Finally found one of these docks at the local Apple Store on Monday and picked it up for my rMBP. I connected my USB 3.0 external drives to the dock instead of the machine itself, and there is no dropoff in throughput between the machine's USB 3.0 ports and the docks USB 3.0 ports. I haven't tried running external monitors yet, but the dock is capable of running one Thunderbolt and one HDMI display simultaneously.
Unlike some of the other docks on the market, the Elgato dock does come with a thunderbolt cable (a short one, but that's better than nothing), and is a powered hub, so you can charge your iPhone/iPad off the dock in a decent amount of time. Since the dock also has two thunderbolt ports (one of which is used to connect to the computer itself), you basically gain three USB 3.0 ports, 1 HDMI port, and additional audio connections for headphones/mics without losing any ports. The dock itself has a good, solid build quality - the aluminum casing is solid like the MBA/MBP lineup, and the design compliments the Mac lineup very well.
To me, the biggest advantage of the dock is being able to leave my external drives (1 for iTunes/iPhoto/Aperture content, 1 for Time Machine) connected at all times without using all available USB ports, and that I just unplug one cable instead of 2-3 when heading out of the house with the laptop. The dock is a little pricey compared to other models (MSRP $229.99), but it does include the thunderbolt cable when others do not. Elgato also has a Thunderbolt Dock utility for both Mac and Windows that allows you to manage some of the dock's advanced features as needed.
All in all, I think this dock is a good investment for owners of MacBook Airs and MacBook Pros that want a little more flexibility in connecting peripherals without sacrificing performance or portability.
(I'll add some photos when I get home this afternoon - currently waiting for a meeting to begin.)
Unlike some of the other docks on the market, the Elgato dock does come with a thunderbolt cable (a short one, but that's better than nothing), and is a powered hub, so you can charge your iPhone/iPad off the dock in a decent amount of time. Since the dock also has two thunderbolt ports (one of which is used to connect to the computer itself), you basically gain three USB 3.0 ports, 1 HDMI port, and additional audio connections for headphones/mics without losing any ports. The dock itself has a good, solid build quality - the aluminum casing is solid like the MBA/MBP lineup, and the design compliments the Mac lineup very well.
To me, the biggest advantage of the dock is being able to leave my external drives (1 for iTunes/iPhoto/Aperture content, 1 for Time Machine) connected at all times without using all available USB ports, and that I just unplug one cable instead of 2-3 when heading out of the house with the laptop. The dock is a little pricey compared to other models (MSRP $229.99), but it does include the thunderbolt cable when others do not. Elgato also has a Thunderbolt Dock utility for both Mac and Windows that allows you to manage some of the dock's advanced features as needed.
All in all, I think this dock is a good investment for owners of MacBook Airs and MacBook Pros that want a little more flexibility in connecting peripherals without sacrificing performance or portability.
(I'll add some photos when I get home this afternoon - currently waiting for a meeting to begin.)