I can't believe it either, I was expecting a $75 - $100 price tag. $300, they can keep it
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CES 2012: Belkin Thunderbolt Express Dock to Launch in September at $299
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I can't believe it either, I was expecting a $75 - $100 price tag. $300, they can keep it
I don't think you people understand why it doesn't have USB3. As it stands, only macs have Thunderbolt. Macs don't have USB3 support, so including a port wouldn't get you too far unless you plan on including drivers as well. Once we start seeing Thunderbolt on PCs, you can expect docks with USB3 on them, not that it'll do us much good until macs have USB3 support.
...and people say that Americans are falling behind at math....
(In what parallel universe is 10 Gbps 66% faster than 6 Gbps?)
In what universe is 10Gbps NOT (roughly) 66% faster than 6Gbps? Am I misreading something?
...and people say that Americans are falling behind at math....
(In what parallel universe is 10 Gbps 66% faster than 6 Gbps?)
if you have a 6 gbps, 10 gbps is 166% of 6, so 66% faster
I see where you got confused as 6 is 60% of 10, or 40% slower
nice, esata 6.0? have you set any up in raid 0 for max speed? curious what your best MB/sec out of them is.
0, I don't need very much fast drive space for what I do with my computer currently and I just do other things while I wait for large transfers. I do wish there was a thunderbolt dock or thunderbolt to esata adapter so I could use a SSD via thunderbolt easily. esata is good enough for me right now, but I compute as a hobby not a job, and no esata on imac or mac mini or macbook air
Interesting point. There are people that are interested in the CPU load from USB, but they're not using USB to begin with (Audio or Video editors). These are the guys that were using Firewire and eSATA and are going to use Thunderbolt arrays because they need the speed.
Half the price of a Mac mini
Absent the need for the fastest possible I/O, a headless Mac mini sounds like a more convenient "docking" option gigabit when you need the speed, wireless when you don't. Plus, the mini can be used for Time Machine. Plus, the mini can be used as a media server. Plus, the mini can be used as an AirPlay speaker server. Plus, the mini can be used for Batch rendering, audio/video encoding, and similar processing tasks. Plus, the mini is a whole frickin' backup _computer_. Gigabit isn't 10 gigabit, but neither is FireWire 800 or USB 2, and you hardly need this unit for DisplayPort and/or Thunderbolt merely, so the applications for this thing seem rather limited.
Sure the price will come down, but plug the bill of materials for what amounts to the better part of the I/O subsystem of a laptop into the usual "******* crazy retail accessory markup" formula, this is probably just what you get. Why can I buy a _device_ bundled with a USB A-B cable for the retail price of a USB extension cable? Because said device never comes with an extension cable. And if they sold it for less, they'd make less money, yet the too-short cable bundled with your new device wouldn't suddenly grow longer. This is just the 21st century's version of batteries that cost more than toys.
What's really needed is a $600 Beats by Dr. Dre Thunderbolt dock with gold-plated connectors and a special headphone jack for heart-pumping bass...
Absent the need for the fastest possible I/O, a headless Mac mini sounds like a more convenient "docking" option gigabit when you need the speed, wireless when you don't. Plus, the mini can be used for Time Machine. Plus, the mini can be used as a media server. Plus, the mini can be used as an AirPlay speaker server. Plus, the mini can be used for Batch rendering, audio/video encoding, and similar processing tasks. Plus, the mini is a whole frickin' backup _computer_. Gigabit isn't 10 gigabit, but neither is FireWire 800 or USB 2, and you hardly need this unit for DisplayPort and/or Thunderbolt merely, so the applications for this thing seem rather limited.
Sure the price will come down, but plug the bill of materials for what amounts to the better part of the I/O subsystem of a laptop into the usual "******* crazy retail accessory markup" formula, this is probably just what you get. Why can I buy a _device_ bundled with a USB A-B cable for the retail price of a USB extension cable? Because said device never comes with an extension cable. And if they sold it for less, they'd make less money, yet the too-short cable bundled with your new device wouldn't suddenly grow longer. This is just the 21st century's version of batteries that cost more than toys.
What's really needed is a $600 Beats by Dr. Dre Thunderbolt dock with gold-plated connectors and a special headphone jack for heart-pumping bass...
*facepalm* it's not about reducing wires, it's about marveling at the fact that ALL SEVEN of these things can be linked to the computer just by plugging in ONE cord!
All the wireless devices available today aside, we are about as far away from achieving a completely cordless work place as we are from achieving a completely paperless work place. But a device like this does the next best thing: dramatically reduces the number of cords that need to be actively used to connect devices.
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Dear God, not that talentless hack and his third-rate over-priced junk!
Am I the only one who thinks that we should have thunderbolt HDD enclosures by now for less than 100$?
Haha true!!
if you have a 6 gbps, 10 gbps is 166% of 6, so 66% faster
I see where you got confused as 6 is 60% of 10, or 40% slower
Sorry, I was looking at it backwards - you both are right. I struck my earlier post.
Looks like Seagate has adapters coming out soon
http://ces.cnet.com/8301-33368_1-57...g=title&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
http://ces.cnet.com/8301-33368_1-57...g=title&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
There is another dockingstation for the MacBook Air 2010 which is also somewhere in the 199~299 range. But those where not the ones I was talking about. IBM, Asus and many others have had port replicators (which are quite different from a dockingstation) for around 149. The Belkin one isn't a dockingstation because there is no docking thus it is a port replicator which is why the port replicator pricing of 149 applies and not the pricing for the current dockingstation for Macs.
That one is cheaper because it is nothing more than a simple plastic holder for cables and the notebook. There is another product that mimics the Hengedock which costs considerably more (I think that one is somewhere between $149~199). The other dockingstations and this port replicator are more than just plastic holders. They actually have electronics inside them (in case of the TB port replicator from Belkin that would be firewire controller, usb controller, nic).
I'm not really sure what your point is. The BookEndz is a port replicator, I guess, since it just passes all of the ports through (though it has a USB hub built in). I don't see how that's a meaningful difference for a user, though. With the BookEndz, I connect with two actions: dock and attach the MagSafe. With the Belkin, it's still two actions: plug in the hub, and plug in the power.
For what it's worth, I think the BookEndz is overpriced. However, it provides the same value to me that the Belkin TB device would.
If apple made it the dock would be atleast 349 and they would have thousands of preorders from the same people trashing this non apple product.
Downrate me if you want, you know I am right.
Both a port replicator as well as a dockingstation will pass all, some or more ports through. The only difference between the two is how you connect them. A dockingstation is where you dock (or click) the notebook in the dockingstation. A port replicator is something you connect to the notebook via a cable, there is no docking. That is what I meant because manufacturers like IBM made this difference (with a different pricing as well, port replicators used to be cheaper). Currently it seems that a port replicator and dockingstation both mean the exact same thing.
I think that the BookEndz provides a little more value than the Belkin TB device will. It is a bit easier to use because you simply click the notebook in the dockingstation. The cable thing is a bit of a hassle and it takes up a little bit more space even.
Yeah, that's smart thinking. That way you can sell them the SAME dock all over again, but this time with USB 3.0 included. Give me another $300! Cha-Ching!!!
You go ahead and marvel all day long. I'll save the $300 and get back to work.
Besides, WTF is the point of having ONE connector if you have to connect an external extra box to get the connectors you must obviously need regardless or you wouldn't be buying this stupid hub in the first place! That's a triple face palm as far as I'm concerned. You eliminate NOTHING and add $300 plus have to haul around an extra box.
Soon after TB came out, I was already sceptical of the success of TB, despite all the hype. Hey I still bought a 2011 MBA in the hope of being able to connect some FW (and gigabit ethernet) to it, but I already have a professional graphics monitor, so I don't need Apple's Screen + Dock solution.
This is expensive for a docking solution - and I'm surprised about the September ship date - but look at Sonnet. They announced a TB-FW adapter with shipping Summer 2011, and this has been continuously pushed back.
I think it's a chipset problem at Intel's side. I've heard from developers that there are no eval boards available. The intel dev site has zero info on TB (apart from the worthless press releases).
I think Apple forced Intel to release the non-optical TB before it was ready in order to justify their "no USB3" stance and that this is biting Apple's customers in the rear-end now.
Hopefully someone will come out with some lower cost TB peripherals. And why is Apple not releasing a similar dock, with FW, USB and 1000Mbps ethernet for 199 (cable included)? That would be a "fair" Apple price. The Belkin should be around 100 USD
I just want a Mac Mini with USB3 on it. I need a new server for my whole house audio/video system to replace this old PPC based one that has no support any longer but I want my external 3TB media drive to run at 150MB/sec+, not 26-30MB/sec. Thunderbolt doesn't help with that one bit. USB3 would make a huge difference. Get me an updated Mini already and I'll buy it immediately.
I don't know what Intel has in mind for TB, but the only real purpose is as a form of docking station in my mind. (or pro usage for fast RAID) Hence all the discussion about it. This wouldn't be a portable thing to carry around, but a dock for your laptop, which remains on the desk. It is a perfect complement to the MBA, for instance.Besides, WTF is the point of having ONE connector if you have to connect an external extra box to get the connectors you must obviously need regardless or you wouldn't be buying this stupid hub in the first place! That's a triple face palm as far as I'm concerned. You eliminate NOTHING and add $300 plus have to haul around an extra box.
But this particular product is just stupid. Late, overpriced, no high speed drive connection. Hopefully others will hit the market before it even ships. Belkin deserves that for the short-sightedness.
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Belkin's iCloud??