Hands-On With Kensington's New $400 StudioDock for iPad Pro

[MacRumors]

Kensington in February began accepting pre-orders for the StudioDock docking station that it released for the iPad Pro, and now those StudioDock orders have started arriving to customers. We picked up one of the new StudioDocks to see if it's worth the high purchase price for an iPad workflow.

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Available for the 11-inch iPad Pro, the 10.9-inch iPad Air, and the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, the StudioDock has a magnetic base where an iPad can attach, and it can be used in either landscape or portrait mode. We have the version for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, and it looks kind of like the Pro Display XDR stand.

This isn't an Apple-designed product so it's not quite as high quality as the Pro XDR stand, but the aluminum design looks nice on a desk, and the plastic back panel is hidden. The iPad attaches magnetically to the rubberized front of the stand, and plugs in to the USB-C connector.

In addition to orienting the iPad in landscape or portrait mode, you can also adjust the angle up and down to get the ideal position for what you're doing, and once situated, it doesn't move around.

The dock offers 37.5W passthrough charging to charge your iPad at full speed through USB-C, plus it adds multiple ports and charges your other accessories. There are three USB-A ports, one USB-C port, an HDMI 2.0 port, a 3.5mm headphone jack, an SD card reader, a Gigabit Ethernet port, and a power button. There are also two spots for Kensington locks to protect the StudioDock.

On the built-in Qi-based wireless charging pad that's at the bottom, you can charge an iPhone and AirPods, or any other Qi-based device, plus you can add-on a separate Apple Watch charging puck. You'll need to give up the USB-C port on the side whenever you want to use it, though. The iPhone charging spot charges at 7.5W, while the AirPods spot charges at 5W.

At the $380 to $400 price point, the StudioDock is aimed at those who use their iPads in a professional capacity. If the iPad Pro or iPad Air is your main work or school machine and you're using it in lieu of a Mac or PC, the StudioDock adds all of the versatility you need for a full day of work.

If you're using your iPad in a more casual capacity and have other Apple products that you use alongside it, the StudioDock is likely overkill.

The StudioDock can be purchased from the Kensington website. It's priced at $380 for the 11-inch model that works with the iPad Pro and iPad Air and $400 for the 12.9-inch model designed for Apple's largest iPad Pro.

Article Link: Hands-On With Kensington's New $400 StudioDock for iPad Pro

 

[Jay42]

Is that Apple Watch charger a joke? Who wants their watch dangling off the side of their display?

 

[vegetassj4]

Wheels are only $300 extra. Dock Cases come in 8 colors and are on sale for $199.99 for a limited time.

edit: above link to Kensington is 404
Dock of ages

 

[alphaswift]

$400 for a dock/stand for an Ipad? I'm trying to imagine how much money I'd have to have laying around to consider something like this. Edit: A lot of money.

 

[DanTSX]

April 1st is still two weeks away guys....

 

[iapplelove]

It’s actually really nice, and it pretty much has everything.

But 400? That’s just going to turn a lot of heads.

 

[AppleTO]

That’s pretty small screen to be using as essentially a desktop replacement. I would just buy an iMac for something like this.

 

[kingalien]

Well thought out and appears well made. But that price....

 

[Applicator]

400$ will buy you a pretty nice Display + Apple USB C Multiport adapter + a USB C Dock. I Like the idea, but the price it ridiculous for such a niche product.

 

[edk99]

For $199 it could be a no brainer. $399 hard pass.

 

[gnasher729]

I would think that a MacBook plus an external display would be a much superior solution. A 12 inch iPad isn't exactly small when you use it on the move.

 

[BJMRamage]

and an extra $200 for wheels.

For the commercial use to have it on a rotating stand, with ease of touch screen, I can see someone wanting a nice stand but overall it seems pricey.

 

[peglegjack]

For that price, it should come with a monitor. As a matter of fact my refurb 21.5 in LG Ultrafine 4K can do all of this right now with my iPad Air 4th gen except for Ethernet.

Plus it’ll all be pointless until you can actually extend the screen like you can in macOS

 

[macsareveryinteresting]

$400 for that thing? No thank you. That’s ridiculously expensive.

 

[4jasontv]

I assume later this month we will see iPads with MagSafe.

 

[satchmo]

Yes, it’s expensive but let’s not forget so is the Magic keyboard. All these peripherals should be lower but when it’s aimed at a Pro market, they feel it’s justified.

 

[cardfan]

$400 for that thing? No thank you. That’s ridiculously expensive.

True but could see many in here lining up especially with their welfare stimulus payments burning a hole.

 

[SirAnthonyHopkins]

the StudioDock is likely overkill.

I feel like the whole article could just have said this.

 

[the future]

Best in class iPad dock, then. At 400 $ a niche product for sure, but it does look very nice and functional. I almost wish I had a use case for this.

 

[sinsin07]

Some of these vendors need a reality check.
It seems when Apple's product is involved, sky's the limit in pricing, or should it be "outer space is the limit".

 

[sracer]

This is a very well thought-out and designed dock. I love it. It's great that Kensington is producing this top-tier option because it will create a space for others to produce their knock-offs at lower prices. Just look at the multi-function USB-C dongles that are now available. When Apple produced the first Macbook with only a USB-C port, they produced an $80 dongle. Soon after, aftermarket dongles were produced with more functionality at a fraction of the price.

 

[MNLondon]

I wonder how much it actually costs to make? Maybe there’s a fashion now for charging Apple customers for such peripherals, will pay it. It’s unfair for those of us who are equally enthusiastic and maybe out of work through illness or disability, and having one of these would be actually very useful but also would make life much easier, but simply cannot afford it.

 

[sracer]

I wonder how much it actually costs to make? Maybe there’s a fashion now for charging Apple customers for such peripherals, will pay it. It’s unfair for those of us who are equally enthusiastic and maybe out of work through illness or disability, and having one of these would be actually very useful but also would make life much easier, but simply cannot afford it.

Yes, there are people who place a premium value on quality and design and willing to pay for it. My only concern with this Kensington option is how well will it accommodate future iPads.

Here's a link to the everyday man's/woman's alternative... $70 on Amazon

USB C Hub Stand, 7 in 1 USB C Multiport Adapter with 4K@30Hz HDMI, 100W Power Delivery, Micro SD Card Reader, 5Gbp USB 3.0, Headphone Jack, Tablet, Phone, Adjustable Type C Hub for iPad Pro Mac Chrome

Include: Type-c host, 2*USB 3.0 ports, 100W power delivery port, 4K/30Hz HDMI video output, SD/Micro SD card reader slots, AUX, USB C to C data cable

www.amazon.com

 

[bbplayer5]

This cost them 60 bucks to make and they drop it at 400 dollars? lol.

 

[satchmo]

Yes, there are people who place a premium value on quality and design and willing to pay for it. My only concern with this Kensington option is how well will it accommodate future iPads.

Here's a link to the everyday man's/woman's alternative... $70 on Amazon

USB C Hub Stand, 7 in 1 USB C Multiport Adapter with 4K@30Hz HDMI, 100W Power Delivery, Micro SD Card Reader, 5Gbp USB 3.0, Headphone Jack, Tablet, Phone, Adjustable Type C Hub for iPad Pro Mac Chrome

Include: Type-c host, 2*USB 3.0 ports, 100W power delivery port, 4K/30Hz HDMI video output, SD/Micro SD card reader slots, AUX, USB C to C data cable

www.amazon.com

Wow. Quite the discount from the Kensington!
Certainly a great alternative price wise and if you don't need the wireless charging.