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.
Case X is 3 MacBook accessories in 1
After you clip a Case X to the back of a MacBook display, it becomes “integrated protection for the exterior of your laptop from accidental bumps and drops,” according to Byrdbyte. It measures 0.4 inches (1cm) thick and weighs 0.44 pounds (200g).
Built in are a pair of USB-A ports with 10GBps data-transfer speeds and an HDMI port that supports 4K at 60fps. There’s also a USB-C port that offers 100W charging, plus SD and microSD card readers.
It is necessary to connect the Case X to the MacBook with a USB-C cable to access the ports and storage. The case includes a place to store the cable when not in use.
Case X is compatible with the 16-inch MacBook Pro 2019-2020, the 13-inch MacBook Pro 2015-2020 (including the M1 model) and the 15-inch MacBook Pro 2015-2019. One of the Kickstarter stretch goals is support for the 2021 MacBook Pro models, but this will depend on how much support the product gets.
Photo: Byrdbyte Creations
Now on Kickstarter
Byrdbyte Creations is now taking preorders for the 3-in-1 MacBook accessory on Kickstarter.
The basic version is the Case X without storage. It costs $99 as a super early bird deal – after launch, the price will go up to $149. Add 512GB and the price is $199 as a super early bird deal. 1TB ($219), 2TB ($319) and 4TB ($649) upgrades are also available.
After launching Tuesday, Byrdbyte is almost halfway to its funding goal. If it is reached, the product is scheduled to begin shipping in November 2022. If it is not, preorders will be refunded.
