USB-C hubs that attach directly to Apple's notebooks have become quite commonplace in recent years, but Sanho Corporation's HYPER brand is today releasing an updated version of its HyperDrive Duo hub that includes a couple of new twists.
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As with most USB-C hubs, the new HyperDrive DUO includes an array of expansion ports for your Mac, including an HDMI port, a pair of USB-C ports (one capable of Thunderbolt 3 with 100W power delivery), a pair of USB-A ports, and slots for both SD and microSD cards. New in this updated Mac version of the HyperDrive hub is support for 4K 60Hz HDMI.
Another new feature of the new HyperDrive DUO is that it comes with a new removable magnetic grip that is inserted between the hub and the notebook that increases the sturdiness of the attachment to help prevent accidental disconnects that can result in loss of data transmission or even data corruption. A similar grip can be found on the company's iPad Pro USB-C hub.
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The HyperDrive DUO itself is equipped with longer than normal USB-C connectors that extend through the magnetic grip, but the design also means that the accessory can be used with many MacBook cases by simply removing the magnetic grip, with the MacBook's case serving as the extra spacer for the connectors.
And for those who want to use the HyperDrive DUO hub with non-MacBook USB-C devices like an iPad Pro, it also comes with a short extension cable that gives flexibility for connecting to any single-connector USB-C device. A vegan leather pouch helps keep the hub, grip and extension cable protected and organized for travel.
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The HyperDrive DUO is launching today for $99.99 in silver and space gray through HyperShop.com, B&H Photo, and other retailers.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Top Rated Comments
(View all)** Minus one USB port. Some USB accessories may simply not work with no explanation. So you will probably need to buy 2-3 of these dongles just in case one only works with one thing, while the other only works with another thing. But you can only use one at a time. So it will really cost you $300-400 to get back the same functionality that Apple removed several years ago. But it's okay, because it's somehow better, now pay up!
There is no plausible excuse for not having sufficient ports on the 16" MBP, other than Apple treating its customer base with contempt as usual.
3 years and counting with this USB-C only nuisance of a Mac and the only "improvement" I can think of is that usb-c to lightning cables have become a thing.
Just solving problems they created themselves by selling their own adapters and dongles. How do you think the "other" revenue category became so big. Contempt and greed hand in hand.There is no plausible excuse for not having sufficient ports on the 16" MBP, other than Apple treating its customer base with contempt as usual.
...because implementing advanced USB-C features like DisplayPort and improved power delivery in a hub is complicated and you'd just be left with 4-6 USB-C shaped USB 3.1 ports that offered no advantage over regular USB-A (...and pretty much every USB-C peripheral not made by Apple comes with a USB-A cable or adapter anyway).Why there's no simple USB-C hub, like with 4 USBC ports or 6 USBC ports.
Remember, these devices are primarily about restoring the ports that should have been there all along on a pro laptop.
Ah. USB-C: a great solution for a phone or tablet that only has space for a single ultra-thin port - a pointless complication on a proper laptop or desktop that should have space for dedicated ports (that doesn't even make USB 3 any faster).
If you look at the picture, it connects to both TB3 ports on the side of the MacBook - pretty sure that only one of those is used to drive the extra ports on the dock, the other is wired directly to the first USB-C port on the dock. Hence it claims 40Gbps/100W charging on one port - but it would need to be certified by Intel to be called "Thunderbolt" .The product page doesn't mention Thunderbolt at all, so this seems to be an error. It's just USB-Power Delivery; it's a USB-C hub, not a Thunderbolt dock.
I have a similar dongle for my all USB-C MacBook Pro. It wriggles like crazy. The amount of large file transfers failed due to moving the laptop slightly to one side or reaching out and accidentally touching the cable is annoyingly staggering. If you have an all USB-C Mac, invest in a hub that connects with a wire, not one that sits firmly on one side. You'll have a more reliable setup. However, stable or not, sometimes when connecting a USB/3 drive, my wireless connection will erratically drop until I disconnect the dongle. It's really touch and (no) go. Thank you Apple. I know, "It's your fault for getting a ****** dongle. Serves you right for being stingy on good accessories," some of you might want to say, only that the dongle was actually a rather expensive one, had good reviews and was not advertised as "******," otherwise I'd not buy it in the first place. You only find out when it's too late, usually when it's too late to return the dongle or the Mac. Once upon a time, there was a laptop that you took out of the box, and "it just worked." Alas, many believe nowadays that this was just a myth. Again, thank you Apple.
Luckily for me, I got my old MacBook Retina 13" model with integrated USB-3 ports and HDMI and additional storage expansion though a nifty drive repaired and working again. I'm keeping this baby until one of us drops dead (I still prefer it to be my Mac, for all the love I feel towards it). I just hope I can find a sucker to buy my "New" MacBook Pro 13. Should't be too hard, after all, it's newer, thinner and shinier. After all, I got doped into being it, and I'm not the dumbest kid on the block. It's hardly been used at all (as soon as I got my old Mac repaired, I preferred using it instead). I'll even throw the dongle and the MagSafe workaround cable into the mix for free (yeah, workaround is the name of the game with the new generation). Be my guest.