CalDigit Thunderbolt Station 3 dock with eSATA, dual-4K display support starts shipping
CalDigit has commenced shipments of the Thunderbolt Station 3 dock, an accessory for Macbook Pro users wanting to expand their notebook's connectivity options first launched in CES, with the $299.99 device offering dual 4K display support and a pair of eSATA ports alongside more conventional connections.
Introduced as a Thunderbolt 3 dock for professionals in January, the Thunderbolt Station 3 borrows some of the appearance of its predecessor, the Thunderbolt Station 2, but upgrades the Thunderbolt connectivity to a pair of Thunderbolt 3 ports. Able to offer 40Gb/s of bandwidth, these ports are also capable of recharging a connected MacBook Pro, providing up to 85W of power, and can also be used to daisy-chain up to six devices through a single Thunderbolt 3 port on a MacBook Pro.
On the front of the unit are audio connection ports, as well as a USB 3.0 Type A connection with standalone charging, while on the back are the Thunderbolt 3 ports, two USB 3.0 connections, Gigabit Ethernet, and one DisplayPort. The Thunderbolt 3 ports and the DisplayPort can be used to support two 4K monitors, with it also capable of powering a 5K-resolution display.
Added to the connections list are two 6 gbit/sec eSATA ports, allowing for external storage devices to connect to the dock and be used by the MacBook Pro. While users will probably want to use the spare Thunderbolt 3 connection to attach external storage to the dock, to take advantage of the higher bandwidth, the inclusion of eSATA at least means older storage hardware can still be used, making it an option for accessing archive drives.
CalDigit is shipping pre-orders of the Thunderbolt Station 3 now, with new orders expected to ship at the end of June. The dock is priced at $299.99. B&H is also accepting pre-orders at $299.99 with no sales tax outside NY and NJ.
The new release follows after another dock launched at the same time as the Thunderbolt Station 3, earlier this year. The Thunderbolt Station 3 Lite is a thinner unit at AppleInsider previously examined, with a slightly smaller number of connections and limited charging power, but is positioned as a value option at $199.99. B&H is currently taking $20 off the TS3 Lite with free expedited shipping and no sales tax outside NY and NJ.
Introduced as a Thunderbolt 3 dock for professionals in January, the Thunderbolt Station 3 borrows some of the appearance of its predecessor, the Thunderbolt Station 2, but upgrades the Thunderbolt connectivity to a pair of Thunderbolt 3 ports. Able to offer 40Gb/s of bandwidth, these ports are also capable of recharging a connected MacBook Pro, providing up to 85W of power, and can also be used to daisy-chain up to six devices through a single Thunderbolt 3 port on a MacBook Pro.
On the front of the unit are audio connection ports, as well as a USB 3.0 Type A connection with standalone charging, while on the back are the Thunderbolt 3 ports, two USB 3.0 connections, Gigabit Ethernet, and one DisplayPort. The Thunderbolt 3 ports and the DisplayPort can be used to support two 4K monitors, with it also capable of powering a 5K-resolution display.
Added to the connections list are two 6 gbit/sec eSATA ports, allowing for external storage devices to connect to the dock and be used by the MacBook Pro. While users will probably want to use the spare Thunderbolt 3 connection to attach external storage to the dock, to take advantage of the higher bandwidth, the inclusion of eSATA at least means older storage hardware can still be used, making it an option for accessing archive drives.
CalDigit is shipping pre-orders of the Thunderbolt Station 3 now, with new orders expected to ship at the end of June. The dock is priced at $299.99. B&H is also accepting pre-orders at $299.99 with no sales tax outside NY and NJ.
The new release follows after another dock launched at the same time as the Thunderbolt Station 3, earlier this year. The Thunderbolt Station 3 Lite is a thinner unit at AppleInsider previously examined, with a slightly smaller number of connections and limited charging power, but is positioned as a value option at $199.99. B&H is currently taking $20 off the TS3 Lite with free expedited shipping and no sales tax outside NY and NJ.
Comments
The use of a dock is not new, it's been around for a long time for both Macs and Window-PCs (mainly laptops).
BTW, you incorrectly list the price as $249.99 in the first sentence.
I really don't know why everyone freaks about about this USB-C stuff. Its really a non-issue. Its just that people like you freak out and blow everything totally out of proportion and start stating incorrect things.
If you want to think about it...the new MacBook Pro is actually the most expandable Mac laptop as like I said, you can basically get nearly cable you need for USB-C to whatever you want to connect to. You can even get a USB-C to DB9 (vintage Serial) cable. And, Thunderbolt has the bandwidth to basically run whatever you want to throw at it.
You are probably never buying a Mac laptop ever again, then. I understand where you're coming from, but we've heard this all before, when the iMac launched.
I have one and love it. The only other thing I changed was the USB cable between my MBP and the USB hub. Total cost, ~$90. Enjoy.
If you don't think USBC is going to stick around awhile I dunno what to tell you.
My pro-sumer cameras use CF cards, not SD -- how would I plug them in? Oh yeah I use a cable. What if you want a network jack? Get a dongle. No way on earth Apple is going to saddle all of us with HDMI ports just because you *might* need it once -- get a freaking cable and stop whining.
Obvious point -- No device can be all things to all people. But adding a bunch of stuff that you might need maybe someday is a poor compromise, when they can instead add ports and everybody can use what they actually need.
But hey, you know best right. Armchair exec and all that.