Satechi today announced a new stand for the iMac, called the Type-C Aluminum Monitor Stand Hub. The accessory features seven built-in ports and an ergonomic design that the company says is aimed at maximizing desk space and providing easy access to USB ports.
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In total, the hub has one USB-C data port and three USB 3.0 ports (each running at 5 Gbps), slots for microSD and SD cards, and one audio jack port. The stand is made with a brushed aluminum finish to match Apple's iMac and iMac Pro line. It also raises the iMac monitor a few inches off of the desk to provide a more comfortable viewing level when working on an iMac.
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Satechi is selling the Type-C Aluminum Monitor Stand Hub for $89.99 in silver and space gray, on both Satechi.net and Amazon. The hub also comes with Satechi's Aluminum Type-A to Type-C Adapter.
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Top Rated Comments
(View all)I like having the flexibility to change both local and airplay with keyboard. For my use case, it’s designed ideally.
The issue with the Cmd + Up/Down shortcuts is iTunes must be the active application in order for them to work.I like the concept of this stand, but some of the ports should be on the back, to avoid cable clutter.
Ended up buying it and putting my Mac mini on top of it. It would of been nice if the Mac mini fit under but the stand is not tall enough. The usb-c cable that connects to the back of the computer actually is back/under the stand. The front usb-c port you can use to connect something, for example, a SSD. Overall I like what this adds to the Mac mini in regard to easy to reach ports. I truly only bought this to add the SD card slot to the "front" of the Mac mini since I use that the most(photography).At minimum, the USB-C port should be on the back, since it is intended to attach to a matching USB-C port on the back of the iMac. I would probably move all but one of the USB-A ports to the back as well, leaving one on the front for impromptu connections (like thumb drives).
I also agree with [USER=913886]@jev425[/USER] that it would be nice for a Mac mini. IMO, it would be perfect if it would be wide enough for a mini to fit snugly underneath, making the final result look like a slightly-taller mini with front-facing ports. But it appears that it isn't tall enough for that, even if it might be wide enough.
Further, USB 3.0 is now properly USB 3.2 Gen 1 x 1.
...Darn, and I'd just about gotten used to it being USB 3.1 gen 1 - I wonder why people get confused about USB ports and protocols? :-)Meanwhile, since Satechi don't trumpet the capabilities of the USB-C port, or list any restrictions when the hub is plugged in to a USB-A port. They do say 5Gbps - so I think its safe to assume that its just a garden variety differently-shaped USB 3.0 port.
They don't say anything about power delivery capabilities, either - can it drive more than one bus=powered disc drive, for example? Unpowered (or bus-powered) USB hubs can be a problem that way.
In theory its should be able to get extra power from the computer when connected by USB C (not sure what the iMac's power delivery capacity is, but it ought to be at least 15W over USB-C, right?) but in the absence of information I'd assume not, and that this is just a garden-variety $15 unpowered USB 3 hub in a $75 box.
Would be nice if someone produced an iMac-centric Thunderbolt 3 hub that could sit under the stand like this - with a ton of USB2/3/C connectivity and less emphasis on MacBook charging, ethernet and multiple display outputs. The CalDigit TB3+ would do the job but its a bit of an overkill (particularly the ability to charge a MBP which means a huge power brick).
The hub itself doesn't look bad.
Cmd + Up and Cmd + Down if you were looking for a keyboard solution to this.And those two HomePods look really nice by the iMac. I'm assuming they're paired for a stereo sound. If you try that, you'll find out the keyboard audio controls are useless as they don't work for iTunes AirPlay. Just saying. Quite disappointing.