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netwrk219

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 20, 2006
2
0
I am looking to see if there is a docking station that would allow me to hook up my macbook pro 15 to an external monitor, KB and mouse. I know I can just plug them all in as I need them, but its handy to have a dock all set up that i just connect to. Plus, Ill end up with the dock connected to a KVM so i can run my future mac mini off of those same peripherals too. heh heh heh, Im a greedy man...

Is there anything available for that purpose?

thanks,

Keith Smith
Mac Owner since July, 2006--total noob and loving it!
 

poppe

macrumors 68020
Apr 29, 2006
2,242
51
Woodland Hills
Can't get it to work... Sad (the link i mean)

Anyways. How bout something for the 17inch?

Oh also not to get off topic... I saw someone had a way to connect there Powerbook to there car and I was hoping to do the same with a MBP. Any suggestions or am I just SOL at the moment? I was hoping for a dock of some sort that sat infront of my console center (where my radio and junk is).

Whoa 300... Nevermind.. thats nuts... And seems like it'd take along time to connect anyways...
 

JAT

macrumors 603
Dec 31, 2001
6,473
124
Mpls, MN
They are all overpriced. I'm not trying to justify it for anyone. But if you really need a docking station for a laptop, be prepared to spend at least $200. Bookendz are no different. Maybe a little more than others since they are a 3rd party dock, unlike Dell which makes their own. Apple hasn't made one in years.

The link works for me. They do have a G4 17" dock. The Macbook one is due next month, and the 15" MBP is already shipping. It seems likely they will make one for the 17" MBP.
 

spydr

macrumors 6502
Jul 25, 2005
445
2
MD
Strangely for that much money, you will still have to use your magsafe power cord and adaptor.
 

chelsel

macrumors 6502
May 24, 2007
455
229
Apple likely has a patent on the magsafe connector... so they can't make an all-in-one solution... i think the docking station from bookendz serves a useful purpose but looks terrible... it really sucks that even in the Pro lineup you can't get a docking station from Apple...

If the argument is you don't want connectors on the back of the mac, then do what every other company does and put a special docking connector on the bottom of the laptop that the dock plugs into... there's no need to put the ports on the back of the laptop... they can stay right where they are.

Cliff.
 

MikeyTree

macrumors 6502
Jan 5, 2007
295
0
A powered USB hub would do most of what you need. It would connect to your mouse, keyboard, printer, external USB hard drives, and other peripherals. Plug in the hub, the monitor, and the power cable and you're good to go.
 

Digital Fury

macrumors member
A powered USB hub would do most of what you need. It would connect to your mouse, keyboard, printer, external USB hard drives, and other peripherals. Plug in the hub, the monitor, and the power cable and you're good to go.
How exactly does one connect a DVI-based screen and firewire devices to an USB hub?

BookEndz' looks like craptastic S.H.I.T. but I can't even get one over here, that is unless I pay something like $150 in shipping.

chelsel is absolutely correct. Apple could have done like Sony and put a docking connector bellow their laptops.

Obviously Apple staff either don't use their product or don't shuttle between work and office, because this is a 100% no-brainer to any seasoned laptop user.

To conclude, unfortunately I think this must be yet another one of Steve's anal fixations, like the idiotic single button mouse.
 

Trebz

macrumors member
Mar 2, 2006
33
0
Still no alternative?

Is BookEndz still the only option? :confused:

At lease the MB option is reasonable, but the MBP model is overpriced.
 

Sormaz

macrumors newbie
Jan 4, 2008
1
0
why not wireless

im going to say that you would be better off spending your money on a decent bluetooth keyboard and mouse. then all you have to connect is the monitor, and you would be needing to plug one thing in anyways
 

bobbleheadbob

macrumors 6502a
Feb 6, 2007
653
0
Massachusetts
Does anyone actually have one of these things? Does it work (well)? $320 seems like a lot, but I'm still curious. Too bad Apple doesn't make one. Are there other 3rd party solutions out there that I'm missing? :confused:
 

alphaod

macrumors Core
Feb 9, 2008
22,183
1,245
NYC
A docking station is suppose to make it easier to unplug and go; also there should be less wear and tear on the connector; the BookEndz entirely defeats the purchase as it's not easy to take apart and it wears out your connectors.
 

bc008

macrumors 68000
Aug 6, 2007
1,718
0
Michigan
A docking station is suppose to make it easier to unplug and go; also there should be less wear and tear on the connector; the BookEndz entirely defeats the purchase as it's not easy to take apart and it wears out your connectors.

i agree. carefully plugging them in and out will wear a lot better than something that might me a fraction of an inch off, then really pull and tug on the ports to move the computer in place.

by the way this thread is really old ;) but i guess it is still serving a purpose.
 

ChocoMac08

macrumors newbie
Oct 23, 2008
1
0
I know this thread is old, but just wanted to vent a bit about bookendz so i registered for this forum. I recently puchased a docking station from them for my boss, which arrived about 3 weeks before our macbook pro arrived. I found out the product did not work within 30 days (their return policy), in fact I contacted bookendz with the problem on the 27th day. today is day 31 from the invoice date. This is how our correspondence went:

ME: The video connector (on the right side of the bookendz) does not align with the video connector on the MacBook Pro. When the monitor cable is directly connected to the video connector on the right side of the macbook pro, it works fine.

BOOKENDZ: It seems that you do have the correct unit. if the video connector is too high or low, the spacer might have broken on the inside causing it to not line up properly. If that is the case we can do an exchange.

ME: It was too low.

BOOKENDZ: Return information ... blah blah

ME: Is it UPS? will it be possible for you to schedule a pickup for the item?

BOOKENDZ: For repair on this unit you must send it back on your own.

ME: But the product you sold to us was defected. will we be credited back for the shipping expense.

BOOKENDZ: One it is not a docking problem it is a software issue based on Apples software. The order is out of it's 30 days as well.


WTF! :mad:
 

vixapphire

macrumors 6502
Jul 22, 2002
382
0
Los Angeles
I've just bought one of these, and was wondering if anyone else has one to compare how tough it is to close the dock on the computer? Mine's pretty brutal; in fact, I've not yet gotten it "plugged in", because the DVI jack is buggering the works. I try the DVI cable that came with the MBP and it's fine, but the dock's jack stops about 1-2 mm into the insertion. All other jacks are lined up fine and dandy.

Anyone have a clue?

I'm going to give it another whirl tonight at home, but if this ain't gonna work it's going back to the store for exchange, and if the next fails, then refund. Pity if that were the case.


Incidentally, it looks much better in person, and is absolutely not ugly. The boxes containing the jacks match the MBP's aluminum (and are nice places to velcro some soundsticks...).

v
 

sven hauck

macrumors newbie
Dec 7, 2008
2
0
I bought one for my 17" MBP and all I can say is that it is a piece of overpriced crap that should never have been released to the market.

First off, it is fragile as hell. Second, the LAN connector didn't line up with the on on my MBP so it never worked. I've been running the wireless while docked!

Thirdly, the docking station, ahem, port replicator, is putting pressure onto the MBP motherboard as when I push down on the MBP in the right rear corner near the magsafe connector I can hear it flexing. Kind of like the circuit board has pressure applied to it due too a poorly designed product.

I live in Amsterdam and bought one back from the States. I'm sending this thing in for a refund, as it does not do what it claims to, plus it looks like ****. And it may damage your MBP if you don't 'break it in' properly.

$300 for a misaligned, cheaply built port replicator? Stay away.
 

vixapphire

macrumors 6502
Jul 22, 2002
382
0
Los Angeles
I got the DVI plugged in, and ended up leaving it sit with the computer plugged into it/vice versa for about 3 days to "break in". Mfr recommends breaking it in by plugging/unplugging the dock to the computer; this is nonsense.

As it stands, the thing works like a charm now post-break in, put the computer on it and the plugs all slide right in and out no problemo.

I don't find it to be "fragile as hell", although if you think things made of plastic mounted to a metal base are fragile, then you'll find it fragile. So is a laptop, for that matter!

Mine's mounted to one of the Innovative laptop arms, and it works great. Although the first few days were a little sketchy because the instructions don't really give a proper idea of what's to be expected during break-in, this is a very good, if rather wildly overpriced solution.
 

sven hauck

macrumors newbie
Dec 7, 2008
2
0
By "fragile as hell" I was referring to the connectors as they require breaking in. The Macs are pretty standardized but the production of this unit apparently has too many variances.

In essence this is only a port replicator, and a poor one at that. The only real benefit is that the cables are now behind the unit and less visible.

I really wanted to keep it but am forced to send it back. It's a shame because this is the only option out there in the marketplace for a MBP 17".
 

spyd4r

macrumors regular
Sep 25, 2006
120
0
obviously apple has no intentions of breaking into the business market. you need a docking station when you take your book home with you every day.. its a pain in the ass to hook cables up daily.
 
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