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Henge Docks MacBook Pro
- Thread starter Pinkiy
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Well they haven't been released yet so I don't think you're going to get many responses.
na they have they just sold out on the initial release. I'd imagine pretty dam fast as well!
Oh okay. They should change "pre-order" to "back-order" because they are completely different. My bad.
Wastes a display though. Much rather have my MBP display AND the monitor both showing to give more screen real estate - unless of course your external monitor is a huge and/or your lacking desk space.
I do have one, must have been one of the lucky few who got the initial batch.
A little fiddly to set up exactly, but rocks once all is in place.
Loss of second display is no big deal (for me at least) as benefits outweigh; it is just so convenient to plug in and go - no hassles dealing with all my cables (scanner, printer, ext HD, monitor, power etc).
Also I'm guessing this doesn't work with any cases like Speck or Incase? Looks like a pretty snug fit...
Do a search on "Henge dock." There are quite a few threads discussing them if you're interested in looking through them.
I just remembered the one earlier this month. I found one picture of someone actually using it (quite boring if you ask me
).
Not trying to be rude, just providing more information than is already in this thread.
I just remembered the one earlier this month. I found one picture of someone actually using it (quite boring if you ask me
).Not trying to be rude, just providing more information than is already in this thread.
But don't you also have to have a second power supply since the one used in the dock is screwed into the dock? It seems like a good idea but I am not sold on it just yet. Maybe when I turn my 2006 macbook into a media center/ backup laptop.
I was wondering if somebody get an email from Henge Dock to place its order ?
On their blog we can read: "We will be notifying customers that placed preorders for the 13-inch MacBook and 13-inch MacBook Pro models starting next week that they will have the opportunity purchase their docks... keep an eye on your email!"
It was July 4th.
No news since, what about you ?
On their blog we can read: "We will be notifying customers that placed preorders for the 13-inch MacBook and 13-inch MacBook Pro models starting next week that they will have the opportunity purchase their docks... keep an eye on your email!"
It was July 4th.
No news since, what about you ?
^^+1 for the MBP "15 dock; eagerly awaiting a response as this dock would completely remove the need for me to get a mini. uMBP + Plex = yummy for my HT setup.
I am a bit curious about the heat and case questions above; I don't mine taking of my case but heat is another thing altogether.
I am a bit curious about the heat and case questions above; I don't mine taking of my case but heat is another thing altogether.
Not really. The Macbook/Pro's are designed to run in 'clamshell' mode as well as normal mode. Whenever you have a MB/MBP plugged into an external display and close the lid it automatically switches to the external display as primary output. The majority of heat dissipates through the bottom of the chasis.
Well it really depends on your needs. If you want the MB/MBP screen + an external screen then using your MB/MBP in clamshell mode is not something you're going to be doing to start with. Unfortunately there is very little in the way of dock stations for unibody MB/MBP's that are used how a laptop is typically used, although I'm quite sure it would be very easy for Hengedocks to quickly retool their design to make one.
I just thought of something.. Would this dock work with the new MagSafe charger? Seeing as the tip of the cable that attaches to the MBP has been remodeled.
No it does NOT work with the new magsafe. They make that very clear here, so buyers have no excuses.
I just got mine for the aluminum MacBook 13". I'll try to be succint, fair, and honest in bulletizing the pros and cons, as I already have strong feelings after 1 day.
PROS:
CONS
NEUTRAL
PROS:
- Hides cabling
- Frees up desktop real estate
- Looks Feng Shui
CONS
- Installation was a hassle that ended half-baked: I have a 23" Apple Cinema monitor, which uses DVI. In order to connect it to a MacBook, one must use a MiniDisplayPort-to-DVI adapter - and I have Apple's. This bulky adapter is the crux of the problem. Even though the Henge Dock manual gives two scenarios on how to route it within the docks tight underspace, one of these scenarios is not even possible - the power, ethernet and USB cables are in the way. The second way requires a doubling of the amount of cord length you need to eat up underneath, because the adapter needs to be curved away the other direction, away from the opening. Doing this pulls in the the "splinter point" of the mega-multi-cord from the monitor that splinters into USB and FireWire and DVI and the power cable that plugs into the monitor's hefty power brick. I very much wanted to take a pair of scissors to the obsolete FireWire, but instead rolled it up tight, tied it, and crammed it into the docks underbelly. To summarize the space problem, there is no room under there now to put in the second USB cord or the audio in. They just didn't make the underbelly big enough to easily accommodate the Apple brand DVI-to-MiniDisplayPort adapter. Henge Docks' own blog acknowledged the issue, and says they are going to come out with their own adapter.
. - Apple cable doesn't fit in the hole. HengeDocks includes two extension cables for USB cables and two for the audio ports. Use them - don't do what I did. Which was to try to use the USB from the Apple monitor - it's just too big. I actually manage to shove it into one of the two slots, but that warped the MiniDisplayPort hole next to it and made big problems there. You must use their extender cable, which - ironically - defeats the purpose of reducing cable clutter by adding additional cable; on the flip side it lets you change USB peripheral easily since the female end is now outside the dock, but that's an unnecessary benefit with the monitor USB cable. Plus, with the aforementioned space problems, I've given up on getting anything into the second USB slot anyway.
. - You lose audio flexibility. The audio out extension cable also allows the female end to lie outside the dock. You can easily plug and unplug your headphones. Unfortunately, the MacBook treats the port as "plugged in" regardless of whether the headphones are plugged in to the far end of the extension cord. Thus, if you are using the HengeDock, then you decide whether you are gonna be an internal speaker user or a headphone user; there is no switching back and forth between modes.
. - Every time you dock or undock your MacBook it wakes from sleep. The USB port causes this, and there's just no way to prevent this I guess. So if your MacBook is docked and asleep, and you want to pull it out, be aware its going to wake on you and may do hard drive activity while you are moving it about.
NEUTRAL
- I am not sure whether or not it will dissipate eat more efficiently than my previous setup. If will monitor this further.
Thanks for the review. I had wanted one of these, but with their low inventory, I haven't been able to.
It sounds like a lot of hassel that may or may not be fixed/addressed by future releases. At least too many of them to get a first gen product. Has anyone else had similar issues with Henge Docks?
Currently I have my MBP sitting on a lower shelf in my desk, on top of a laptop fan pad, so I guess I'll stick with that for now.
It sounds like a lot of hassel that may or may not be fixed/addressed by future releases. At least too many of them to get a first gen product. Has anyone else had similar issues with Henge Docks?
Currently I have my MBP sitting on a lower shelf in my desk, on top of a laptop fan pad, so I guess I'll stick with that for now.
