DockCase for New MacBook Pro Models Combines Protection With Ports

[MacRumors]

Apple's newest 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pro models offer new features like the Touch Bar and an expanded Trackpad, but they also lack features many deemed necessary, most notably any port other than USB Type-C. That means adapters, adapters, and more adapters.

DockCase is hoping to help by introducing a case for the MacBook Pro that has a USB-C dock built in, eliminating the need for most adapters.

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As detailed in our video above, the case is made from a leather-like material that held up well in everyday use during our testing. The inside of the case is lined with micro fiber, and a magnetic flap helps keep your MacBook inside. The bottom of the case is what makes the DockCase different, with a full USB-C dock with Ethernet, HDMI, USB-C, USB-A, and SD card ports built right in. The dock connects to your MacBook Pro with an included USB-C to USB-C cable that tucks inside the case when not in use.

This case is currently a fully funded Kickstarter project so changes may come before the final release, but even with this pre-production model, everything works as it should. There are no connection issues and the data read speed is fast with support for USB 3.1 transfer speeds.

As for issues, it would have been great to see the included USB-C cable built into the case instead of free floating. Also, the case is rather large, particularly the 15" model. While it protects your 15" MacBook Pro, the case won't fit into many bags and will have to be carried.

DockCase will retail for $129 for the 13" MacBook Pro and $139 for the 15" MacBook Pro, and there's also a limited edition version for the MacBook for $119. However, if you back the Kickstarter campaign, you can snag the case for $50 cheaper. DockCase says the first orders will begin shipping out in November, but as with all Kickstarter projects, there could be delays, so use caution when backing a product from a first time manufacturer.

Article Link: DockCase for New MacBook Pro Models Combines Protection With Ports

 

[randyhudson]

They don't know their market. Should be charging double that price

 

[Dilster3k]

Honestly, if this product utilized more premium materials (genuine leather & stainless steel strip) with a higher price tag and I owned the newest MBP. I would likely purchase this product. The expansion even goes beyond the 2012 rMBP, so that's really impressive.

 

[justperry]

I think you can easily improve this case, Open it on the long side using velcro, then you don't need the cable, it would slide/hook up with the hub on the side.

 

[Westside guy]

Not a horrible idea - at least when compared to the need for either one large multipurpose dongle or multiple smaller dongles. However it still bugs me that Apple made these compromise solutions necessary in the first place.

I'll be sticking with my 2015 MacBook Pro for the foreseeable future. I can live without a USB-C port easier than I can live without all the other ports.

 

[bobdobalina]

I like it. Maybe Apple can implement some of these features in their next laptop. They could call it the "Pro". I think it would catch on.

 

[Crow KC]

Personally, I don't view Type-C exclusivity as a problem at all. I don't use adapters and more adapters. I have a Type A adapter (see below) that I use on rare occasion - about as often as I pull my HDMI adapter out (very rarely). I just invested fully into Type-C and eliminated as much Type-A stuff as I could, as well as Micro-B, Mini-B, etc. For those purposes I have some nice Type-C to Micro B, Type C to Mini B, and Type C to full-size B cables. I bought battery power banks with Type C to utilize my new cables on the go, and have Type C chargers plugged into my car's 12V ports. I use a "legacy" Dell 5K display that takes dual DisplayPort input via two Type-C to DisplayPort cables that cost me $20 on Amazon. I use a tiny MicroSD card reader where the MicroSD card insert into a Type A port on one side, and has a Type C on the other so it works in either. I had an LG 5K display at my previous job, and the brilliance of it was that it did NOT try to be one of these stupid "shove every port in existence into it" dongles - it simply expanded the number of available Type C ports.

The adapter I use for Type A is the same one I use for wired Ethernet - it's made by Anker and has 3 Type A ports in addition to a network port. I rarely use those Type A ports since converting as much as I could to Type C though...

The "MacBook Pro's biggest problem" hasn't been a problem for me since about a week after I bought it. The biggest problem in our household computer situation now is all the old cables and devices I need for my previous MacBook Pro (now my wife's) to work with all the same stuff. It's just not enough of a problem to motivate me to spend another $4k!

 

[garirry]

This looks amazing but there's an even easier way to solve the problem: having Apple put more than four USB-C ports on the darn thing.

 

[4jasontv]

DockPouch?

 

[Appleaker]

They don't know their market. Should be charging double that price

No, they could charge double that price, but it’s great that they’re not.

 

[QuarterSwede]

I like it. Maybe Apple can implement some of these features in their next laptop. They could call it the "Pro". I think it would catch on.

I love the idea of an elegant leather pad with dock expansion. Seems brilliantly simple. Definitely Apple’esque.

 

[o9p0]

They're missing the point of a dock. It's to sit down at a frequented "work station" where a wide variety of peripherals are already plugged in, waiting for a head unit to give them life. Am I now going to pack up my display and my external RAID enclosure and all my other USB-enabled to go portable? I don't think so. This is a port expander, not a dock.

 

[BornAgainMac]

Waiting until all these misc ports are obsolete before I get a Macbook Pro. I just want to connect to the native USB-C port for all my devices. Waiting for the early adopters on this one to make USB-C mainstream that you don't need this stuff anymore.

 

[Trunks78]

What's the name of the bamboo table in the video?

 

[shareef777]

Soooo... it's a USB-C dock glued to the end of a laptop sleeve?

I guess if you travel with your laptop only it sorta makes sense. But if you travel with your charger then you'be got a bigger bag already which makes this kinda pointless.

 

[n-evo]

"DockCase is not only a dock, but also a case."

Brilliant explanation. I couldn't quite arrive there myself.

 

[macduke]

This sounds like a great idea but I've been screwed over on Kickstarter many times and every time.

 

[cmwade77]

I still don't get all of the fuss about only having USB-C connections, the reality is aside from maybe flash drives, everything currently requires you to bring the appropriate cable to connect it, so why not simply replace the cables with the following:

• HDMI Cable
  • $11.99 - https://www.amazon.com/CableCreatio...504131005&sr=8-6&keywords=usb-c+to+hdmi+cable
• USB 3.0 Micro-B cable
  • $7.99 (for two cables) - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011BGMGXA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
• Usb 3.0 Type B Cable
  • $8.99 - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011BGMDGU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
• MicroUSB Cable
  • $6.99 - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00WHRRB06/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
• MiniUSB Cable
  • $6.99 - https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matter...31395&sr=8-1&keywords=usb-c+to+mini+usb+cable
• Adapter for Flash Drives and other USB devices (for good measure):
  • $7.99 for Two - https://www.amazon.com/Adapter-JSAU...1578&sr=1-7&keywords=usb-c+to+usb+3.0+adapter

You could easily buy just two packs of the adapters (assuming you don't need HDMI) and it would be $16, add in an HDMI cable and it is another $12, so $28, but if you look above you can replace all of the cables for about $50 and then there is no additional bulk needed over what you are taking now, except two very tiny USB adapters that could easily fit on to the end of flash drives or other USB devices that don't use cables.

And just for the record, I have been using every single one of the above products since the USB-C only Macbook Pros came out and they all work very well and are very high speed cables. I only mention that so that everyone understands this isn't a hypothetical situation, but a real working world scenario.

Now if you do want to plug in an ethernet cable, you would also need something like:
https://www.amazon.com/UGREEN-Ether...sr=1-2-spons&keywords=usb-c+to+ethernet&psc=1

This does add a little bulk, but if you need it, it could be worth it and runs about $11.

 

[skys15]

Not a horrible idea - at least when compared to the need for either one large multipurpose dongle or multiple smaller dongles. However it still bugs me that Apple made these compromise solutions necessary in the first place.

I'll be sticking with my 2015 MacBook Pro for the foreseeable future. I can live without a USB-C port easier than I can live without all the other ports.

The purpose is for Apple to obviously push the rest the world to a much needed better solution, one I/O. Otherwise the rest the world sits stagnant for 20 years and not even care about...a BETTER SOLUTION
[doublepost=1504133324][/doublepost]

The purpose is for Apple to obviously push the rest the world to a much needed better solution, one I/O. Otherwise the rest the world sits stagnant for 20 years and not even care about...a BETTER SOLUTION

It's the exact way of thinking that the auto industry sat stagnant for 30+ years selling us expensive crap with very minimal technological upgrades...and then someone with a brain, Elon Musk, and other companies finally did something about it. Apple still does this in the world but very un-creative people still fail to recognize the overall picture.

 

[cmwade77]

The purpose is for Apple to obviously push the rest the world to a much needed better solution, one I/O. Otherwise the rest the world sits stagnant for 20 years and not even care about...a BETTER SOLUTION
[doublepost=1504133324][/doublepost]
It's the exact way of thinking that the auto industry sat stagnant for 30+ years selling us expensive crap with very minimal technological upgrades...and then someone with a brain, Elon Musk, and other companies finally did something about it. Apple still does this in the world but very un-creative people still fail to recognize the overall picture.

Overall this is true, but as I said, it is easy to replace legacy cables with USB-C cables. The exception I see to this is Apple's insistence on using Lightning cables for their iPhone and iPad, they should switch them to USB-C to be consistent and then everything really would be a standard connection.

 

[skys15]

Overall this is true, but as I said, it is easy to replace legacy cables with USB-C cables. The exception I see to this is Apple's insistence on using Lightning cables for their iPhone and iPad, they should switch them to USB-C to be consistent and then everything really would be a standard connection.

Ya good point I wish they had switched iPhone to usb-c too, like right after the MacBook came out with usb-c a few years ago. I actually wish usb-c form factor was the lightning, it's smaller and I like the feel of the "click" when inserted and it also stays in more firmly. But I wonder if they haven't committed the iPhone to a new usb-c cause they see wireless as the future. Zero cables someday, that'd be nice.

 

[Zirel]

Personally, I don't view Type-C exclusivity as a problem at all. I don't use adapters and more adapters. I have a Type A adapter (see below) that I use on rare occasion - about as often as I pull my HDMI adapter out (very rarely). I just invested fully into Type-C and eliminated as much Type-A stuff as I could, as well as Micro-B, Mini-B, etc. For those purposes I have some nice Type-C to Micro B, Type C to Mini B, and Type C to full-size B cables. I bought battery power banks with Type C to utilize my new cables on the go, and have Type C chargers plugged into my car's 12V ports. I use a "legacy" Dell 5K display that takes dual DisplayPort input via two Type-C to DisplayPort cables that cost me $20 on Amazon. I use a tiny MicroSD card reader where the MicroSD card insert into a Type A port on one side, and has a Type C on the other so it works in either. I had an LG 5K display at my previous job, and the brilliance of it was that it did NOT try to be one of these stupid "shove every port in existence into it" dongles - it simply expanded the number of available Type C ports.

The adapter I use for Type A is the same one I use for wired Ethernet - it's made by Anker and has 3 Type A ports in addition to a network port. I rarely use those Type A ports since converting as much as I could to Type C though...

The "MacBook Pro's biggest problem" hasn't been a problem for me since about a week after I bought it. The biggest problem in our household computer situation now is all the old cables and devices I need for my previous MacBook Pro (now my wife's) to work with all the same stuff. It's just not enough of a problem to motivate me to spend another $4k!

Yeah, that’s what people with knowledge do.

The only problem is that’s cheap.

And blogs need to make people buy expensive stuff off amazon, because they get also large commissions.

Sorry, MR.

 

[DogHouseDub]

What's the name of the bamboo table in the video?

Charles.

 

[poematik13]

People are going to look at these accessories in the future and laugh.

Thunderbolt 3 is such a huge step forward in every way and it's a shame that the internet doesn't get it and instead makes silly regressive accessories like these.

 

[chucker23n1]

People are going to look at these accessories in the future and laugh.

Thunderbolt 3 is such a huge step forward in every way and it's a shame that the internet doesn't get it and instead makes silly regressive accessories like these.

How does Thunderbolt 3 help you when you’re in a conference room at a customer’s and trying to hook up Ethernet and HDMI? It doesn’t. A dock, OTOH, could.
[doublepost=1504161669][/doublepost]

I still don't get all of the fuss about only having USB-C connections, the reality is aside from maybe flash drives, everything currently requires you to bring the appropriate cable to connect it

When presenting, odds are the conference room has an HDMI cable. If you’re lucky, it might even have adapters from mini-DisplayPort and a few others. Odds are, right now and for the next several years, it won’t have an adapter from USB-C. And most definitely not from Thunderbolt.

Yes, you’ll need a cable anyway. But now you probably need a cable and an adapter.