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Hands-On With the New Thunderbolt 4 Brydge ProDock for MacBook Pro and MacBook Air

boss.king said:
Are there any affordable versions of this sort of dock? Not a dongle with a stubby cable, but a proper little hub that I can stick under my desk to handle a display, power, an external drive or two, and maybe ethernet? Is there a reason these all cost upwards of $250?
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You CAN get a USB C cable extender, Put your hub anywhere you wish.
 
I'm wondering if you really need downstream TB ports "on the go". For the same price, I got a CalDigit TS4 that has far more ports and, if this item qualifies as 'portable' so does my TS4. I mean, I have a different use case as my M1 Max MacBook Pro is pretty much my desktop and the TS4 handles everything I plug into it - I have a separate, smaller dongle for travel.

But, yeah, the price DOES surprise me.
 
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I think the dock is pretty Ginormous. And ethernet being only 1GB seems a bummer since 10GBe would really help, I don't understand why docks ar not getting 10GBe support: is it patented? Or more expensive to implement 10GBe?
 
All of these companies putting out these docks in this price range with a 1Gbps Ethernet port is such a shame, especially when they're marketed as "pro" level devices.
 
mikes63737 said:
I hope they bring the Henge Dock (or I guess Brydge Dock) back. It's just a nice metal stand with TB4 passthrough.

I don't want this hunk of plastic on my desk.
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I miss mine, I had it plugged into a CalDigit hub that sat inside my desk. Now, I just have a TB cable sticking out and my 16" M1 laying flat on a small cabinet. Just doesn't look as good
 
Never understood this kind of support who don’t give you access to your MBP screen… working whit 2 screens is perfect, no?
 
dubiousgif said:
They’re not up to USB-IF spec though and can exhibit erratic behavior.
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I, as just a private - not "pro" user thank Gad so in no race to stay on top of the shifting landscape in sort of an obverse whack-a -mole, can tolerate quirks and occasional hiccups while using three various <$50 5-6-and 9 port USB C hubs with a MB Air M1 and an iPad Mini 6. Using a 10 foot USB C extension cable just occasionally, I haven't had any issues. And I can use same storage/input/out display devices that still use USB type 4 on older Mac Mini. For me a dock is out of the question and off planet in terms of expense but I DO want as clean a desktop at I can get and also at times, I want to have my iPad on my lap or more mobile while still connected to the hub with other than that dang [damn] short stubby male built-in plug/cable they come with. And hubs are easier to pack and take along to other places. With HDMI and USB type 4 jacks I can adapt and use a mouse and a larger monitor without lugging stuff aroundunless I need to or purchasing multiples of each.
 
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DailySlow said:
I, as just a private - not "pro" user thank Gad so in no race to stay on top of the shifting landscape in sort of an obverse whack-a -mile, can tolerate quirks and occasional hiccups while using three various <$50 5-6-and 9 port USB C hubs with a MB Air M1 and an iPad Mini 6. Using a 10 foot USB C extension cable just occasionally, I haven't had any issues. For me a dock is out of the question and off planet in terms of expense but I DO want as clean a desktop at I can get and also at times, I want to have my iPad on my lap or more mobile while still connected to the hub with other than that dang [damn] short stubby male plug they come with. And hubs are easier to pack and take along to other places. With HDMI and USB type 4 jacks I can adapt and use a mouse and a larger monitor without lugging stuff around or purchasing multiples of each.
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That’s fair. Captive USB-C cables should be done away with for the most part—I know when slimness is the top priority like on the MagSafe charger a port would arguably add too much bulk. On hubs though I don’t think the extra bulk would be noticeable.
 
dubiousgif said:
That’s fair. Captive USB-C cables should be done away with for the most part—I know when slimness is the top priority like on the MagSafe charger a port would arguably add too much bulk. On hubs though I don’t think the extra bulk would be noticeable.
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Yes, all of hubs I have are at least ½" (12-13mm) thick to accommodate the ethernet and HDMI ports especially. And all with aluminum bodies to dissipate considerable heat generated at times likely because they all have pass-through charging too. I have an external USB 3 DVD player so can take that somewhere, plug in the HDMI and watch a movie all from iPad Mini 6 that's not much bigger than some phones. And iPad OS 16 files works almost as a mini FINDER so I can pick n' pack my components and set up a system for different situations.
 
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Just in case others were still looking for an alternative to the $400 price tag. I found these, its fits the Apple form factor and lot better (in my opinion) and allows you the still display your Apple logo proud.

Ascrono Dock
 
Wattsonator said:
Just in case others were still looking for an alternative to the $400 price tag. I found these, its fits the Apple form factor and lot better (in my opinion) and allows you the still display your Apple logo proud.

Ascrono Dock
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This is more of a vertical stand. Not exactly the same thing. I’d rather get a $20 stand and just unplug / plug each time instead of spending $200 on something to slide into
 
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