One that pops up is the sleep issues, and we all know Mavericks has had sleep issues and it may not be the dock.
Exactly. I haven't seen them here in the threads about the CalDigit dock nor does my MBA exhibit sleep issues. It sleeps and wakes without any problems. There are some sleep issues with Mavericks (no wifi network connection after wake, slow connecting of wifi after wake) and a lot with external drives (yes you Toshiba!). There also are issues with the Thunderbolt Display from Apple which is randomly dropping ports (mostly the USB ones). None of those issues are with the CalDigit/Elgato/StarTech dock.
I agree in principle, but Apple has created a situation where their laptops are most OS X users' main computer.
Apple didn't create that situation, we users did. Apple is only responding to it just like any other computer manufacturer. Desktop sales are declining in favour of notebooks and tablets. A trend that has been going on for about 4 years now.
Add in that they make them thinner and remove ports seemingly every year and you end up with a main computer that needs a widget to integrate it to peripherals.
Not sure what you mean by that exactly but Thunderbolt and USB are a very good solution if you want something that you can still use in the future. USB is something that you use for anything that doesn't isn't very demanding such as keyboards, mice and the like. Thunderbolt is for everything that is demanding like DSP, storage solutions, networking and so on.
But on other MBPs, from 2014, that I have to spend time in front of, they've just cut so much out of the connectivity that they simply don't have some things that are needed without rebuying a whole new set of peripherals. I've got external monitors, ethernet, and whatever else going right into them.
I honestly haven't seen it any different in the past. Well, I have for the ordinary user: there were too much ports most of them have never ever used. The current port layout is much more sensible for nearly all users than it was back in the day.
The only thing that really changed for us Mac users is that we now have an official docking solution via Thunderbolt. One of the most requested features because most people like to connect only a few cables, not a dozen. And with Thunderbolt this is usable on 2011 Macs up to the current line up without any loss in features of the dock (meaning: all features the dock offers will be available, such as USB3; currently that is the way to add USB3 to your old 2011 iMac, Mac mini, etc.). This also means that I have to spend quite some money on those things now but I won't have to for the next couple of years. Heck, I can even switch between various types of computers: desktop, laptop, high end, low end. You don't have to match your computer to the hardware you've got.
Also, docks are only used at peoples desk, not on the road. On the road I've seen people use a mouse plus usb stick and in some rare cases an additional peripheral like some measuring device or external disk. Something that has been handled by USB and Bluetooth for years.
It's an odd scenario, though. There's very little good will towards the docks, as they're years late, behind the coming Tbolt curve,
Yes I do find them to be quite late but at least we've got them now and they are here to stay (both the Thunderbolt and the USB3 docks!). Finally.
overpriced, many have not insignificant quirks, and most are incomplete solutions (though for sure one would buy the one that fills their needs).
If you say overpriced then that means you have no idea what docking solutions cost. All of them are expensive and could be considered overpriced. The ones at the $100 level might be "cheap" (docks are usually around $200) but they are usually also utter crap (lots of stability issues, you need to install drivers which aren't always supported properly). The Thunderbolt docks seem to be more stable.
Incomplete functionality is a very personal preference. From what I've seen at various desks in various companies and at peoples homes I can't say that I've seen anyone needing more than what the current docks (USB3, Thunderbolt or proprietary) are offering. The only people bringing up this argument are the ones who want to connect some old piece of hardware or any other kind of niche/specialist product (which are almost always a major PITA). Really, having a HDMI/DVI port instead of the mDP port is the only "mistake" those dock manufacturers have made and even that is a minor issue since most displays are able to handle HDMI/DVI just fine.
Whenever I get a new MBP down the line I know I'll have to add some Thunderbolt hardware to keep my desk as it is, even if I don't want one when I take them on the road. They're just lacking the gazintas and gazoutas.
The only thing I had to change when going from my 15" MBP 2010 to a 13" MBA 2012 was how I connected to my network. I had to buy the TB-eth nic in order to use a wired connection. My own docking solution (aka a USB hub from about 10 years ago) kept on working. I was lucky I didn't use an external monitor (there were no Thunderbolt docks, properly working USB docks for OS X or USB3-gigabit ethernet nics at that time). Since my CalDigit dock the external monitor isn't an issue any more.
The reality of most users is a completely different one than yours. Manufacturers like Apple aim at keeping most users happy. That means that some users will have too many ports but it will also mean that some users, such as you, will complain about a lack of ports. It's a mass product. If you want it to have everything you want then don't be surprised that you might need an extra mortgage. With the logic here I can start all sorts of discussions. Let's talk about fountain pens...it is ridiculous that we have cities without at least 1 shop that is somewhat specialised in writing instruments (read: pens). Most people will argue that the days of the pen have long gone (yet many still use them, there are quite a lot of websites about fountain pens and even mechanical pencils). Which is my point exactly: you guys are wanting something whose days are long gone. Be realistic and look beyond your own specific requirements.
I'd also like to point out that the questions about what kind of issues all those Thunderbolt have are still left unanswered which leads to the conclusion that those who brought up those issues are most likely just trolling. You may want to prove me wrong so let's start again: what issues with Thunderbolt docks are we talking about?
It won't have enough USB ports for me anyway. When they do eventually release something next year, perhaps I'll be able to use both docks in some combination instead of tacking on a USB hub to get the 7 ports I want.