CES 2023: Plugable's New Thunderbolt 4 Dock for MacBook Pro Features 16 Ports

[Mousse]

Seems like such a big flaw for everyday usability in a port that was supposed to replace USB-A.

Agreed. I don't care what the issue is, this is 2023 mostly accepting incoming connections from a decade ago. I went Caldigit for this reason.

Have we learned nothing from long ago in a galaxy far, far away? Keeping old ports around when something newer and better is available will come back to bite us in the (_!_).

If the Empire had not used the ancient scomp link port, a 40-something year old R2 unit would never have been able to access the Death Star's computer network to download the Death Star blue prints.

 

[kevcube]

Yes I remember reading in the current usb-c spec they can't do splitting, only daisy chain. The next version will address this I think.

Maybe with usb-c, but thunderbolt certainly can. I use the Razer tb4 dock that is only 4x downstream usb-C, audio and Ethernet. It’s all I need to achieve the clean desk I want because I can just leave a dongle or whatever attached to it for any protocol

 

[JeffPerrin]

Sigh. Another laptop-centric hub where the host port is in the front. AFAIK, Caldigit is the only one who makes a hub suitable for desktop computers - that is - the host port is in the back along with the bulk of the "resident" cable connections.

 

[falkon-engine]

No downstream thunderbolt 4 ports = 1 BIG yawn.

 

[kaz911]

YAD... (Yet Another Dock) - with no real differentiating features from the million other docks up for sale.

While my CalDigit TS3+ is a not a good dock at all - no new docks seem really suitable for M1 Max ?

2.5G ethernet... we need 10G

4 Display ports ? Why?

 

[canonical]

(i) 2.5 Gig ethernet is nice --- but time for 10G ethernet on a hub.
(ii) Like others, I would like to see many more USB-C ports ... but not just USB-C, but powered USB-C ports. Powered USB-C has become crucial for providing a single cable to a Macbook Air or iPad that provides both power and data at the same time ... and the hub should be able to support a number of devices at the same time (Macbook Air, iPad etc)

 

[oneMadRssn]

YAD... (Yet Another Dock) - with no real differentiating features from the million other docks up for sale.

While my CalDigit TS3+ is a not a good dock at all - no new docks seem really suitable for M1 Max ?

2.5G ethernet... we need 10G

4 Display ports ? Why?

I think you've answered your own question. I have dual displays that work best with DisplayPort. I have found a surprising lack of docks that have two DP outputs. Don't get me wrong, there are some, but there are FAR FAR more that have only one HDMI out. And the dual DP docks tend to cost a lot more too.

 

[platinumaqua]

I wish there is a thunderbolt travel dock that only has USB-A and C 10Gbps ports and a PCI-E connected Ethernet port, since the new MBP already has an HDMI port.

I don't really need a video out port, but if they really want to include one, 1x DisplayPort would do.

 

[EugW]

I have the much simpler Plugable Thunderbolt 4 / USB4 5-in-1 hub. I'm very pleased with it to expand the number of ports on my M1 Mac mini. I run my USB-C monitor off of it.

 

[HackMacDaddy]

Wake me up when I can dock an iPhone and use it in "Desktop-mode".

 

[Shirasaki]

I would like to see a USB-C Dock, with more than FOUR (4) (Quatro) (Quatre) USB-C ports. None of my devices connect with USB-A anymore.

Or are we just slapping Micro-SD on everything and it sells?

Shouldn't there be 4x USB-C ports instead of USB-A?

Just me alone have 5 hard drives that are USB-A only with no way to get USB-C cable. And USB-A is still more widely used Than USB-C, particularly in the lower end of gadgets market, including cheap USB sticks or USB hard drives.

 

[FFabian]

What I don’t get with most of these docks is the weird mix of different USB A ports. If you insist on adding USB A ports make them all 10 Gbps. No one can remember which one is the 5 Gbps, the powered USB 2.0 port and the 10 GBPs. Nothing is more infuriating than fumbling around with USB A cables because you accidentally plugged your SSD in the wrong USB Port for the second time.

 

[Macintosh Quadra 840av]

Sigh. Another laptop-centric hub where the host port is in the front. AFAIK, Caldigit is the only one who makes a hub suitable for desktop computers - that is - the host port is in the back along with the bulk of the "resident" cable connections.

OWC has some that do also.

 

[Macintosh Quadra 840av]

What I don’t get with most of these docks is the weird mix of different USB A ports. If you insist on adding USB A ports make them all 10 Gbps. No one can remember which one is the 5 Gbps, the powered USB 2.0 port and the 10 GBPs. Nothing is more infuriating than fumbling around with USB A cables because you accidentally plugged your SSD in the wrong USB Port for the second time.

It's not like you're generally switching these things around all the time. It's simple enough to read the labels when setting it up and use the slower ports for things that don't need it, like mice, keyboards, and other lower-speed peripheral. Once plugged in, the general idea is that it just lives on the desk and the front ports are what you're likely changing most often.

 

[Flight Plan]

We'll have to wait for the EU to codify that into law.

Weren't we planning to conquer the EU? Like, how hard would it be? All it should take is some angry words and hand waiving, right? Or maybe we could start by getting rid of that popup that makes people agree to accept cookies!

 

[VictorTango777]

Plugable also introduced an 11-in-1 USB-C hub, available now for $79 on Amazon. The hub can be used with the MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iPad Pro, iPad Air, and other Apple devices equipped with USB-C ports.

Does MacOS properly support DisplayPort MST yet? Until it does, neither monitor daisy chaining nor multi-display USB-C hubs will work properly in MacOS. Since MST works fine on an Intel Mac booted into Windows, it is not a hardware issue. What is Apple’s reason for not properly supporting MST in MacOS? Is it some petty attempt to “convince” people to buy Thunderbolt monitors?

 

[Flight Plan]

It's not like you're generally switching these things around all the time. It's simple enough to read the labels when setting it up and use the slower ports for things that don't need it, like mice, keyboards, and other lower-speed peripheral. Once plugged in, the general idea is that it just lives on the desk and the front ports are what you're likely changing most often.

If you're an artist or musician with a lot of devices, and little space on your desk surface, then yeah, you might be plugging and unplugging things more often. Not everybody can have a desktop the size of the plains of Kansas.

 

[theluggage]

Shouldn't there be 4x USB-C ports instead of USB-A?

Yes, because I need to be able to plug in all 4 of my USB-C to USB-A dongles... oh, wait...

why is the host on the front? that's sooooo dumb - looks like I'll stick with my caldigit for a bit longer

I think they're focussing on the laptop docking market so they think you're going to be regularly plugging and unplugging your host. Plus I suspect there are only a one or two different TB4 docks actually being made with different companies either selling them in different cases or simply re-badging them, and one of those has put the host port on the front.

Why do these hubs have lots of USB-A ports, but never have a good amount of USB-C ports? Is there a technical reason such as available bandwidth?

USB 3.1 is USB 3.1 is USB 3.1 whatever shaped connector you use, so bandwidth isn't an issue. Routing DisplayPort and higher-level power delivery to more than a couple of downstream ports would complicate things.

Yes I remember reading in the current usb-c spec they can't do splitting, only daisy chain. The next version will address this I think.

No, that was Thunderbolt 3 and earlier and only applied to the Thunderbolt protocol - USB4/Thunderbolt 4 (and newer TB3 implementations) can do hubs and there are several docks on the market (e.g. the Caldigit Element Hub) that have a few downstream TB4/USB4 ports. USB 3.1-over-USB-C hubs have been possible for ages - but they're like hen's teeth. The Caldigit Element and most other hubs with multiple USB-C use them internally.

Agreed. I don't care what the issue is, this is 2023 mostly accepting incoming connections from a decade ago.

True, its been frustrating that even if you want to go to an all-USB-C setup the multi-port hubs haven't been there - but the big demand for hubs has been from people who just want their old ports back because USB-C offers no advantages to them. However, if you want all-USB-C there are a few choices now - the aforementioned Caldigit Element hub (...but don't expect more USB bandwidth than you'd get from a plain old hub), similar products from OWC and others, and this from Satechi, which is the only USB-C equivalent of the plain 'ol USB hub that I've seen: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Satechi-4-Port-USB-C-Hub-Compatible/dp/B09BNXMHSL

Thing is, though, USB-C's party tricks are Thunderbolt/USB4 and support for things like displays and fast charging (which a hub won't support more than 1 or 2 of anyway). Unless you pay the premium for actual Thunderbolt or USB4 peripherals or can actually find something that uses the 2x modes of USB 3.2, the vast majority of USB-C use is still only 5 or 10 Gbps USB 3.1 from the 00's or DisplayPort 1.2 from the 10's. In many cases the only technical advantage of USB-C over USB-A is the exciting opportunity to replace all of your existing cables with more expensive ones. The majority of USB-C peripherals on the market are - at most - 3.1 gen 2 and won't lose anything from being plugged in to one of the 10Gb type A ports on a dock like this. Quite often there's a type A cable or adapter in the box anyway. Then there's things like wireless mouse dongles and memory sticks where the USB-C versions are bigger and protrude more from your laptop than USB-A versions which could fit most of the components inside the shaft of the connector... USB-C really isn't win-win...

Also, note that docks like this often only share 1-2 USB streams between all of their USB devices using a cascade of internal USB hubs, so even though they might have multiple 10Gbps ports you're not going to be able to fill all of them and use the full 40Gbps thunderbolt bandwidth for USB - plus some of those ports will have multiple helpings of latency from the internal hubs. If you want lotsa USB and don't need the display, ethernet, audio outputs etc. you may be better off just hanging a regular $30 USB 3.1 hub off one of the Mac's TB3/4 ports - in which case you just get a single hub driven by the Mac's internal controller.

 

[Darth-Kylie]

CalDigit TS4 still seems like the best option.

 

[Flight Plan]

Have we learned nothing from long ago in a galaxy far, far away? Keeping old ports around when something newer and better is available will come back to bite us in the (_!_).

If the Empire had not used the ancient scomp link port, a 40-something year old R2 unit would never have been able to access the Death Star's computer network to download the Death Star blue prints.

In today's IT world, you would have to remediate an audit finding for something like that. And that 40-year-old R2 unit would have had to be upgraded to the newest OS. And it would have been a C3PO unit to have made the audit finding, because nothing says "auditor" like a fussy protocol droid!

 

[BornAgainMac]

I want to see a forward looking Dock in 2023 and not a dock with a parade of separate generations of legacy USB ports. Upgraded all my hard drives cables to use USB-C by just swapping out the cables and just waiting for Lighting to die next year.

 

[jjudson]

I tried this and it works great!

 

[Numbah One]

At least the Ethernet port >1Gbps, but why not 10Gbps?

 

[ignatius345]

Have we learned nothing from long ago in a galaxy far, far away? Keeping old ports around when something newer and better is available will come back to bite us in the (_!_).

USB-A has been ubiquitous for decades now and I guarantee you will still be finding them in airport lounges and hotel rooms 5-10 years from now. Hell, I've still got tons of stuff with horrible little micro-USB connectors. It doesn't make sense to throw functional hardware away because it's got the "wrong" plug. When things fail, sure, they should be replaced with modern standards. But the sheer volume of USB-A stuff out there means that's easily a decade away from happening in the real world.

 

[MadDawg2020]

Plugable today unveiled a new Thunderbolt 4 dock that is ideal for use with the latest 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models. The dock features 16 ports and will be available to purchase for $299 on Amazon starting January 17.

The dock is equipped with six USB-A ports (three 10 Gbps, two 5 Gbps, and one 480 Mbps), two USB-C ports (one 10 Gbps and one that provides up to 100W of charging to a MacBook Pro or other device connected), two HDMI ports, two DisplayPorts, an Ethernet port (2.5 Gbps), SD and microSD card readers (UHS-II), and an audio in/out jack. The dock has a separate power supply and connects to a MacBook Pro with a Thunderbolt 4 cable.

The dock can be used to connect up to two 4K displays at 60Hz to the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M1 Pro and M1 Max chips.

A variety of brands have released Thunderbolt 4 docks for the Mac over the past few years, including OWC, CalDigit, Belkin, Satechi, and others. The selection of ports and pricing varies for each dock, so it may be worth shopping around.

Plugable also introduced an 11-in-1 USB-C hub, available now for $79 on Amazon. The hub can be used with the MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iPad Pro, iPad Air, and other Apple devices equipped with USB-C ports. Plugable will showcase both the Thunderbolt 4 dock and USB-C hub at the CES 2023 event Pepcom in Las Vegas later today.

Article Link: CES 2023: Plugable's New Thunderbolt 4 Dock for MacBook Pro Features 16 Ports

$300 and only ONE USB-C and NO Thunderbolt 3 or 4 expansion ports? Hard Pass.