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CalDigit Announces Two New USB-C Docks, USB-C Adapters and More

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Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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Today at Inter BEE 2015 in Japan, CalDigit announced two new lines of USB Type-C docks, two new USB-C adapters and more. The new accessories give owners of USB-C computers like the new MacBook more flexibility in how they use their device.

usbcdock.png
CalDigit USB-C Dock​
​

The USB-C Dock comes in five colors and features a silicon cover that CalDigit says adds a layer of protection to the dock's aluminum case. The dock includes 2 USB-C ports, 2 USB-A ports, an HDMI port, a Display Port, an Ethernet port, Audio in and out and AC power. The dock allows users to charge their computer while connecting all a user's devices at the same time.

The smaller USB-C mini Dock has 2 USB-C ports, 2 USB-A ports, an HDMI port, a VGA port and a Gigabit Ethernet port. Unlike the larger dock, the more portable version does not charge the computer at the same time. Instead, it draws power from the computer.

CalDigit also announced the FASTA-6GU3 Plus, a dual interface PCIe card that adds 1 USB-C, 1 USB-A and 2 eSATA ports to any Mac desktop computer. Finally, the company also announced USB-C to HDMI and USB-C to VGA adapters.

usbcminidock.png
CalDigit USB-C mini Dock​
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All the new products are available for pre-order on CalDigit's website. The USB-C Dock has a special pre-order price of $149.99, but will retail for $159.99 and ship in February 2016. The mini Dock has a special pre-order price of $89.99, but will retail for $99.99 and ship in late January 2016. The FASTA-6Gu3 Plus also ships in January 2016 and will retail for $169.99. Both adapters will ship in December 2015, with the HDMI adapter retailing for $29.99 while the VGA adapter will retail for $24.99.

Article Link: CalDigit Announces Two New USB-C Docks, USB-C Adapters and More
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2015/11/18/caldigit-usb-c-docks-adapters/
Admiral

Admiral

macrumors 6502
Mar 14, 2015
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I am a bit chagrined that these accessories won't be available until almost a year from introduction of this fine computer, assuming no delays (I pre-ordered the OWC dock and its delivery has slipped almost five months). Come on, guys.
 
A

alexgowers

macrumors 65816
Jun 3, 2012
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ceeekay said:
If Apple had only included two USB-C ports in the MacBook, we wouldn't even be discussing the merits of these giant bricks.

Power and data at the same time is a no-brainer.
Click to expand...

I agree that two should have been the minimum but apple is thinking it a mobile device. Your iPhone doesn't have extra ports does it, one socket for everything.

Hopefully there with be some more continuity across macs in the future.

I would rather see USBc used in phones tablets imacs laptops watches apple tv etc until it's the only connector used. It's good enough to be the one port to end them all. Having magsafe,thunderbolt, usb3, hdmi makes no sense.

Everyone has got so used to old USB standards USBc should just be adopted across the board.
 
N

newdeal

macrumors 68030
Oct 21, 2009
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ceeekay said:
If Apple had only included two USB-C ports in the MacBook, we wouldn't even be discussing the merits of these giant bricks.

Power and data at the same time is a no-brainer.
Click to expand...

Whoever decided it was ok to only put one port on the macbook needs to be punched in the face. Only complete idiocy could have led them to believe that was a good idea.
 
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A

adamneer

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Apr 18, 2013
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Chicago, IL
I'm honestly curious, are there many people with a device with bleeding edge technology (USBC) in need of a way to connect it to a monitor with the oldest legacy input still in existence (VGA)?

p.s. super ugly
 
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C

carestudio

macrumors 6502a
Aug 6, 2008
653
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Sounds very interesting products.
Caldigit seems to have great record of the shipping date. Last year I was in the preordering list of their thunderbolt 2 dock and I received the units several days before the promising date.

The color silicon case looks great on the small mini portable dock. it can protect the unit. I am also very
interested in the bus powered and type-c power that their mini dock can provide. looks like the dual power modes can give users more flexibility and charge the macbook. and it's only under 100 bucks! great unit, great price
 
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weckart

macrumors 603
Nov 7, 2004
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I would wait for rev 2.0 of the MacNetbook to see if Apple relents and finds room for a second USB port so that you don't need to drop $150 to make up for the shortcomings in the current design.
 
oneMadRssn

oneMadRssn

macrumors 603
Sep 8, 2011
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ceeekay said:
Power and data at the same time is a no-brainer.
Click to expand...

Though it sounds convenient, I think power and data over one cable is a bad idea. One of the biggest issues is the security risk. http://www.theverge.com/2015/3/16/8226193/new-apple-macbook-usb-type-c-security-risk-badusb

"For all its versatility, Type-C is still based on the USB standard, which makes it vulnerable to a nasty firmware attack, and researchers are also concerned about other attacks that piggyback on the plug's direct memory access. None of these vulnerabilities are new, but bundling them together with the power cord in a single universal plug makes them scarier and harder to avoid. ... power is the one plug you have to use. Turning that plug into an attack vector could have serious security consequences."

This problem is note remote or unlikely either. Google gives their employees special USB cables for charging phones that have a light and a button; by default the cables are power only, and the user can press a button to turn them into data transfer cables and also changes the light's color to notify the user that it is now a data cable. They do this because this has been an issue for them before. There are charging USB ports they have everywhere now - airports, hotel rooms, taxi cabs - and almost all regular cables have no indication whether they are data or power-only. It's impossible to know how many of these charging opportunities are merely ways to gain access to your device. Just like credit card skimmers are on some ATMs, this is a real problem. Indeed, it has been shown how easy it is to get access to the system this way and steal all sorts of information. Both Android and iOS are vulnerable to this. As the article notes, the power plug is the one you have no choice but to use on a retina Macbook. It's not worth compromising security for this minor convenience.
 
Glassed Silver

Glassed Silver

macrumors 68020
Mar 10, 2007
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newdeal said:
Whoever decided it was ok to only put one port on the macbook needs to be punched in the face. Only complete idiocy could have led them to believe that was a good idea.
Click to expand...
"You're just not ready yet for the future, where everything is wirelessly connected" *cough cough*

Meanwhile, my iMac remains connected to the internet through Ethernet, because it's actually as reliable as good old (emphasis on old, unfortunately) Apple hardware and software.
WiFi is one of the top reasons I get called for tech support.

Sorry guys, wireless still has plenty of years to mature, meanwhile I'll enjoy my trusty cables, not the least for actual compatibility with what I already have as well.

But hey, we all know the new Macbook is all fashion, little use.

Glassed Silver:mac
 
T

theluggage

macrumors 604
Jul 29, 2011
7,507
7,401
adamneer said:
I'm honestly curious, are there many people with a device with bleeding edge technology (USBC) in need of a way to connect it to a monitor with the oldest legacy input still in existence (VGA)?
Click to expand...

VGA is still the safest bet if you want to turn up at a meeting and be sure of being able to show your powerpoint - lots of stone age data projectors still haunting the world's meeting rooms, and you can't be sure until you get there...

Quite a common scenario for the MacBook methinks. Hence the VGA is on the mini dock while the stay-at-home version has HDMI and DisplayPort.

p.s. super ugly
Click to expand...

Didn't you get the tweet? Ugly is the new beautiful. It's prettier than the Sonnet...
 
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