MacBook accessories - page 2

Sleek new 7-in-1 USB-C dock offers dual 4K HDMI ports

By

Sleek new 7-in-1 USB-C dock offers dual 4K HDMI ports
Add a pair of 4K monitors on the go with this portable USB-C dock.
Photo: Plugable

Plugable’s new USB-C dock is small enough to be mistaken a hub but has room for seven ports. And that includes dual 4K HDMI ports that can be used even with Macs that ordinarily support only one external monitor.

The USB-C HDMI Docking Station also has USB and Ethernet ports, as well as an SD card reader.

Satechi’s new hardcase wraps MacBook Pro in form-fitting protection

By

Satechi's new hardcase wraps MacBook Pro in form-fitting protection
The Satechi Eco-HardShell Case is so tight-fitting it's hard to see unless you look closely.
Photo: Satechi

The Satechi Eco-HardShell Case covers the top, bottom and sides of the 2021 MacBook Pro models  to protect them from scratches. It fits the notebook like a glove to add minimal bulk.

To celebrate the launch, the sleek hardcase is available now at 20% off the regular cost.

Protect M1 MacBook Pro on the go with stylish SuitCase

By

Protect M1 MacBook Pro on the go with stylish SuitCase
The Twelve South SuitCase for MacBook is both stylish and protective.
Photo: Twelve South

Twelve South expanded its SuitCase line to the latest 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models. The case offers three layers of protection, with the outer being quilted twill for a smart look.

“When all you need is your MacBook for an off-site meeting, SuitCase is the ultimate shuttle,” says Twelve South.

This 20,000 mAh power bank quickly charges two devices on the go [Review] ★★★★

By

Mophie Powerstation Pro Review★★★★
The Mophie Powerstation Pro adds hours of battery life to MacBook or other Apple devices.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The Mophie Powerstation Pro boasts 20,000 mAh of power and dual USB-C ports to quickly deliver it to a MacBook or other computer at up to 45W.

I put this hefty power bank through real-world testing with my Apple devices. He’s how it stood up.

HyperJuice wall charger pumps a whopping 140 watts into MacBook Pro

By

HyperJuice wall charger pumps a whopping 140 watts into MacBook Pro
The latest HyperJuice charger can fast charge a MacBook Pro, and handle ultimate other Apple devices too.
Photo: Sanho/Hyper

MacBooks can take a lot of juice, and the HyperJuice 140W PD 3.1 USB-C Charger can dish it out. The three-port wall charger offers up to 140 watts of power, as its name indicates.

Hyper’s offering is much smaller than Apple’s own 140W charger, while including more ports.

Easily add external SSD to Mac with new Satechi drive enclosure

By

Easily add external SSD to Mac with new Satechi drive enclosure
Increase your available storage with an SSD and the Satechi USB-C Aluminum Tool-Free Enclosure.
Photo: Satechi

The Satechi USB-C Aluminum Tool-Free Enclosure allows M.2 PCIe NVMe and SATA solid state drives to be easily added to a Mac. Place the SSD in the rugged enclosure and it’s ready to plug into a laptop or desktop’s USB-C port.

The accessory launched Tuesday and is available to purchase now.

Turn your MacBook into a full workstation with this 13-in-1 dock

By

Plug into productivity with this 13-in-1 USB-C docking station.
Mac users can grab this 13-in-1 docking station to add the ports they need.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Apple took some flak a few years ago for eliminating many of the MacBook Pro’s ports, shedding the I/O selection for a sleeker design. Cupertino reversed course in 2021, returning some ports to MacBook Pros, but many Apple users still need to keep a collection of adapters to get the functionality they need.

Now they can consolidate at an affordable price. This 13-in-1 Docking Station with Dual HDMI packs a whole desktop’s worth of ports into a compact form entirely accessible through a single USB-C cable. Moreover, it costs only $59.99 (regularly $70) for a limited time.

Mophie dual-port MacBook charger launches at Apple stores

By

Mophie dual-port MacBook charger launches at Apple stores
The Mophie Speedport 45 can juice up a MacBook and and iPhone at the same time.
Photo: Zagg/Mophie

Apple likes the Mophie Speedport 45 enough to put the dual USB-C port wall charger on its online store.

This not surprising: Mophie’s new product offers more power than Apple’s recently launched equivalents, and it costs less.

Case X protects your MacBook while adding extra storage and ports

By

Case X protects your MacBook while adding extra storage and ports. It's three accessories in one.
Case X from Byrdbyte Creations is three MacBook accessories in one.
Photo: Byrdbyte Creations

There are cases for MacBooks. And there are USB-C hubs. And external hard drives, too. Case X is all three of these. It clips to the top of the laptop, adding six extra ports and up to 4TB of additional storage.

Byrdbyte Creations’ product is still at the crowdfunding stage, though.

Unlock Kingston’s newest SSD with its built-in touchscreen

By

Unlock Kingston's SSD with its built-in touchscreen
Tap in a password directly onto the touchscreen of Kingston's IronKey external SSD.
Photo: Kingston

The Kingston IronKey Vault Privacy 80 External SSD includes a touchscreen and hardware encryption to protect user data. Unlock the XTS-AES 256-bit encryption by tapping in a password or numeric passcode onto the touchscreen.

It’s available in capacities up to 1920 GB.

Connect a pair of 4K HDMI monitors to an M1 MacBook with this portable USB-C adapter [Review] ★★★★

By

OWC USB-C Dual HDMI 4K Display Adapter with DisplayLink review★★★★
With the OWC USB-C Dual HDMI 4K Display Adapter with DisplayLink, your M1 MacBook can use a pair of external monitors.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

MacBooks with an Apple M1 processor can handle only one external monitor, but the OWC USB-C Dual HDMI 4K Display Adapter with DisplayLink doubles the number. And Mac mini users can connect to three monitors with it.

I put the USB-C HDMI adapter through a round of testing to be sure it lived up to the claims.

Add 1TB of storage to 2021 MacBook Pro with this half-size SD card [Review]

By

Transcend JetDrive Lite 330 review
The 1TB JetDrive Lite 330 can sit permanently in your MacBook Pro.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The Transcend JetDrive Lite 330 is a memory card that sits flush in the SD slot in the 2021 MacBook Pro. Use it to add up to a terabyte storage to the notebook or for backups. It’s ideal for people who otherwise have no use for the SD card slot.

I put the just-released 1TB version of the memory card. Here’s why I love it.

HyperDrive USB-C dock packs HDMI and DisplayPort into pocket-size hub

By

HyperDrive USB-C dock packs HDMI and DisplayPort into pocket-size hub
Plenty of USB-C hubs have HDMI ports, but far fewer include DisplayPort. The HyperDrive USB4 Mobile Dock offers both. And more.
Photo: Hyper

The HyperDrive USB4 Mobile Dock offers ports for both HDMI and DisplayPort, giving users additional options for an external monitor. And the just-launched USB-C hub also includes dual USB-A ports, Ethernet and more.

And all this fits into a package not much larger than a Magic Mouse.

Protect your MacBook with SwitchEasy’s leather sleeve and stand

By

SwitchEasy's EasyStand is a stand and sleeve for your MacBook.
SwitchEasy's EasyStand is a stand and sleeve for your MacBook.
Photo: SwitchEasy

Wouldn’t it be cool if you had something to slightly elevate your MacBook Air or MacBook Pro while you use it and to serve as a protective sleeve when you take it on the go?

Well, you can do both things with the SwitchEasy EasyStand Leather MacBook Sleeve. It’s available — and affordable — in the Cult of Mac Store.

Rugged new Samsung T7 Shield SSD survives drops, rain and dust

By

Rugged new Samsung T7 Shield SSD survives rain, drops and dust
The Samsung T7 Shield is rugged enough to be used outdoors... but you don't have to.
Photo: Samsung

The Samsung T7 Shield is a a credit-card size external SSD intended for outdoor content creators or travelers. It’s drop, water and dust resistant, and offers up to 2TB of capacity.

This new rugged version joins other SSDs in the Samsung T7 line.

Add 1TB of storage to 2021 MacBook Pro with JetDrive Lite 330

By

Add 1TB of storage to 2021 MacBook Pro with JetDrive Lite 330
The JetDrive Lite 330 might be the best option for Time Machine backups for the 2021 MacBook Pro.
Photo: Transcend

The Transcend JetDrive Lite 330 is now available with 1TB of storage. This SD card is designed specifically to add to the capacity of the 2021 MacBook Pro, and sit flush with the card slot.

Once inserted, the card acts like any other drive. And data transfers are fast enough for Time Machine backups.

Add Ethernet and 6 more ports to MacBook with this clip-on USB-C hub [Review]

By

HyperDrive Duo Pro 7-in-2 USB-C Hub review
The HyperDrive Duo Pro clips to a MacBook and adds HDMI, USB-A, Ethernet and more.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The HyperDrive Duo Pro 7-in-2 USB-C Hub plugs into the side of a MacBook to add a variety of useful ports. The standout is Ethernet, but there’s also USB-A, HDMI and microSD.

I did real-world testing of the 2022 version of this clip-on hub, and found that it lives up to the hype.

Sturdy folding stand makes MacBooks more ergonomic [Review]

By

Sturdy folding stand makes MacBooks more ergonomic [Review]
The Wiplabs Lift is always ready to make typing on your MacBook easier.
Photo: Adel Neal/Cult of Mac

The Wiplabs Lift makes it easier to type on your MacBook by tilting the keyboard up. At the same time, it raises the display closer to eye level. And it offers these benefits anywhere you go because the rugged, aluminum stand folds so you can stow it away.

I put the portable stand to the test … and it really stood up.

Espresso Display V2 gives you the touchscreen Mac you’ve been craving [Review]

By

Espresso Display V2 review
The Espresso Display V2 is a gorgeous external display that’s also a touchscreen.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Although Apple refuses to make a touchscreen Mac, the Espresso Display V2 is ready to fill in the gap. There are 15.6-inch and 13.3-inch versions of the very slim external display, and both support touch and an optional stylus.

I tested the screen with a MacBook and iPad to see how well it performs in ordinary use. And I also tried out the stylus as well as the stand for desktop use and the case for taking the display on the go.

This half-size card makes SD slot in 2021 MacBook Pro useful

By

This half-size card makes SD slot in 2021 MacBook Pro useful
The JetDrive Lite 330 fits flush in the newest MacBook Pro.
Photo: Transcend

The 2021 MacBook Pro includes an SD slot, but cards don’t insert all the way into the notebook. But that’s not a problem with Transcend’s JetDrive Lite 330 — it is smaller than the standard SD card so it sits flush in the slot.

Once inserted, the card acts like any other drive. And data transfers are fast enough for Time Machine backups.

This 9-in-1 USB-C hub has it all for only $99

By

Get the most productivity from your device with this hub.
Add nine ports to your MacBook or iPad with this USB-C hub.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Owning a sleek, modern laptop doesn’t mean you need to give up all the ports that make your computer useful. This Casa 9-in-1 USB-C hub only takes up one of your MacBook’s ports, but gives you nine different ways to connect.

And right now, it’s on sale for $99 (regularly $119).

Add 3 super-fast ports to your Mac with Plugable’s Thunderbolt hub [Review]

By

Plugable USB4-HUB3A Thunderbolt hub review
The Plugable USB4-HUB3A doesn’t take up much room on your desk, and adds three Thunderbolt 4 ports to your Mac.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

If you want more Thunderbolt ports for your Mac, the Plugable USB4-HUB3A hub offers a trio of them. And they are fully functional, offering up to 40 Gbps transfer speeds and support for 4K monitors. Plus, there’s a USB-A port for good measure.

I put Plugable’s new Thunderbolt hub through a round of testing to be sure it lives up to specs.

This cool auto-resizing stand holds MacBook or iPad vertically [Review]

By

iVoler Vertical Laptop Stand review
The iVoler Vertical Laptop Stand saves room on your desk, and is just cool looking.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

What to do with your MacBook or iPad when you’re not using them? You can just leave them lying around but that’s wasteful of space. The iVoler Vertical Laptop Stand holds your computer upright, either when it’s charging or when you have an external screen and keyboard connected. Best of all, its clamp closes on your computer to securely hold it but also easily release it.

I tested the very affordable stand in my home office. Here’s why I love it.