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Why hasnt Apple made docking stations for macbooks?
- Thread starter Phonzoxd
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About the closest things we have to those are the Thunderbolt "docks", which give you a variety of ports (USB 3, Ethernet, HDMI, audio in/out, etc.). Companies like OWC and Elgato make them...
I was going to say that too
While it's expensive it's by far the best "docking station" I've ever used.
I don't think they ever made one and I think its a lost opportunity. A port replicator setup would make life so much easier for us who use their laptops on a desk and travel. I hate to unplug all the cords to grab my MBP. My SP3 has a dock and its so much simpler to grab and go.
I am using CalDigit's Thunderbolt 2 Station as a quasi-dock and it works great. If I work on my desk I need to plug in a single cable and I am good to go. As a bonus, this bad boy offers eSata 6G ports which allowed me to get my backup drive off the aging FW800 chain. It is not the fastest port in the world but well suited to keep my older 3.5'' HDs up and running.
LandingZone makes docks for the Macbook Air & Pro:
http://www.landingzone.net
http://www.amazon.com/LandingZone-Docking-Station-MacBook-Display/dp/B00J7WG6ZA/
A couple years ago, I bought one for my 11" MBA and loved it. I recently bought a 13" retina MBP and immediately bought the LandingZone dock for it, and it's even better. I take my Macbook to work every day, and it's a pain to plug and unplug my speakers, printer, external mouse & monitor, etc every time. Plus the LandingZone adds more USB 3.0 ports and an Ethernet port.
I've also had excellent customer service from them. They are worth checking out. They also offer a modest discount for college students and teachers, I think it was about $20, not a lot, but enough for a pizza.
http://www.landingzone.net
http://www.amazon.com/LandingZone-Docking-Station-MacBook-Display/dp/B00J7WG6ZA/
A couple years ago, I bought one for my 11" MBA and loved it. I recently bought a 13" retina MBP and immediately bought the LandingZone dock for it, and it's even better. I take my Macbook to work every day, and it's a pain to plug and unplug my speakers, printer, external mouse & monitor, etc every time. Plus the LandingZone adds more USB 3.0 ports and an Ethernet port.
I've also had excellent customer service from them. They are worth checking out. They also offer a modest discount for college students and teachers, I think it was about $20, not a lot, but enough for a pizza.
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Back in the Powerbook Duo days, we had full and mini docks to go with them; admittedly, the concept was a little weird but it goes back to a time when notebooks were thick and heavy, the docks turned the subnotebook into a desktop computer, but the mini dock was effectively a port replicator.
And now I'm having a little nostalgic moment thinking about my old (and now dead) Powerbook Duo 230..
Not as nice as I remembered it from the TV-commecials, but here it is
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKoiBAI9ZlQ
Thunderbolt 3 *could* be that solution, biggest problem with Thunderbolt is that you always needed a separate connector for power.
IIRC, Apple had a lot of issues with those docks for the Duo series. They also ran counter to the notion of a laptop/notebook being a device you can take with you on the road.
The vast majority of docks are found on business (aka "pro") laptops. Apple isn't interested in that segment of the market. Dell has ultrabooks smaller than the MBP with dock connectors so it isn't a space issue. If they did make one, the fact that a lightning stand for your iPhone costs $39 tells me a nice dock for a MacBook would be somewhere between $499 and $799.
Apple likes to keep things they make as simple as possible. I don't think a separate dock is in their DNA.
They've always been about integration - so a single thunderbolt+usb to their external display is probably the best solution they couldve came up with.
They've always been about integration - so a single thunderbolt+usb to their external display is probably the best solution they couldve came up with.