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wombat94

macrumors member
Oct 15, 2010
71
30
Don't you get yours free by working at Griffin?

Cute.

I don't work for Griffin... in fact I usually don't buy the Griffin product in any accessory category that I am looking at... they ARE overpriced - when there are alternatives available.

But again, I'll ask... show me a single solution out there like this that provides 5 simultaneously powered 2.1 Amp USB outlets.

I've been looking for a long time, and from what I can see, this is a unique product in the marketplace.

There are solutions in the corporate/enterprise world for charging multiple iPads - and they tend to run about $40 to $70 per port - starting at 10 ports.

This is a consumer grade version - and a consumer grade size, and $20 per port is not unreasonable as long as it performs according to the specs.
 

ToyotaGuy23

macrumors newbie
Jun 3, 2009
29
0
You can charge 4 devices at a time, and view notifications, depending on size.

$39.00 @ Target

http://www.quirky.com/products/113
 

goobot

macrumors 603
Jun 26, 2009
6,478
4,366
long island NY
This would be great if it was (somehow) actual dock connectors and you could just drop devices in *click* but all I'm seeing is some transparent props to hold things up.

That would be possible, just take what we have here, add the lighting connector to each of the five spots to where when plugged in the rest of the device's bottom rests on the top of this thing. That would be so much better.
 

Richard Y.

macrumors newbie
Jul 16, 2013
2
0
Has anyone here actually looked for a hub/charger that can charge 5 iPads at 2.1 amps? There isn't one. All the reasonably priced chargers are usually only 2 max and all the hubs are extremely underpowered and will only trickle charge. As for the separators, it's a great solution if you have cases on your iPads. Most of those drop in and "click" solutions don't work with a case. As for the cables, yeah that's going to be messy but there are not too many solutions if you have a mixed 30 pin and lighting connectors. I've been waiting for this and I put my order in. For you naysayers, good luck finding a better solution.
 

sportsfan

macrumors regular
Nov 13, 2009
211
68
Only a fool would pay this much for a bring your own cable charger. This is even a worse rip off of the consumer considering they didn't need to pay Apple any license fees for this.
 

PracticalMac

macrumors 68030
Jan 22, 2009
2,857
5,242
Houston, TX
Well, it's not a hub per say, since it cannot be connected to PC or Mac for USB sync. But a good powered USB hub can be used to charge iOS devices, such as D-Link's $25 7-port powered USB hub and Plugable's $20 4-port powered USB hub.

Then this is not a "Hub", you do not gain any connectivity benefit (thus need to reconnect to do so)

Wombats post adds some incite.
 

thefourthpope

Contributor
Sep 8, 2007
1,391
738
DelMarVa
That would be possible, just take what we have here, add the lighting connector to each of the five spots to where when plugged in the rest of the device's bottom rests on the top of this thing. That would be so much better.

Absolutely, but at this price point I'd better not have to build any components myself ;)
 

shockme66

macrumors newbie
Jul 7, 2011
3
0
I would rather buy this:

CentricDockConceptRender_1_zps323450e5.jpg
 

jtara

macrumors 68020
Mar 23, 2009
2,008
536
I much perfer this solution:

21680wh.jpg


http://www.smarthome.com/21680WH/Co...plex-Tamper-Resistant-Receptacle-White/p.aspx

These in-wall chargers have come a long way. They've upped the amperage, and now offer them in colors (this idea has been kicking around for years now, but until recently they were available in any color you wanted, as long as it is white...) and both 15A and 20A outlets. (Though color selection is still limited in 20A. However, the 15A is 20A pass-through wiring, so can be used on a 20A circuit. I had to compromise on the 15A for the kitchen, fortunately, I don't plug in anything more heavy-duty than an 800W sous-vide cooker to that particular outlet.)

There are a couple of models of this from Cooper, not sure what the differences are. Mine is actually slightly different, having a round LED instead of rectangular.

This is a dual 3A charger built-in to a duplex wall outlet.

Both iPhone and iPad can be charged faster than with the stock Apple chargers, and I've verified this. I have one in grey on my kitchen (on a split-level island counter - the iPad is always sitting on the counter...) and love no longer having an iPad charger sticking out over my counter.

SmartHome has just shipped me 2 more in ivory and one in light almond for two bathrooms and a bedroom. Looking forward to getting rid of the rest of the plug-in chargers!

For bathrooms, if you have only one outlet this will not work, because they do not offer this with a built-in GFI, and I suppose that's unlikely to happen since that would likely be too much to cram in there. Yet, bathrooms are among the most useful locations for them. (How often have you had guests and they plug their charger into your bathroom outlet, sometimes fighting over plug-in rights? ;) )

I thought ahead, and my master bath has a GFI in the usual location on the back wall behind the counter, but another chained outlet on a side wall between some shelves (so items may be placed on the shelf to charge) and even one inside a large pull-out drawer (toothbrush...).

Guest bath I will have to enlarge the hole and put in a bigger box to hold two outlets. Will be easy because it's already a retrofit box.

iPhone: supplied charger is 1.1A, but will charge at 1.5A, and requires at least 0.5A.

iPad: supplied charger is 2A, but will charget at 2.5A, and requires at least 1.1A (so won't charge on a typical USB hub at all).

I suppose now I need a bunch of cables to further tangle-up the insides of nearby drawers...

Has anyone here actually looked for a hub/charger that can charge 5 iPads at 2.1 amps?

Yes, actually, I have one. I have this becuase I am a mobile developer, and have to test with many devices and keep them charged.

ST7300USBM.main.jpg


http://www.startech.com/Cards-Adapt...ial-SuperSpeed-USB-3-Hub-Mountable~ST7300USBM

You do have to disconnect it from your computer to charge an iPad. Not sure what that is about, but guess it has something to do with USB protocol. If you disconnect the USB from your computer, it can charge at up to 2A, which accomodates the maximum for iPhone (and more than the supplied charger) and matches the standard charger for iPad (though iPad will charge at 2.5A).

So, at least I can unplug from my Mac Mini and charge a bunch of devices over night, and also leave a bunch of devices plugged-in and save wear and tear on connectors.

You have to provide your own power supply (it's meant as an industrial product, and typically a supply bus would be available). It's up to you to supply enough amperage to support the number of devices you intend to charge. I used an inexpensive voltage-adjustable "netbook" power supply. If you want to charge at full rate on 7 ports, you will need something a bit bigger, say, an adjustable laptop supply (Higher voltage is better - the hub will work on 7-40V.)
 
Last edited:

joejoejoe

macrumors 65816
Sep 13, 2006
1,428
110
If anyone can show me a 5 port charger with 2.1 amps on EACH port, I'd love to see it.

The i.Sound 4-port charger that someone referred to before appears to have 2.1 amps TOTAL and their user manual specifically states that if an iPad is charged on the high-power port, none of the other ports can be used at that time.

Is this overpriced? Probably, but it does appear to fill a niche that is not currently being filled in the consumer iOS device space - single AC outlet to multiple high-power charging ports.

There are industrial/commercial solutions that can do this - but they are many times more expensive and/or begin at a higher number of ports.

Personally, I've been waiting for this to come along since it was announced in January. It has a great value for me in our home.

If you compare it to the cost of good quality 2.1 amp power adapters, it is still not that expensive as they generally cost at least $10 - 15 each. I do already have the original adapters, but this solution allows me to keep those where I'd rather - in my travel bag or on my night stand. This gives us a central charging station in the kitchen in a tidy package.


Would I like it to be cheaper? Sure, but I plan to pick one up as soon as I can.

the i.sound 4 port charger i referred to is portable. that's a pretty gigantic difference.
 

iccir

macrumors newbie
Jul 27, 2011
12
0
Cupertino, CA
Has anybody found ultra short (1ft or less) lightning cables that are also Apple certified?

I'm not fond of the cable-in-plain-sight design, but I plan to pick up a couple of these for lightning devices. The XtremeMac InCharge x5 docks work well for 30-pin devices (if only XtremeMac would make a lightning version!)
 

wombat94

macrumors member
Oct 15, 2010
71
30
the i.sound 4 port charger i referred to is portable. that's a pretty gigantic difference.

Agreed that it is a gigantic difference...

which underscores my point. This is a device from Griffin that is different from anything else on the market. Nothing else has 5 simultaneous 2.1 amp charging ports.

So, yes it is expensive, but I can't see bashing it for being expensive when there is not a realistic less expensive alternative.
 

Boomchukalaka

macrumors regular
Jun 12, 2009
111
4
One for the house. One for the office. The entire family is Apple and 80% of the office is too. (10 people in the office, BYOD)
 

Rossatron

macrumors 6502a
Well, they need to fix the walttage. Then, include 5 short cables to be used with this dock, instead of making the user bend and twist theirs. Other than that, looks ok - though I think it targets a very specific crowd: those with an iPhone, IPad an an iPod at the very list. I don't know many that has 5 or more of Apple portable devices. Even as a family product it's not that good, because people tend to charge where they are, not in some charging hub.

Saying that, I think buissiness and companies could use such a thing to store employees phones before the enter a private/confidential meeting. Leave their gadget behind, but let it charge in an arranged way
 

whodean

macrumors member
Jan 22, 2011
70
30

xArtx

macrumors 6502a
Mar 30, 2012
764
1
Hope that isn't more likely to cause this to happen.
It hasn't been demonstrated to happen once yet (even in that specific case).

Nice... but I doubt it's pumping out as much power as the Griffin dock.
Is the Griffin dock pumping out any power at all,
or is is merely rated to handle the iPad charger that you provide?
 
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