It doesn't say what it does and doesn't do! It talks a lot about the design and blah blah, and if you pore over every word one may figure it out by virtue of what isn't said. And it doesn't say anything, unless I'm missing it somehow. Then here's an AI review and I think "OK, great, now I'll learn about what's so good about this thing". Reviews never seemed to say enough to change my mind. I've viewed the Henge vertical docks with puzzlement, as I could never figure out, if it's not giving you new ports, what their value for the price was. 3 stars maybe, for great execution of a flawed design. This review doesn't feel supported by serious usage or someone considering price.
#Henge macbook air 13 docking station mac#
The only exception is an aluminum vertical stand for my trusty Mac mini, but it was something like twenty bucks, not $120 that the Henge Dock commands. I tend to stay away from accessories that will only work with one specific model. The Henge Dock looks like it is designed specifically for one model, you can't use it with other MacBook models. I'll probably wait until I buy 1.) the next Mac mini (whenever that will be) with a Thunderbolt connector, and/or 2.) a Thunderbolt monitor. I have last year's MacBook Air, and I occasionally think about buying a CalDigit hub since I only have the one Thunderbolt connector and can't output to an external monitor and use wired Ethernet at the same time. Hopefully it's engineered in a way that won't put too much lateral stress on any given plug. The Henge Dock just has dumb passthrough connectors, no additional power source is necessary, kind of like a poor-man's hub, and priced that way. The hubs need their own power source too. You'd still need all those cables from the Elgato or CalDigit Thunderbolt hubs anyhow. Then again, since those hubs cost $300 I guess it would drive up the price of the dock. Seems like it would be easier to have only one connection (plus power) trying to line up with the computer chassis instead of three, especially when one of those three is a relatively fragile 3.5mm plug. Is there some benefit to all those cables? "Hubs" like the Elgato and CalDigit use a single Thunderbolt cable to provide multiple ports - audio, USB3, HDMI and a second, daisy-chained Thundebolt port. The 13-inch and 15-inch metal edition is priced at $119, while a composite Glossy White version can be had for $89.
#Henge macbook air 13 docking station pro#
The new Henge Docks Vertical Docking Station for Apple's MacBook Pro with Retina display is available now from the company's website.
The new metal body is more sturdy than previous models, while the seemingly minor additions of a screw cover and cable organizer simply add to perceived build quality. Henge Docks is flexing its design muscle with the Retina MacBook Pro Vertical Docking Station. This shouldn't be surprising given the dock's snug fit, though we expected the added weight would help the situation. Like past Henge Docks designs, dismounting the laptop is requires two hands. This is especially true given the relative ease with which MagSafe 2 disengages. For many people it's a non-issue for photographers, it could be a problem.We found the power cord's magnets were strong enough to hold the cable in place during use, but users who regularly dock their laptop may want to screw it in. The only real solution if you frequently load content from an SD card -short of undocking every time you need access- is to connect an external USB card reader. Which means it’s inaccessible while the laptop is docked in the Vertical Docking Station. The 13-inch MacBook Air’s SD card slot is on the same side as its Thunderbolt port. The first is that the passthrough port is not compatible with Thunderbolt displays you’ll need a monitor with a Mini DisplayPort connection, or you can use an adapter that converts Mini DisplayPort to DVI or HDMI ( Henge Docks sells these, as does Apple). And while they won’t affect everyone, they could be an issue for some MBA owners. Unfortunately, there are a few more gotchas because of this design. That exposed MagSafe connector and cable detracts a bit from the overall sleek look of the setup, but it was probably the right choice given that users will always be connected to a monitor, but have the option of ditching the power cable virtually all day if they wish (thanks to the 13-inch MacBook Air’s 12-hour battery life). Need to charge? You'll need to connect the MagSafe power adapter to the top (Credit: Brad Moon)