mac.iLounge

Still waiting for the Thunderbolt Express Dock to make it to market? Now that Bekin’s pushed it back to September, the company needs to watch out: Matrox is gunning for it with the release of its DS1 Thunderbolt Docking Station ($249), which is due at the same time and will be available for $50 less. While it doesn’t offer the exact same array of ports, MacBook users looking to expand the I/O options on their computers should take note.

DS1 has a pretty simple setup: on the front is a single Thunderbolt port—sadly, you have to provide your own cable to connect to your Mac. Turn it around to find DVI, Gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.0, USB 2.0, audio-out, and audio-in ports, as well as a power connector. If you have an old Cinema Display and a MacBook Air, or another combination of recent Mac and prior-generation monitor, this could end up being just the thing you need.