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Pricing - $299
Read an article that said this was going to be released with a price point of $299. Just me or does that seem insanely high priced for what this actually is...a bunch of ports. For $49, I'd be in. For $99, it's iffy, but anything higher than that just seems really overpriced to me. I'd sooner go w/ the $999 27" Thunderbolt display and get everything this has, plus a 27" display. I just don't see this being worth $299. Thoughts?
Some people don't want to spend $999, even if you do. The Thunderbolt display is indeed nice, but for $999 you can get other monitors with plenty of inputs (HDMI, DVI) and are not forcing themselves further into the Apple ecosystem. For instance, I would rather have a Dell monitor that I can connect my MacBook, Desktop PC, and Gaming system to than have a monitor I can only connect my Mac to
I agree that $299 is a bit excessive, but right now thunderbolt is not a common technology, and that in itself comes with a premium.
I agree that $299 is a bit excessive, but right now thunderbolt is not a common technology, and that in itself comes with a premium.
thunderbolt isn't really an Apple ecosystem thing. AFAIK they're the only ones shipping TB right now, but that's going to change. you HAVE to have an itty bitty hardware interface if you expect devices to get smaller/thinner.. ultrabooks couldn't be as thin as they are if VGA and SCSI were still being used.
MBA's don't come with an ethernet port because it's too damn big to fit in the thickest part of the machine. (I don't know that for sure, but I'm using an MBA 11" right now and there's only about 2mm of chassis above and below the USB port) RJ-45 is thicker than the "spine" of the MBA.
I think of TB as the computer equivalent of HDMI for A/V equipment. the rats nest behind my TV is a lot less ratty because I'm using HDMI where possible. a few years ago, that would have been component/composite/toslink/coax.. many cables replaced by one w/o sacraficing quality (nevermind IMPROVING quality - composite does not support HD). there's something to be said for simplicity... a single TB I/O controller vs multiple controllers for multiple hardware interfaces also makes the innards of the device more compact.
MBA's don't come with an ethernet port because it's too damn big to fit in the thickest part of the machine. (I don't know that for sure, but I'm using an MBA 11" right now and there's only about 2mm of chassis above and below the USB port) RJ-45 is thicker than the "spine" of the MBA.
I think of TB as the computer equivalent of HDMI for A/V equipment. the rats nest behind my TV is a lot less ratty because I'm using HDMI where possible. a few years ago, that would have been component/composite/toslink/coax.. many cables replaced by one w/o sacraficing quality (nevermind IMPROVING quality - composite does not support HD). there's something to be said for simplicity... a single TB I/O controller vs multiple controllers for multiple hardware interfaces also makes the innards of the device more compact.
I remember long ago, I had a dell laptop that didn't have an RJ-45 port in it. Instead, I had a PCMCIA 3-com card that had a little button you'd push and the ethernet jack would slide out and you'd plug the cable down into it. That thing would fit into a MBA. I know they want to be on the "newer" wireless technology instead of the "older" wired connection.
Clarification: I was being sarcastic on the $999 for the apple display. I think that thing is way overpriced for what it is as well. If you go look at my profile, while I do have a MacBook Pro, I also have a windows machine as well and a dell monitor. Went w/ the Dell monitor for that exact reason, it's got a ton of inputs so I can have multiple devices hooked up and toggle between them easily.
you have to remember what's needed to support all those additional ports.. it's not a port "multiplier" like a USB hub.
the Belkin dock must have a ton of chips (and software/firmware) to "translate" TB protocol into HDMI, USB, FireWire and Ethernet.. plus a DAC (digital to analog converter) and an amplifier to drive the headphone jack. All that will require power, so throw in a power supply too. if you think about it all you have to do is add a CPU, video card and some storage and you have everything you need to make a computer.
the TB cable itself has chips imbedded, so there's obviously more to TB than just dumb copper with a fancy connector. www.ifixit.com/blog/2011/06/29/what-makes-the-thun...
As the consumer, you don't (and shouldn't have to) care what's inside. Only you can say if it's worth 300, I'm just saying it's not the same as a USB or FireWire hub which use the same protocol in and out, so you'd have to compare Belkin's offering to other TB docks.
i personally think 3 bills is a little high, but what do you expect? A) it's Belkin. B) quick google search says they're the only one making this kind of thing right now. you're always going to pay more to be an early adopter.. that said, due to what's passing through it.. I'd shy away from a poorly built - cheaper - alternative from some no name manufacturer. you really don't want flaky network and video connections, noisy audio and intermittent USB connectivity. There are some things where price shouldn't be the primary concern.
Who knows, maybe Belkin dropped the price now to see how well it's recieved. It's not shipping until Fall, so maybe it's down to around $200-$250 by September.. IMO ~$200 seems appropriate.
the Belkin dock must have a ton of chips (and software/firmware) to "translate" TB protocol into HDMI, USB, FireWire and Ethernet.. plus a DAC (digital to analog converter) and an amplifier to drive the headphone jack. All that will require power, so throw in a power supply too. if you think about it all you have to do is add a CPU, video card and some storage and you have everything you need to make a computer.
the TB cable itself has chips imbedded, so there's obviously more to TB than just dumb copper with a fancy connector. www.ifixit.com/blog/2011/06/29/what-makes-the-thun...
As the consumer, you don't (and shouldn't have to) care what's inside. Only you can say if it's worth 300, I'm just saying it's not the same as a USB or FireWire hub which use the same protocol in and out, so you'd have to compare Belkin's offering to other TB docks.
i personally think 3 bills is a little high, but what do you expect? A) it's Belkin. B) quick google search says they're the only one making this kind of thing right now. you're always going to pay more to be an early adopter.. that said, due to what's passing through it.. I'd shy away from a poorly built - cheaper - alternative from some no name manufacturer. you really don't want flaky network and video connections, noisy audio and intermittent USB connectivity. There are some things where price shouldn't be the primary concern.
Who knows, maybe Belkin dropped the price now to see how well it's recieved. It's not shipping until Fall, so maybe it's down to around $200-$250 by September.. IMO ~$200 seems appropriate.
Yeah, I'm sure that it's got a ton of chips and software/firmware backed in for all the stuff it's doing, but like you said, as a consumer I don't care what's inside. To me, this is just a convenience item. Instead of plugging a bunch of cables into my laptop everyday when I get to work, I can just plug in one. Because of that fact, is why it's not worth $300 to me personally.
I'm sure that once more manufacturers are making things like this, and once Thunderbolt isn't a Apple only technology, the price will drop a bit. But until then, just seems high priced.
I'm sure that once more manufacturers are making things like this, and once Thunderbolt isn't a Apple only technology, the price will drop a bit. But until then, just seems high priced.
when you get to work? get the job to buy it for you :)
This won't help you, but if you ever get an Air, here's something to keep in mind.
landingzone.net/
and they're funded.
www.kickstarter.com/projects/29222207/landingzone-...
This won't help you, but if you ever get an Air, here's something to keep in mind.
landingzone.net/
and they're funded.
www.kickstarter.com/projects/29222207/landingzone-...
If only getting work to buy it for me was so easy. I'm working on getting them to buy me a 27" display, forget the belkin ;)
And yeah, saw that landingzone thing a while back on kickstarter, looks awesome. But they need one for the MBP, the Air just doesn't have enough space or horsepower for my needs (Software Architecture)
And yeah, saw that landingzone thing a while back on kickstarter, looks awesome. But they need one for the MBP, the Air just doesn't have enough space or horsepower for my needs (Software Architecture)
Unfortunately, it's a question of licensing. My understanding is that any third parties have to pay Apple/Intel a fee in order to be able to use the technology. Note that the Thunderbolt display only gives you USB2 ports, not USB3 (but then, if you don't have any USB3 devices, that's not going to matter)
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