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Hands-On: OWC's 'DEC' Adds an SD Card Slot, Ethernet, and USB Type-A Ports to the MacBook Pro
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Kudos to OWC for providing a solution to a problem Apple created. It may not be the most elegant ATM however it is just a prototype.
Actually pretty neat. If only Apple could make a built in version themselves
Then it would look like the hunchback iPhone battery add on case, or even worse.
I think Apple is dying. They have a huge fan base, lots of cash, lots of tech talent, but they have no idea how to put it all together. Sure, they can last at least a few years until the troubling signs become universally recognized. But it's just a matter of time. I think their only chance is to become more customer-centric. They need to stop pushing their misguided vision, and check what their customers want. Do customers care a lot about emoji? Do customers care about the headphone jack? Do customers want less for more?
Sure, Apple is famous for their ability to steer demand in the direction they want, but that's possible only when they have loyal fans. Nowadays it's not the case. Look how many people have decided against buying the new macbook pro and the new iphone! Fans always preached for Apple and helped general sales, so if they turn away now, how will Apple promote their products?
The argument that both laptops and smartphones are at the end of their life cycle is valid, but it should not mean that Apple can afford to screw up these products. Until they abandon the idea of the Apple ecosystem, I'm afraid there is no easy way out for Apple.
Sure, Apple is famous for their ability to steer demand in the direction they want, but that's possible only when they have loyal fans. Nowadays it's not the case. Look how many people have decided against buying the new macbook pro and the new iphone! Fans always preached for Apple and helped general sales, so if they turn away now, how will Apple promote their products?
The argument that both laptops and smartphones are at the end of their life cycle is valid, but it should not mean that Apple can afford to screw up these products. Until they abandon the idea of the Apple ecosystem, I'm afraid there is no easy way out for Apple.
People buying a laptop yet feel they need this abomination to make it the computer they wanted seems pretty stupid.
This slab will probably cost more than $1k retail if it were to ship with a battery and an SSD. For an already ridiculous price the MBP can now be even more ridiculously priced to achieve the physical specs of a 4 year old laptop. If this device existed for the Dell XPS 15 however I'd have bought it, because that beast needs a second battery (yet it has all the ports already). Oh well.
And no one has resorted to it. This is in development. No one is using it. I reckon sales will be in the hundreds. Not 5m per quarter.
How is it stupid? Apple isn't offering much choice here. Many would say, just get a Dell or something. Not so simple. Buying a different brand laptop means switching to Windows and abandoning Apple apps like Logic and Final Cut. So if one wants MacOS and Mac apps and is already invested in the Apple ecosystem, we're stuck with what Apple produces. And there's no shortage of people around here that happily swallow whatever Apple feeds them and say it tastes good. Nice to see OWC innovating and increasing the options on the menu.
If I'm getting this for my laptop, I'd probably prefer it screwed in or at least attached, but the flexibility of the line dock is really appealing. Perhaps someonecould come out with a MBP laptop shell that would allow the Line dock to be mounted below it easily? That would be best of both worlds awesome.
Omg thats ugly. I'd rather carry a couple of dongles, or a dongle hub thing and be patient for usb-c to be a standard.
If that's the thickness people want in a laptop, then they should look elsewhere than apple. Even the competition are shrinking down, just look at HPs new spectre laptops, all with USB-C - and i bet it won't take long for surface book.
If you look at CES '17, you'll see a lot of accessories have started support USB-c.. just be patient.
If that's the thickness people want in a laptop, then they should look elsewhere than apple. Even the competition are shrinking down, just look at HPs new spectre laptops, all with USB-C - and i bet it won't take long for surface book.
If you look at CES '17, you'll see a lot of accessories have started support USB-c.. just be patient.
The hoops we now have to jump through to get the products we want the way we want them... *facepalm*
You can never please everyone:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...apples-next-big-thing/?utm_term=.d02bafe69675
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...apples-next-big-thing/?utm_term=.d02bafe69675
A nonsense article, like the kind of thing that dismissed Trump as a viable candidate (Washington Post I am sure was guilty of that), or Wikileaks as having anything useful to say (the most they get is backhanded compliments). How wrong can you be? Our scepticism and negative reviews are a really important counterbalance to the glossy marketing of Apple and the paid infomercials of major newspapers like the Washington Post. The job of ordinary users, customers and potential customers is to tell it like it is. The mistakes of the current MBP lineup are real and mean we are not getting our money's worth, but we know why. Annoyingly limited battery life is planned obsolescence, retiring ports is planned obsolescence, not putting glass protection on the screen is the same. The touchbar is to prevent hackintoshes from sprouting everywhere. Windows OS is the same thing, with its inefficiencies helping hardware manufacturers to sell more junk.
Vaporware. They haven't raised enough to cover basic legal costs, never mind tooling, etc.
Actually, it makes it look a lot like my 2006 MBP in both size and available ports.
Michael Scrip, what is the manufacturer/model name of this mini-dock? I would much prefer something like this than the OWC DEC.