Like many other Mac fanboys around the world I followed the introduction of the new MacBooks and MacBook Pros this week. I also followed the reactions. Many people are complaining about the lack of firewire in the MacBook, the glossy screens and the list goes on. Yet, it seems that all major blogs are missing one crucial detail: Apple just introduced a docking station for its' new laptops.
The last time we've seen an Apple docking station, AFAIK, is the PowerBook Duo. Its would fold and slide into the Duo Dock. There were speculations that we will see an iMac like docking station. In this weeks' announcement we got a new player: the LED Cinema Display. It's not a docking station. Yet, it comes with one cable which easily connects to the laptop video, power and USB ports. It gives you external speakers, iSight camera and a USB hub. This makes it the only connection you will need. You arrive at your desk, put your laptop on the table, plug the 3 connectors and you're set. It's on one side, it's in one neat cable. It's a beauty.
You're probably saying - "that's not a docking station". And, you're right. It's not. I used to have a ThinkPad before I had a MacBook Pro. I had a docking station. It was very easy to connect and disconnect the laptop, but it had a major disadvantage: it was too low on the table so I couldn't comfortably use both monitors (you already have a second monitor so why not put it to good use). For that, you will need some elevation and you'll need some space to work under your laptop. Check out the snapshot of my setup. My laptop stand is custom built, BTW.
The new Apple docking philosophy is cool: arrange your own workspace the way you like it and dock your machine with one cable. It's comfortable yet flexible. It's such a small invention which makes a huge difference. It's truly remarkable.
One final note - I suggest watching the video on the construction of the new MacBook. It's a cool method, but that's not why I recommend it. In the short video you'll see Jony Ive, SVP of Design talking about the MacBook. I don't remember the last time I've seen somebody who talks so passionately about a product. I was moved. I almost cried at the end :-). It's very emotional.
