter page. Please allow me to clear the air:
To my knowledge:
- ZenDock is the only dock for the Macbook Pro and Retina that allows you to actually dock with a single connection since it also holds your Magsafe power adapter.
- ZenDock is the only dock for the Macbook Pro and Retina designed to allow you to completely clear the mess of wires from your desk, by mounting the dock behind your desk.
- ZenDock Retina can definitely support multiple monitors. In fact, I often use 4 monitors (one monitor connected via mini DisplayPort on the ZenDock Retina base, one connected through the ZenDock Retina Thunderbolt pass through, one via HDMI on the other side of the Macbook, and the Macbook screen itself).
- Many consider Zendock to have a much higher build quality and to better match the Macbook than any other similar dock due to it's high quality CNC'ed aluminum construction.
- Removing the ZenDock is easy, and does NOT require messing with any RJ-45 latch or other.
- The ZenDock Pro includes Firewire and Ethernet.
- The ZenDock Retina can support Firewire by using the Apple Thunderbolt to Firewire adapter, which you probably already own if you have a Macbook Retina and a Firewire harddrive that you use.
- The ZenBoxx team found that many users only wanted to connect a mini-display port monitor to the Zendock Retina base, and decided to convert that base port to mini-display port only since the cost savings would allow the ZenDock to be priced significantly less than any other Thunderbolt docks available.
- The ZenDock Retina optionally includes Ethernet via USB 3.0 (therefore not tying up the thunderbolt pass through).
- Zendock does not require an external power brick, and considered more portable than similar solutions.
- Versus one of the only close competitors with a product currently available the ZenDock has more USB 3.0 ports, allows you to connect twice as many monitors, doesn't require a power brick, matches its ability with audio ports, still has more USB 3.0 ports AFTER attaching the optional Ethernet adapter, and costs close to half as much if you get the Kick Starter special available at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/coleflournoy/zendock-the-best-dock-for-your-macbook?ref=live
- The Zenboxx team is better at making websites then videos.
- The Zenboxx team thought they would be cool by taking odd camera shots.
- Unbenounced to Zenboxx, odd camera shots were in fact - not cool.
- Luckily the product kicks ass, and is currently the number 2 most popular Kickstarter project in it's category.
All in good fun people, I hope you enjoy the ZenDock, we truly think its the best solution out there for most (but not all) people.
For more info see our website at http://www.ZenBoxx.com or if you want to get the ZenDock cheaper and faster than anybody else, you can pre-order it for $139 on the Kickstarter page http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/coleflournoy/zendock-the-best-dock-for-your-macbook/
I appreciate you visiting the forums, but I'd take issue with some of your points (specifically from the point of view of a Retina owner):
Your comments repeatedly try to put a marketing spin on your dock's lack of capabilities. Using phrases like "supports" and "optionally includes" for instances where customers have to buy an additional adapter to provide features your dock lacks, are weasel words at best. Let's not forget, that these cables cost around $30 each pushing the price up considerably. If your dock doesn't have the socket, it DOESN'T include it. Period.
Based on the comments in this thread, what your dock doesn't do is the following:
1. Provide a wired ethernet socket
2. Provide firewire
3. Provide at least the same number of thunderbolt ports that it uses.
What it does do is:
1. Downgrade one of our two thunderbolt sockets to a mini display port.
2. Provide less ports than most docks seem to achieve with just a single thunderbolt connection.
I wish you luck. It seems like you're likely to reach your target, and I respect you for having a crack at a kickstarter project. However, coming on a forum and telling potential customers that they must be on drugs because they actually criticized your product isn't going to sell many. Perhaps a more intelligent response would be to take note of what people actually want, and think about incorporating those features in a 2nd gen model.
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Holding the power adapter is not the same thing as really having a single connection. It's just a kludge.
Every thunderbolt docking system allows you to clear the mess of cables and mount the docking station wherever you want.
And you end up with this on the side of your laptop
![7368837372_bcb1154c1c_z.jpg]()
rather than this:
![c93ad797a1d0cf65ea59d1cc52789035_large.png]()
Not to mention that the Thunderbolt dock is compatible with a wide array of computers, and fairly future-proof, as opposed to one designed for a single model of a single generation.
I would wager a large number of people for whom a docking station appeals actually want to connect two monitors. (There are minimal connection savings if all you want to do is connect a single external monitor.) Yes, your product can support multiple monitors, but if you want to connect a second monitor to the Retina base, you have to make another connection at the docking connector pass-through! What was that about minimizing cable mess? Now you have 3 cables going to the side of the laptop whereas alternative docks would have only 2.
We aren't on drugs; many of us here are confused because this dock complicates things when Thunderbolt was specifically designed to do everything the Zendock does over a single cable. Simple and elegant.
Ask yourselves honestly if Apple would release something that looks like this?
![85489a3ff311fb96f0eb40ed2f89ab7c_large.png]()
How long are the tolerances going to hold up to allow all those connections to smoothly connect?
I suspect you are getting support because most people don't yet understand the point behind Thunderbolt and the market has been slow to educate them. I can't imagine many people picking this design when they realize a single Thunderbolt connection can get them the same thing.
Hey thanks for the comments,
@zhenya -- actually your picture leaves off the big point.. With other thunderbolt docks, you have to connect power to your laptop AND the thunderbolt plug (your pic just shows tb). With ZenDock, it's just one single connection.
@Snowshiro -- Theres no "marketing spin" with the term optional. We say optional, because we actually sell the ethernet adapter as an optional add on. We don't sell a firewire adapter, so thats why we don't mention that as optional (but of course you can get one from apple, and it is compatible with ZenDock Retina). Theres also something you should really consider -- if you need Firewire, or you need wired Ethernet, you probably already have those adapters, and they are compatible with the ZenDock Retina. With other thunderbolt docks, you will essentially be buying those again -- another reason why they are so much more expensive than ours.
Even when including the price of the ethernet add on, ZenDock is still very significantly less than other similar docs and that is the real magic.
As for mounting -- I guess you could duct tape other thunderbolt docks behind your desk, but personally I think that is a little less elegant than our CNC'ed mounting holes.
PS -- Here what it looks like to have 4 monitors on the Macbook with the ZenDock Retina (last monitor is connected via macbook HDMI)
![ZenDockMultimonitor1080.jpg]()
PPS: Our Kickstarter just hit our funding goal, yahhooo!
@zhenya -- actually your picture leaves off the big point.. With other thunderbolt docks, you have to connect power to your laptop AND the thunderbolt plug (your pic just shows tb). With ZenDock, it's just one single connection.
@Snowshiro -- Theres no "marketing spin" with the term optional. We say optional, because we actually sell the ethernet adapter as an optional add on. We don't sell a firewire adapter, so thats why we don't mention that as optional (but of course you can get one from apple, and it is compatible with ZenDock Retina). Theres also something you should really consider -- if you need Firewire, or you need wired Ethernet, you probably already have those adapters, and they are compatible with the ZenDock Retina. With other thunderbolt docks, you will essentially be buying those again -- another reason why they are so much more expensive than ours.
Even when including the price of the ethernet add on, ZenDock is still very significantly less than other similar docs and that is the real magic.
As for mounting -- I guess you could duct tape other thunderbolt docks behind your desk, but personally I think that is a little less elegant than our CNC'ed mounting holes.
PS -- Here what it looks like to have 4 monitors on the Macbook with the ZenDock Retina (last monitor is connected via macbook HDMI)
PPS: Our Kickstarter just hit our funding goal, yahhooo!
No it's not. They are still 2 connections. The only difference is that you can hook them up both at the same time.
Apple notebooks come with only 1 power adapter. Most people leave it at that and take it anywhere the notebook goes. And that makes sense. This means that we need to take the power adapter, put it in your connector then hook it up to the notebook. It is much easier to just hook up the power adapter straight to the notebook. Much less fiddly than your setup. Your setup only works good when you have 2 power adapters: one to stay at home with the dock and another one in your bag to go where your notebook goes. A new power adapter costs $100.
Simply put: I can buy the Thunderbolt dock from CalDigit or Matrox for about the same price as your dock plus additional power adapter. The big advantage with those other 2 docks: it only takes up 1 TB port and the magsafe port. All the other ports are accessible. In other words, in total I have much more ports that I can use.
That shows you didn't do your homework properly. The aforementioned docks have both ethernet and firewire 800 on them. No need to buy or hookup additional adapters or even buy them. Buying additional adapters means additional costs pricing your dock higher than the ones from Matrox and CalDigit for example. If you already have those additional adapters it also means you can keep it in your bag and use them on the go (your dock would require people to buy 2 sets of them which make it even more costly or switch the adapters between dock and notebook which makes the dock useless).
It is but it also comes at a cost: you can do much less with your dock and the notebook once the dock is connected. Remember, your dock is merely passthrough. The problem is that most people don't want something like that. They want to have something like the other TB docks that have a much smaller footprint. People want the dock to add connections which your dock doesn't do. Your dock only reroutes the position of the connectors (from notebook to say behind your desk).
Mounting isn't a problem, there are many solutions for that. Some of them are very elegant and use the desk to hide components. Even things like routers, switches, external drives and so on. Websites such as Lifehacker have some tips on how to do this. But it is good to have something like this on the product already.
What do you use for the other 2 external displays?
There is some potential with the ZenDock but it isn't in the Thunderbolt dock area. The potential is in the area where there isn't any Thunderbolt, like the MacBooks from 2010 and earlier. There are some docks for those but they haven't got a footprint as small as the ZenDock. In the Thunderbolt area there are other docks that are cheaper at the end of the day and also offer much more functionality because they are not using passthrough. All in all your product doesn't seem to be thought out very well due to a lack of understanding of the market (especially understanding of what Thunderbolt exactly is, offers and what people want). As you can see in this thread people simply fail to understand what your dock does and why it is better than the other ones.
