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Matrox Announces DS-1 Thunderbolt Docking Station for $249
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I wonder if external GPUs might be held up by uncertainty re Apples Mac Pro plans? I assume no external GPUs would be supported (have drivers) other than those offered by Apple as Mac Pro cards. And with the Mac Pro remaining static for a long time now, maybe TB GPU companies (and I know several have made announcements) are waiting for a new crop of Mac Prosand Mac Pro graphics cardsto come along. Why sell an external GPU to drive a semi-old graphics board when new ones are likely in the near future?
I dont really know how driver support would work with an external GPU; Im just wondering out loud.
Nice terse analysis.
I've been wondering when we're going to start seeing premium drop-in facilities for traveling users. The high-performance wired networking of this device would be quite attractive for many users.
I guess that you mean this "for traveling Apple users".
Windows laptops have supported many premium docking solutions since the last century.
Finally! A device that gives me back all of the connections that I foolishly sacrificed by buying a MacBook Air to begin with!
because very few monitors use that port and many people aren't interested in buying another adapter for there docking station which in its self is an adapter.
As far as I am concerned Thunderbolt is underwhelming.
It's June 2012 and there are still minimal TB peripherals. What is available/anticipated is over-priced and of questionable utility.
The Apple Thunderbolt display lacks basic ergonomic adjustments and sports a glassy panel. What you get for $1000 is a glorified hub with an iMac display minus the computer.
At this rate it will be 2015 before we see anything useful at competitive prices. And I'm not very hopeful about the reasonable price part...
I'm going to be very disappointed if Apple drops Firewire in favor of Thunderbolt before the situation improves.
It's June 2012 and there are still minimal TB peripherals. What is available/anticipated is over-priced and of questionable utility.
The Apple Thunderbolt display lacks basic ergonomic adjustments and sports a glassy panel. What you get for $1000 is a glorified hub with an iMac display minus the computer.
At this rate it will be 2015 before we see anything useful at competitive prices. And I'm not very hopeful about the reasonable price part...
I'm going to be very disappointed if Apple drops Firewire in favor of Thunderbolt before the situation improves.
I notice this and its Belkin cousin aren't available til September.
Is there some kind of parts availability that's been holding up the release of Thunderbolt products? It seems bizarre that neither of these products are out for so long; the Belkin one was announced LAST FREAKING YEAR!
Is there some kind of parts availability that's been holding up the release of Thunderbolt products? It seems bizarre that neither of these products are out for so long; the Belkin one was announced LAST FREAKING YEAR!
I hope the costs drops, that was the original point!
I certainly hope that's the case. That the cost will drop. It's neat that ThunderBolt can be used for anything. One port to anything with an adapter.
I thought the whole point of the DisplayPort (part of ThunderBolt) was to decrease cost by removing the video controllers of the DVI/HDMI/VGA ports.
DisplayPort is more like a direct GPU to LCD panel connection without the conversion of video to DVI/HDMI/VGA standards on both ends. Isn't it?
I certainly hope that's the case. That the cost will drop. It's neat that ThunderBolt can be used for anything. One port to anything with an adapter.
I thought the whole point of the DisplayPort (part of ThunderBolt) was to decrease cost by removing the video controllers of the DVI/HDMI/VGA ports.
DisplayPort is more like a direct GPU to LCD panel connection without the conversion of video to DVI/HDMI/VGA standards on both ends. Isn't it?
Obviously. Or until any PC manufacturer makes copper thunderbolt available on their machines.
I'm not familiar of any docking system that is remotely comparable: able to drive multiple displays, external storage, etc., through a single interoperable port. What sort of PC-baed docks do you think are actually premium? Specifics, please!
I can't help but feel like Apple turned Thunderbolt into one big fail.Where's the compatibility this far in? It's ridiculous. Not to mention the high prices.
Agreed! Plus, unless I'm missing something, aren't USB 3.0 ports backwards compatible with USB 2.0 devices? Why not make all the USB ports 3.0 except for perhaps one port to account for the occasional oddball device that will only work with a 2.0 port?
Correct me if I'm wrong, aren't most docking stations simply pass-thrus with male connectors on one side to dock your notebook and female on the other side to connect to your peripherals? The only engineering needed is to space them out specifically so they mate with your notebook connectors nicely and you can slide it in and out of the dock easily. So the hardware cost would just be the connectors, some wiring and the housing and with mass production, it should cost a couple dollars to produce?
With Thunderbolt, you need to combine all those signals to work over one TB connection so the only added cost would be the TB circuitry and the licensing. Is that really adding > $250-$300 to the cost of these products? Am I over-simplifying the case?
With Thunderbolt, you need to combine all those signals to work over one TB connection so the only added cost would be the TB circuitry and the licensing. Is that really adding > $250-$300 to the cost of these products? Am I over-simplifying the case?
Close But No Cigar...
No Firewire is a deal breaker for me. Have too many FW peripherals. So I'll be getting the Belkin box for $50 more. USB 3....meh.
No Firewire is a deal breaker for me. Have too many FW peripherals. So I'll be getting the Belkin box for $50 more. USB 3....meh.
Another ridiculously over-priced and late thunderbolt peripheral to put that final nail in the coffin for this disaster of a technology.
Great on paper, complete failure on execution and launch.
Great on paper, complete failure on execution and launch.