Other World Computing (OWC) today announced the upcoming availability of its new Thunderbolt 2 dock. The OWC Thunderbolt 2 dock includes twelve ports, allowing for the connectivity of up to 78 direct and daisy-chained devices through a single Thunderbolt connection.

owc-thunderbolt2-dock
Designed with Apple hardware aesthetics, the dock is compatible with Thunderbolt-equipped Macs in both form and function. Available expansion connections include two Thunderbolt 2 ports, five USB 3.0 ports, 3.5mm audio in/out and one port each for Firewire 800 devices, Gigabit Ethernet, and HDMI 1.4b with support for 4K displays.

belkin-thunderbolt2-dock
The OWC Thunderbolt 2 dock compares favorably with Belkin's Thunderbolt 2 Express Dock HD, which debuted earlier this year. Similar to OWC's latest offering, Belkin's $299 expansion dock includes two Thunderbolt 2 ports, one HDMI port and one Gigabit Ethernet connection. It also offers two audio out ports and three USB 3.0 ports as compared to five for OWC.

The OWC Thunderbolt 2 dock is available now for pre-order with a price tag of $249 and an expected ship date of early December.

Top Rated Comments

FWRN Avatar
144 months ago
Looks nice, just wish it didn't have the ugly logo on the front...
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
noodledog Avatar
144 months ago
FYI...
I've pre-ordered this product and found out that almost immediately OWC invoiced my AX $10 within the hour. It doesn't bother me too much, but OWC should have at least warned me about this and it should also be stated in their pre-ordering process.

I've also pre-ordered, and have the same $10 pre-charge

They did warn you before you hit 'confirm order' that there would be a 'small' charge to verify the payment method.

You could quibble with their characterization as 'small', of course. :p
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cube Avatar
144 months ago
This has eSATA, USB 3.0, FW 800, but no video

http://www.akitio.com/accessories/thunder-dock

I know that. The point is that no complete Thunderbolt Dock is available yet, and that's why I've bought nothing.

----------

eSATA and USB 3.0 + UASP (OS X 10.8.5+) provide similar speeds.

eSATA you can TRIM, but I've seen no UASP UNMAP support yet.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
therockyroad Avatar
144 months ago

Available expansion connections include two Thunderbolt 2 ports, five USB 3.0 ports, 3.5mm audio in/out and one port each for Firewire 800 devices, Gigabit Ethernet, and HDMI 1.4b with support for 4K displays.


Isnt it a bit misleading to claim two Thunderbolt 2 "expansion ports"? One of them is an input from your computer isn't it? So there is no expansion of thunderbolt at all, just one port out for one port in (daisy chaining).

With a number of single port small thunderbolt drives out there, what I want is a thunderbolt hub, so I can connect two of such drives to my Mac. Technically this may not be possible to split a thunderbolt signal the way you can with USB. I don't know.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
paulrbeers Avatar
144 months ago
I doubt you will see such a product with eSATA. Not enough demand and usb 3 is sufficient for the majority of users.

The Akitio thunder dock has eSATA with port multiplier.... I know since I currently own it.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cube Avatar
144 months ago
I doubt you will see such a product with eSATA. Not enough demand and usb 3 is sufficient for the majority of users.

The Sonnet vaporware will have eSATA.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Coming Soon With These 8 New Features on Your iPhone

Thursday December 11, 2025 8:49 am PST by
Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon. Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week. iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new...
Google maps feaure

Google Maps Quietly Added This Long-Overdue Feature for Drivers

Wednesday December 10, 2025 2:52 am PST by
Google Maps on iOS quietly gained a new feature recently that automatically recognizes where you've parked your vehicle and saves the location for you. Announced on LinkedIn by Rio Akasaka, Google Maps' senior product manager, the new feature auto-detects your parked location even if you don't use the parking pin function, saves it for up to 48 hours, and then automatically removes it once...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3

Thursday December 11, 2025 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3 and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B30, up from 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 firmware is 8B28, up from 8B21. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 are getting expanded support for Live Translation in the European Union in iOS...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature 1

Apple to Make More Foldable iPhones Than Expected [Updated]

Tuesday December 9, 2025 9:59 am PST by
Apple has ordered 22 million OLED panels from Samsung Display for the first foldable iPhone, signaling a significantly larger production target than the display industry had previously anticipated, ET News reports. In the now-seemingly deleted report, ET News claimed that Samsung plans to mass-produce 11 million inward-folding OLED displays for Apple next year, as well as 11 million...
iOS 26

iOS 26.4 and iOS 27 Features Revealed in New Leak

Friday December 12, 2025 10:56 am PST by
Macworld's Filipe Espósito today revealed a handful of features that Apple is allegedly planning for iOS 26.4, iOS 27, and even iOS 28. The report said the features are referenced within the code for a leaked internal build of iOS 26 that is not meant to be seen by the public. However, it appears that Espósito and/or his sources managed to gain access to it, providing us with a sneak peek...
AirTag 2 Mock Feature

Apple AirTag 2: Four New Features Found in iOS 26 Code

Thursday December 11, 2025 10:31 am PST by
The AirTag 2 will include a handful of new features that will improve tracking capabilities, according to a new report from Macworld. The site says that it was able to access an internal build of iOS 26, which includes references to multiple unreleased products. Here's what's supposedly coming: An improved pairing process, though no details were provided. AirTag pairing is already...
iOS 26

Apple Releases iOS 26.2 With Alarms for Reminders, Lock Screen Changes, Enhanced Safety Alerts and More

Friday December 12, 2025 10:10 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 26.2, the second major update to the iOS 26 operating system that came out in September, iOS 26.2 comes a little over a month after iOS 26.1 launched. ‌iOS 26‌.2 is compatible with the ‌iPhone‌ 11 series and later, as well as the second-generation ‌iPhone‌ SE. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings >...
iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
maxresdefault

iOS 26 Code Leak Reveals Apple Smart Home Hub Details

Thursday December 11, 2025 4:02 pm PST by
Apple is working on a smart home hub that will rely heavily on the more capable version of Siri that's coming next year. We've heard quite a bit about the hub over the last two years, but a recent iOS 26 code leak provides additional insight into what we can expect and confirms rumored features. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Macworld claims to have access to an ...
studio display purple

Apple Studio Display 2 Code Hints at 120Hz ProMotion, HDR, A19 Chip

Thursday December 11, 2025 4:19 am PST by
Apple's next-generation Studio Display is expected to arrive early next year, and a new report allegedly provides a couple more details on the external monitor's capabilities. According to internal Apple code seen by Macworld, the new external display will feature a variable refresh rate capable of up to 120Hz – aka ProMotion – as well as support for HDR content. The current Studio...