VGurcu
Well-known member
Check this out, quite neat for those of you who edit in multiple locations and doesn't need the macbook pro's screen:
http://www.byte-dock.com/index.php
http://www.byte-dock.com/index.php
New macbook pro dock with thunderbolt; byte-dock
- Thread starter VGurcu
- Start date
Paul V Doherty
Active member
That is the ugliest thing I have ever seen!
It is the antithesis of every design principle by which Apple has succeeded in transforming the world.
No self-respecting Mac owner would be seen dead with that abomination!
It is the antithesis of every design principle by which Apple has succeeded in transforming the world.
No self-respecting Mac owner would be seen dead with that abomination!
VGurcu
Well-known member
My post was for editors who might be looking for a pro way to lessen cable clutter around their workspace...
Here is a 'space-age sexy' product just for you, very beautiful:
http://www.iskin.com/qwest/?category=2&sku_group=SUMIT
Here is a 'space-age sexy' product just for you, very beautiful:
http://www.iskin.com/qwest/?category=2&sku_group=SUMIT
theatereleven
Member
I agree - ugly.
soarprod
Veteran
This one is better - http://www.hengedocks.com/
Searcher
Well-known member
Well it looks smaller. And design-wise it fits with Apple.
Rick Burnett
Section Moderator
The Henge Dock is not that great. I own one and use it with my MacBookPro 17 inch. While I agree it looks better, I am tempted to get this to see if it works better. I tightened the allen screw to hold the display port cable in and it snapped the plastic on the henge dock. I DID NOT use a lot of force. Plus, I HATE the cable management. Or I should say, lack there of. Also, disengaging the laptop is a pain, and if the Henge Dock lifts up, the cables fall out of the bottom. AT LEAST they could have put a snap in cover on the bottom.
So, I care about functionality more than looks, so this might be better.
So, I care about functionality more than looks, so this might be better.
digital_walnut
Active member
The Henge dock doesn't mention anything about Thunderbolt passthrough, either.
I'm guessing you don't get out much.
Personally I think the "design" of Apple is a nice addition to solid products, but I mostly use Apple products because of what they do & not how they look. If Apple made ugly products that worked just as well, but sold them for 25% less, I'd probably purchase the cheaper ones.
This doesn't look pretty, but if I needed something like this I'd consider it.
I have a MBP from 2007 that I've used about 70% of the time with the lid closed as a "desktop" computer. Thing is still working pretty well. There have been a few times that the fan is really going & I've opened up the screen, but I'm not sure of how much difference it made.
One thing I think has really helped is keeping the laptop raised & on an angle so that there is good airflow underneath & the heat can rise up & away from the machine.
Rick Burnett
Section Moderator
I do serious business on mine and it hasn't cooked yet
And that's after 3 months with the Hendge Dock.
Rick Burnett
Section Moderator
It all depends on if you have a cable that passes all the thunderbolt signals. I have a displayport to DVI adapter hanging in there now, but nothing locks you in to what hangs out of that whole, provided the connector end is the same size and most thunderbolt connectors I have seen look the same in dimensions as the displayport connector.
digital_walnut
Active member
Thunderbolt relies on active cabling - there are signal processor chips at both ends of a Thunderbolt cable. I'm not sure if a couple inches of passthrough circuitry would affect the signal, but I'd definitely want to see a dock tested with Thunderbolt devices before relying on it for more than display output.
Rick Burnett
Section Moderator
Wow, didn't know about the circuits:
http://www.macrumors.com/2011/06/29/thunderbolt-cable-teardown-reveals-electronics-and-firmware/
Apple sells a decently long thunderbolt cable. I would attach that inside the dock and then out of it into something. It must have the electronics at both ends.
Rick Burnett
Section Moderator
Yeah, the tech built for thunderbolt has been moving like molasses!
I use mine as a displayPort only right now for an external monitor.
digital_walnut
Active member
I'm hoping for something like this, too. There's a PCIe chassis in development, but it would be nice to get both that and a RAID array in a single tower. I was planning on getting a Mac Pro for my next computer, but I'm going to be on the road so much over the next year that I don't think I can get away with it - hopefully the Thunderbolt landscape will fill out a bit and not leave me feeling too forlorn with a macbook pro.