CES 2016: Satechi Type-C USB Hub Updated With Pass-Through Charging for Retina MacBook

[MacRumors]

Today at CES accessory manufacturer Satechi announced a newly updated Type-C Hub for Apple's Retina MacBook lineup, which replaces one of the traditional USB 3.0 ports with a new USB-C alternative to allow users to charge the MacBook while using the dongle. Otherwise, the hub still includes an SD card slot and Micro SD card slot in addition to two USB 3.0 ports.

In terms of new products, the company announced the Type-C Card Reader, which will let users access SD and Micro SD cards at the same time using the USB-C dongle. As a cheaper alternative, the Card Reader is smaller than the hub and lacks the USB 3.0 ports of the bigger accessory.

Both products are available in space grey, silver, and gold colors to complement Apple's chosen colorways on the 12-inch MacBook line. Satechi hasn't given the Type-C Card Reader any specific launch date besides "early January," but confirmed the accessory will run for $19.99 in its press release, although the site mentions a $24.99 price point. Starting today, those interested can purchase the new Hub for $39.99 from the company's site.

Article Link: CES 2016: Satechi Type-C USB Hub Updated With Pass-Through Charging for Retina MacBook

 

[Amazing Iceman]

Why is this under the iOS Blog?

 

[L-U-R-C-H]

And this is exactly why Apple should have left these ports on the machine. Instead they insist on simplifying it so much, forcing us to purchase things like this, thus increasing Apple's profit margins. Thanks Apple! ...greedy sons a...

 

[newdeal]

I remember the good old days when this sort of thing was just built right into the computer...Oh wait it still is except for Apple

 

[RightMACatU]

Good news on the hub front...but... what do I do with my HDMI monitor?
Please try again

 

[ziggie216]

And when everything was bulky enough for this sort of thing built right into the computer. In who's crazy mind would ever want a thinner laptop, right??? /s

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

And this is exactly why Apple should have left these ports on the machine. Instead they insist on simplifying it so much, forcing us to purchase things like this, thus increasing Apple's profit margins. Thanks Apple! ...greedy sons a...

Actually, this is the ultimate price of "thinner & lighter": ultimately, the manufacturer must start pushing tangible utility out of the product. Thus they get to claim "thinnest & lightest ever" though, for many, it becomes an issue of also carrying the adapters which, IMO, should be included in the total weight (thus, not necessarily "lightest"). If we keep swallowing this spin, eventually everything will be pushed out of the box and we'll be paying rMB prices for what is basically a Thunderbolt 4 or 5 hub... spun as the "thinnest & lightest ever" rMB... just connect your own CPU, battery, graphics card, keyboard, screen, etc... all sold separately.

Same with iDevices. How long until the camera gets pushed out of the box? It already protrudes and physics limitations isn't going to maintain camera quality in ever-thinning camera boxes.

How long until the battery is pushed out of the box, spun as "now everyone can get whatever size battery that best fits their own needs" (sold separately of course). Etc.

There is a price for "thinner & lighter" and we're bumping into it now. The question is can the spin keep making us accept that price or do we stop praising that particular benefit as some big innovation when pretty much nobody faults existing Apple tech as "too thin" or "too heavy" now? Personally, I think everything is "thin" and "light" enough. I'd like to see more user utility going INTO the boxes than coming out.

All IMO of course.

 

[lyngo]

I remember the good old days when this sort of thing was just built right into the computer...Oh wait it still is except for Apple

And this is exactly why Apple should have left these ports on the machine. Instead they insist on simplifying it so much, forcing us to purchase things like this, thus increasing Apple's profit margins. Thanks Apple! ...greedy sons a...

If you need those parts included in the machine there is always the MacBook Air and Pro models. Personally, I welcome the simplified model because it cuts down on the weight of my luggage while traveling. There are also other workarounds such as Airdrop and emailing files.

It's all in how you use your computer. While you seemingly don't like the changes found in the MacBook away from things that you think should be built in, I'm glad they have provided the option for me to not have it.

 

[thewap]

Kind of makes the MB oversized..which defeats the purpose.

 

[0098386]

Years and years and years ago I designed (but never built) a little "bar" for my Powerbook. I used almost all the ports on the side of it, and I carried it to and from university every day but at home it became a "fuller system" connected to my sound system, monitor, external drives. Just reminds me of this device a bit and how much I'd like a similar thing for my Macbook Pro now!

If you need those parts included in the machine there is always the MacBook Air and Pro models. Personally, I welcome the simplified model because it cuts down on the weight of my luggage while traveling. There are also other workarounds such as Airdrop and emailing files.

It's all in how you use your computer. While you seemingly don't like the changes found in the MacBook away from things that you think should be built in, I'm glad they have provided the option for me to not have it.

Clearly the non-cheeky solution would be Apple to have developed their own peripheral like this and bundled it with the Macbook itself.

 

[KPOM]

And this is exactly why Apple should have left these ports on the machine. Instead they insist on simplifying it so much, forcing us to purchase things like this, thus increasing Apple's profit margins. Thanks Apple! ...greedy sons a...

I guess that explains why dozens of USB-C-compatible accessories were released at CES, and HP released a new EliteBook Folio (a business notebook) with only USB-C ports.

USB-C and wireless the future. The MacBook is the first of many notebooks that rely exclusively on USB-C for the increasingly fewer times we need to connect to peripherals with wires.

 

[2457282]

I guess there are still people out there that like to attach things to their computer. For them something like this makes sense, but for the really wired folk, this is just not enough.

Thankfully I have detangled my life. Neither my laptop or ipad get anything attached to it other than power. Ever. My desktop has a network cable and the power cable.

If I still lived in a primarily wired world, I would want a bigger hub that also allowed firewire, HDMI, lightning and the other 100 or so wire standards out there.

 

[KPOM]

I remember the good old days when this sort of thing was just built right into the computer...Oh wait it still is except for Apple

So how do you explain this HP PC? http://www.cnet.com/products/hp-elitebook-folio-g1/
[doublepost=1452104742][/doublepost]

Clearly the non-cheeky solution would be Apple to have developed their own peripheral like this and bundled it with the Macbook itself.

Well, they DID develop peripherals with USB-A and VGA or HDMI ports. As for bundling them, that's not very Apple-like. The MacBook is about portability and style.

 

[dannys1]

forcing us to purchase things like this, thus increasing Apple's profit margins. Thanks Apple! ...greedy sons a...

Explain to me how buying 3rd party adapters increases Apple's profit margins...
[doublepost=1452105677][/doublepost]

I remember the good old days when this sort of thing was just built right into the computer...Oh wait it still is except for Apple

So apparently Apple only sell the Retina Macbook now and not the other 4 form tops of laptops with multiple specs available for each. Ok then.

 

[Gasu E.]

And this is exactly why Apple should have left these ports on the machine. Instead they insist on simplifying it so much, forcing us to purchase things like this, thus increasing Apple's profit margins. Thanks Apple! ...greedy sons a...

This has nothing to do with profit margins. It stems from Apple's (perhaps misplaced) love of minimalist design.

 

[bushido]

I guess that explains why dozens of USB-C-compatible accessories were released at CES, and HP released a new EliteBook Folio (a business notebook) with only USB-C ports.

USB-C and wireless the future. The MacBook is the first of many notebooks that rely exclusively on USB-C for the increasingly fewer times we need to connect to peripherals with wires.

its not about the port its about only having ONE port. those other laptops announced still got at least two and are just as thin

 

[pgiguere1]

And this is exactly why Apple should have left these ports on the machine. Instead they insist on simplifying it so much, forcing us to purchase things like this, thus increasing Apple's profit margins. Thanks Apple! ...greedy sons a...

This is a really pessimistic way to look at it.

One could have said exactly the same thing about the MacBook Air when it came out and the fact the optical drive was an optional accessory. In fact, many, many people did.

Yet here we are, 8 years later, and most MacBook owners would rather not have an optical drive in their laptop, regardless of Apple's profits margin. Why then? Simply because they value the extra thinness more than an optical drive.

Really it's the same thing for some people here. Why not respect what they personally value and realize Apple is not forcing anything just yet?

 

[Gasu E.]

I guess that explains why dozens of USB-C-compatible accessories were released at CES, and HP released a new EliteBook Folio (a business notebook) with only USB-C ports.

USB-C and wireless the future. The MacBook is the first of many notebooks that rely exclusively on USB-C for the increasingly fewer times we need to connect to peripherals with wires.

I'm still not convinced the recently introduced USB-C peripherals (other than hubs such as the one in this article) complement the single-ported MacBook. If you plug in a USB-C powered external drive, you can't plug the laptop into a power source at the same time. Huh?

Makes a lot more sense to use a hub like this one, along with of the many fine available USB-3 drives, instead.

USB-C may be the future; but having just one port seems an ill-considered dead end.

 

[GeneralChang]

And this is exactly why Apple should have left these ports on the machine. Instead they insist on simplifying it so much, forcing us to purchase things like this, thus increasing Apple's profit margins. Thanks Apple! ...greedy sons a...

To be fair, you can still go buy a Macbook Air or Pro that does have these ports, it's not like the only laptop they're offering is the Macbook. I think it's always been pretty clear that the Macbook wasn't going to be for everybody.

 

[KPOM]

I'm still not convinced the recently introduced USB-C peripherals (other than hubs such as the one in this article) complement the single-ported MacBook. If you plug in a USB-C powered external drive, you can't plug the laptop into a power source at the same time. Huh?

Makes a lot more sense to use a hub like this one, along with of the many fine available USB-3 drives, instead.

USB-C may be the future; but having just one port seems an ill-considered dead end.

I think we'll also start seeing more devices with pass-through charging. We may also see more hubs that add USB-C ports, as well. It's possible Apple adds a second USB-C or Thunderbolt 3 port to the MacBook (Skylake-M supports it, Broadwell-M did not), but I doubt it.
[doublepost=1452107676][/doublepost]

its not about the port its about only having ONE port. those other laptops announced still got at least two and are just as thin

For starters, Skylake-M supports 2 3.1 Gen 1 ports built in with its native chipset. Broadwell-M did not, unless a second chipset was added to the logic board. That said, I don't see Apple adding a second USB-C port. They might update it to Thunderbolt 3. Hubs can be designed to support pass-through charging. But Apple is really pushing this as a notebook for "cord cutters" who print, display video, and access networks wirelessly.

 

[jclardy]

Actually, this is the ultimate price of "thinner & lighter": ultimately, the manufacturer must start pushing tangible utility out of the product. Thus they get to claim "thinnest & lightest ever" though, for many, it becomes an issue of also carrying the adapters which, IMO, should be included in the total weight (thus, not necessarily "lightest"). If we keep swallowing this spin, eventually everything will be pushed out of the box and we'll be paying rMB prices for what is basically a Thunderbolt 4 or 5 hub... spun as the "thinnest & lightest ever" rMB... just connect your own CPU, battery, graphics card, keyboard, screen, etc... all sold separately.

Same with iDevices. How long until the camera gets pushed out of the box? It already protrudes and physics limitations isn't going to maintain camera quality in ever-thinning camera boxes.

How long until the battery is pushed out of the box, spun as "now everyone can get whatever size battery that best fits their own needs" (sold separately of course). Etc.

There is a price for "thinner & lighter" and we're bumping into it now. The question is can the spin keep making us accept that price or do we stop praising that particular benefit as some big innovation when pretty much nobody faults existing Apple tech as "too thin" or "too heavy" now? Personally, I think everything is "thin" and "light" enough. I'd like to see more user utility going INTO the boxes than coming out.

All IMO of course.

So I agree there is a price to pay, but that is taking it to the absolute extreme. Camera functionality is literally ingrained into an iOS device - not being able to post a photo to instagram/facebook/snapchat would destroy the device for a large majority of users.

On a laptop though, I am fine with the lack of ports (Though it should have two USB-C, because the form factor permits one on both sides.) I have a rMBP right now and I love it. Easily the best laptop I have ever owned. But I will be honest, and I think more people need to look at this themselves - 95% of the time I am not using any ports other than the charging port. And even still, I pretty much only charge overnight. I shoot video as a hobby, so I use the SD Card port...but maybe once a week at most. I use a full size USB port at that same time to hook up an external hard drive. I use the HDMI port maybe once a year when I have no other method to get some content on my TV. I use the thunderbolt ports...almost never (Well I have hooked it up to a second display, but that display is hooked up to my iMac right now.)

My point is do we still need ports? Yes. But do we need to carry around these things all the time? I don't think so. I need a bag to carry my camera, my SSD and my laptop itself, I don't see why having this adapter in that bag as well is a bad idea.

 

[ceeekay]

Those hubs look like the perfect device to accidentally act as a fulcrum on the USB port and break something off inside the MacBook. Brilliant!

Couldn't we just have a second USB port so this whole port scandal becomes less of an issue? Being forced to use a giant dongle, or run on battery when you want to use wired data for something is ridiculous.

 

[appledefenceforce]

And this is exactly why Apple should have left these ports on the machine. Instead they insist on simplifying it so much, forcing us to purchase things like this, thus increasing Apple's profit margins. Thanks Apple! ...greedy sons a...

Then don't buy this model. There are other Mac models that have these ports. Complain complain complain.

 

[xDKP]

And this is exactly why Apple should have left these ports on the machine. Instead they insist on simplifying it so much, forcing us to purchase things like this, thus increasing Apple's profit margins. Thanks Apple! ...greedy sons a...

a LOT of people (like myself) actually doesn't need a lot of ports to begin with.. Yes two (or dedicated power) would have been nice to have, but I read somewhere that the chipset had something to do with the single USB-C? All laptops released now are a newer chipset

 

[SBlue1]

Now if it just could stick on with a magnet like the other cable they introduced yesterday. Still won't get into my head how Apple could give up something so essential like the MagSafe.