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CES 2012: Belkin Thunderbolt Express Dock to Launch in September at $299
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I'd say we are in phase one: Rip off.
I think the next phase will be less expensive Thunderbolt monitors with a few ports. If you build a 1920 x 1080 monitor with Displayport, making it Thunderbolt compatible and adding a few ports isn't that expensive, since you've got the case and the power supply already, and no additional shipping cost, and you don't need to worry about design.
External RAID drive would make sense as well. Start with something that people want anyway, use Thunderbolt as a fast connector, and add value by adding a few additional ports.
Next phase would be docks that are actually value for money. Looking forward to it.
Tough when Thunderbolt would save you maybe one cable over DisplayPort + USB 3.0.
Ridiculous
No USB 3.0 and way above a realistic price... even at $99, it seems overpriced and for $299 I think they're dreaming. This will be dead before it arrives...
No USB 3.0 and way above a realistic price... even at $99, it seems overpriced and for $299 I think they're dreaming. This will be dead before it arrives...
what's the justification for charging $300 for what is essentially an extension cord? Is there something that I'm missing?
I understand, but then why is Apple putting it in products like the MacBook Air? It really doesn't make sense if it's meant to be an enterprise technology.
Also, the miniDP connector is very 'consumerish', it has no locking and a bit fragile to be used in the back of a big server.
Too much money for what it is.
1) No USB 3.0. Immediately cuts the value in half of what they're asking.
2) It's a HUB. $299? Really?
3) Available in Sept? Don't even mention it unless it's going to be released in the same quarter.
Next.
1) No USB 3.0. Immediately cuts the value in half of what they're asking.
2) It's a HUB. $299? Really?
3) Available in Sept? Don't even mention it unless it's going to be released in the same quarter.
Next.
Apple and Intel never claimed it was a USB replacement. It was designed to be complementary. USB 3.0, with its backward compatibility, had a natural market. TB, if done right, enables connections requiring more bandwidth. The dock is a nice idea, but it's priced too high. If it had USB 3.0 and/or eSATA ports, it could be worthwhile.
So they thought that USB hubs are too cheap and work too well, and no one's making loads of money from them. So they invented these über-docks which do basically the same thing just faster, but cost hundreds of times more even though the speed isn't hundreds of times faster. If this was like $20, then it might be worth it. It's just a hub, something that people generally buy as small gifts in the shape of cute animals.
+1. That's 1/3 the price of a Thunderbolt monitor and doesn't give you any additional functionality! USB 3.0 is mandatory to make something like this remotely useful (eSata would be a nice add-on too). FW is probably the least useful port to add given the daisy-chain capabilities of the built-in ports on the machines.
Big, big miss.
needs 2 esata ports that will port multiply. needs 1 usb3. it would be worth the money.
I have 2 lacie little big disks modded with samsung ssd's they are nice with the samsungs.
I have a promise pegasus r6 nice gear you can put your own hdds or ssds in it.
I have a sonnettech express card to thunderbolt adapter with a sonnet tech express card. this works but is not that fast.
t-bolt is at odds with iCloud . You can have a 600 dollar mac mini with loads of storage
I have 2 lacie little big disks modded with samsung ssd's they are nice with the samsungs.
I have a promise pegasus r6 nice gear you can put your own hdds or ssds in it.
I have a sonnettech express card to thunderbolt adapter with a sonnet tech express card. this works but is not that fast.
t-bolt is at odds with iCloud . You can have a 600 dollar mac mini with loads of storage
Definitely in Ripoff phase... next phase will almost definitely have more features and cost less.
Take the dock, add USB 3 and a 2.5" drive, and all of a sudden it's a compelling product for $299 or BYOD for $199. No real need for eSATA.
Probably, but after considering the fact that you can buy a whole system board plus a processor for that price, there's no way it what you describe above has to drive the price so high.
Keep in mind guys - Aside from apple's (frankly) overpriced thunderbolt display, this is the first adapter on the market to offer this kind of connectivity. As more manufacturers jump on the bandwagon and the market saturates, the price will go down. Right now it's top dollar for new tech 
just one more reason why TB will be dead (if it's not already).
a $300 port?! And it's not even releasing for another 9 months?! Sheeeez.
TB has failed to gain ANY momentum since its birth...with devices still costing over $1000 and "ports" costing $300, TB will be far less used than Firewire or even MiniDisc.
Nice technical concept, extremely poor execution to get it into the market.
a $300 port?! And it's not even releasing for another 9 months?! Sheeeez.
TB has failed to gain ANY momentum since its birth...with devices still costing over $1000 and "ports" costing $300, TB will be far less used than Firewire or even MiniDisc.
Nice technical concept, extremely poor execution to get it into the market.
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I'd say this was a funny joke of a product but it's not funny because it sets expectations that thunderbolt is a market failure. Frankly, we *need* a high-end port like thunderbolt to push technology along. It's the best way of getting PCI devices external. Ridding the industry of the need for internal expansion is really the only way "professional workstations" will be able to go all the way in becoming small, cool, compact & quiet (using the technology of the portable market). It's not a question of why but when. I'd rather not wait another ten years for workstation power to shrink to sensibly quiet, cool, space-saving designs. (I'm not talking about render farms & server closets)
I'd say this was a funny joke of a product but it's not funny because it sets expectations that thunderbolt is a market failure. Frankly, we *need* a high-end port like thunderbolt to push technology along. It's the best way of getting PCI devices external. Ridding the industry of the need for internal expansion is really the only way "professional workstations" will be able to go all the way in becoming small, cool, compact & quiet (using the technology of the portable market). It's not a question of why but when. I'd rather not wait another ten years for workstation power to shrink to sensibly quiet, cool, space-saving designs. (I'm not talking about render farms & server closets)
Keep in mind guys - Aside from apple's (frankly) overpriced thunderbolt display, this is the first adapter on the market to offer this kind of connectivity. As more manufacturers jump on the bandwagon and the market saturates, the price will go down. Right now it's top dollar for new tech
New tech? Thunderbolt has been out for a year, and by the time this thing comes out in September, Thunderbolt will be almost 2 years old.
If Thunderbolt devices aren't coming out now, I don't think they will.
Ooooh! I want this. That's exactly what I want to connect my monitor, Wacom, and the random USB device.
The problem I see, is that it's about $249 too expensive.
The problem I see, is that it's about $249 too expensive.
September 2012? Really?
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How long did it take for USB 1 devices to become readily available? Do you remember?
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How long did it take for USB 1 devices to become readily available? Do you remember?