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

[Glassed Silver]

And that's why it's great that Apple offers a range of laptops.

It's a mediocre product and you know it.
It's not like the Macbook Air isn't fashionable.

Actually, slowly getting rid of that glowing Apple logo is kinda countering that aspect, but oh well.

Retina MacBook Air would be a serious contender in my books, but that MacBook?

I know it's not for me, but the demographic of all fashion - put in whatever gives you max margin I don't care can easily be served with similarly beautiful laptops in Apple's offerings, just that they actually have a bit more bang for the buck.

Meanwhile, they don't care a whole lot about other demographics of theirs, typically the ones where the margin isn't as high and yes, believe it or not, I blame them.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/richkarlgaard/2012/12/10/steve-jobs-warns-apple-dont-be-greedy/

Glassed Silver:mac

 

[Michael Scrip]

It's a mediocre product and you know it.
It's not like the Macbook Air isn't fashionable.

Actually, slowly getting rid of that glowing Apple logo is kinda countering that aspect, but oh well.

Retina MacBook Air would be a serious contender in my books, but that MacBook?

I know it's not for me, but the demographic of all fashion - put in whatever gives you max margin I don't care can easily be served with similarly beautiful laptops in Apple's offerings, just that they actually have a bit more bang for the buck.

Meanwhile, they don't care a whole lot about other demographics of theirs, typically the ones where the margin isn't as high and yes, believe it or not, I blame them.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/richkarlgaard/2012/12/10/steve-jobs-warns-apple-dont-be-greedy/

Glassed Silver:mac

My point:

If the Macbook doesn't offer what you are looking for... you can buy one of the other Apple laptops.

 

[Glassed Silver]

My point:

If the Macbook doesn't offer what you are looking for... you can buy one of the other Apple laptops.

The problem is that the options are thinning out.

The new Macbook is the continuation of a trend in Cupertino.

"So shop the alternative" only works to some extend.
Who else is making OS X computers that are supported?
"Get a Windows laptop!"
I hate where Windows is headed and much of my required software doesn't run on it.
"You're niche then!"
Apparently? I'm surprised I want a serviceable Mac that isn't ridiculously designed (internally) and end up being niche, but if that's what I am, the louder I will have to speak for myself, because apparently there's few others doing it. Oh wait, there's many and they're still not heard.
The answer why is so frustrating that I won't bother repeating that sad song.

Glassed Silver:mac

 

[Michael Scrip]

The problem is that the options are thinning out.

The new Macbook is the continuation of a trend in Cupertino.

"So shop the alternative" only works to some extend.
Who else is making OS X computers that are supported?
"Get a Windows laptop!"
I hate where Windows is headed and much of my required software doesn't run on it.
"You're niche then!"
Apparently? I'm surprised I want a serviceable Mac that isn't ridiculously designed (internally) and end up being niche, but if that's what I am, the louder I will have to speak for myself, because apparently there's few others doing it. Oh wait, there's many and they're still not heard.
The answer why is so frustrating that I won't bother repeating that sad song.

Sorry for your troubles.

So what happens when your preferred vendor stops making products you enjoy?

 

[Glassed Silver]

Sorry for your troubles.

So what happens when your preferred vendor stops making products you enjoy?

Rock the one I have currently and hope they recover to sensible options, otherwise I'll make it the cheap Mac + beefy Windows machine for the needed high performance tasks. (gaming and video editing)

Sucks, but if that has to be the way it is...

Apple's losing money here, because they chase the profits first nowadays, customer comes in distant second.
They did it before and this time there is no Jobs to beg to come back, so they'll have to find the solution themselves someway.

I don't know if and if so how fast they will "fail", but eventually most companies experience a steep downwards trend again and the tech industry is a fairly young business actually.
Certainly many of the things that made Apple great are on the way out and it'll catch up to them eventually.

Remember, Apple back then didn't perform poorly right away after Jobs left, they even had - financially - very successful years, but you can only milk the customer so much until they're no long having it.
This is precisely where Job's famous quote comes from:
“If you keep your eye on the profit, you’re going to skimp on the product. But if you focus on making really great products, then the profits will follow.”

Glassed Silver:mac

 

[gaximus]

So it says it supports 2 4k monitors at the same time, can the Retina MacBook even handle that?

 

[Admiral]

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

I don't work in a render factory or anything like that. I surf the web and send email from airports and hotel rooms in various locations because I'm always travelling. The MacBook is so thin and light I scarcely notice it in my bag. Believe you me, I knew when I was carrying the 15" MacBook Pro or any horrible Windows laptop.

 

[Glassed Silver]

I don't work in a render factory or anything like that. I surf the web and send email from airports and hotel rooms in various locations because I'm always travelling. The MacBook is so thin and light I scarcely notice it in my bag. Believe you me, I knew when I was carrying the 15" MacBook Pro or any horrible Windows laptop.

In that case, that's a perfectly valid setup for perfectly valid needs at a perfectly invalid price point.

Sorry, Apple screwed you price-wise if they didn't screw you spec-wise.

Specs and price just don't combine, even taking the "Apple Tax" into account. This goes WELL beyond that.

Glassed Silver:mac

 

[Admiral]

In that case, that's a perfectly valid setup for perfectly valid needs at a perfectly invalid price point.

Sorry, Apple screwed you price-wise if they didn't screw you spec-wise.

Specs and price just don't combine, even taking the "Apple Tax" into account. This goes WELL beyond that.

I'm a price-insensitive consumer. I have enough money. What I don't have enough of is time, convenience, and portability. If you've got a comparable fanless, Retina-screen two-pound laptop that runs Mac OS X and also costs a lot less than this one, by all means let me know.

 

[Kajje]

and if you dont like the silicon case around the unit, you can remove it yourself, i think it looks like this
http://www.caldigit.com/tuff/images/drive.png
when the case is removed.

the silicon case just just a protection if you decide to carry the unit with you, if not, get rid of it.

That looks like the thing grandma washed her grannypanties on.

 

[manu chao]

The problem is that the options are thinning out.

Apple had never had more laptop models as it has today.

So it says it supports 2 4k monitors at the same time, can the Retina MacBook even handle that?

No, USB-C and this dock can handle it, but not the MacBook One. It's the same with TB docks, they also might offer screen resolutions that not every TB-equipped Mac can supply.

 

[manu chao]

Deleted.

 

[toke lahti]

Apple had never had more laptop models as it has today.

Yes, they are offering one model with display from last decade, one model without ports, one model with no upgrades for years, one model with no good gpu and one very expensive model. And all with soldered non-upgradeable ram. How nice!

 

[manu chao]

Yes, they are offering one model with display from last decade, one model without ports, one model with no upgrades for years, one model with no good gpu and one very expensive model. And all with soldered non-upgradeable ram. How nice!

So, what percentage of non-Apple laptops come with a display from the last decade? What percentage of very thin non-Apple laptops offer non-soldered RAM?

 

[Glassed Silver]

Apple had never had more laptop models as it has today.


No, USB-C and this dock can handle it, but not the MacBook One. It's the same with TB docks, they also might offer screen resolutions that not every TB-equipped Mac can supply.

I don't mean an amount x of options, what I actually tried to convey is what they offer in these options.

Glassed Silver:mac

 

[tillsbury]

So *that's* where the Japanese designer who used to do transistor radios in the 70s is working now...

 

[Marx55]

Great, but bring out also the ultimate hub-dock for Mac:

4 Thunderbolt 3 ports.
8 USB 3.1 Type-C (reversible) ports.

2 SDXC reader supporting UHS-II maximum speed (312 Mbps; Bus Speed Default Speed/ High Speed/ UHS at
https://www.sdcard.org/developers/overview/bus_speed

4 FireWire 800 ports.
4 eSATA 3.2 ports.

2 HDMI 2 ports.
2 Gigabit Ethernet ports.
1 Audio In port (stereo).
1 Audio Out port (stereo)

 

[toke lahti]

Great, but bring out also the ultimate hub-dock for Mac:

4 Thunderbolt 3 ports.
8 USB 3.1 Type-C (reversible) ports.

2 SDXC reader supporting UHS-II maximum speed (312 Mbps; Bus Speed Default Speed/ High Speed/ UHS at
https://www.sdcard.org/developers/overview/bus_speed

4 FireWire 800 ports.
4 eSATA 3.2 ports.

2 HDMI 2 ports.
2 Gigabit Ethernet ports.
1 Audio In port (stereo).
1 Audio Out port (stereo)

Gigabit is so yesterday, should be 2.5/5G.
And w00t, no cFast, no deal...

 

[toke lahti]

So, what percentage of non-Apple laptops come with a display from the last decade? What percentage of very thin non-Apple laptops offer non-soldered RAM?

You tell me. I don't care about vey thin. The rest of industry follows Apple, so it's Apple who should change the course and lead the change. Not some Chinese company with 0% profits...

Edit: just checked hp's zbook17 (I'm sure there are lots of others): antiglare 17" uhd & tb3 dock. If only with osx...
Macs are so deep with this thinniness that specwise they compete with toys...

 

[manu chao]

You tell me. I don't care about vey thin. The rest of industry follows Apple, so it's Apple who should change the course and lead the change.

So it is Apple's fault that PC manufacturers have released so many very thin laptops? And it couldn't be because these very thin laptops are selling very well? Or is it Apple's fault that it has shown the consumer how much she or he likes very thin laptops and if Apple wouldn't have enabled people to realise that they like very thin laptops, this all would not have happened? As in how dare Apple invent the modern smartphone, now only a small number of people buy feature phones.

Or do you have a mindset that cannot envisage that most things that happen are the result of millions of individual decisions and millions of physical, chemical, etc. constraints but that almost everything that happens must be the result of some invisible hand (Apple in this case) deciding on what will happen?

The rest of the industry is not following Apple, it is following the consumers which have shown that they like very thin laptops if they are presented with that option.

 

[World Jobs]

very interesting products.

 

[toke lahti]

So it is Apple's fault that PC manufacturers have released so many very thin laptops? And it couldn't be because these very thin laptops are selling very well? Or is it Apple's fault that it has shown the consumer how much she or he likes very thin laptops and if Apple wouldn't have enabled people to realise that they like very thin laptops, this all would not have happened? As in how dare Apple invent the modern smartphone, now only a small number of people buy feature phones.

Or do you have a mindset that cannot envisage that most things that happen are the result of millions of individual decisions and millions of physical, chemical, etc. constraints but that almost everything that happens must be the result of some invisible hand (Apple in this case) deciding on what will happen?

The rest of the industry is not following Apple, it is following the consumers which have shown that they like very thin laptops if they are presented with that option.

Apple's fault is that, even now, when they are the biggest muscle in the industry, they don't offer both thin or powerful, just the former one.
Maximizing profits with minimal amount of models won't be good for a long run. Why no 17"? Why no matte screen? Wouldn't sell enough? Why no laptop with 2 storages?
Btw, anybody seen any discussion about that hp's tb3 dock?