The minute you take your brand new computer out of the box, the clock starts ticking. It might be five years. It might be three years. It could only be a year or two if you got a lemon. But, rest assured, that bright-eyed-and-bushy-tailed, brand spanking new laptop or desktop still bathed in that new car smell has already started its march toward the grave.
Oh sure, the manufacturer may not have an actual expiration date stamped on a computer like it's a reject from Logan's Run. But, with innovation around the corner at every turn, that computer's days are most definitely always numbered.
For those spending hundreds, or even thousands, on a brand new Apple Mac, they definitely aren't going to be thrilled with a machine that's ready to give up the ghost in 18 months. No, Mac power users will most assuredly rage against the dying of the digital light and will fight it with any means necessary.
Other World Computing is a hardware maker dedicated to the proposition that a computer purchase shouldn't be a disposable one. Their mission: to help Mac users prolong the life of their machines and get every last drop of life and utility out of their powerful frames. With the right support, users can get up to eight, 12, even 15 to 20 years of faithful service out of their system.
What is Thunderbolt?
For those looking to maximize the efficiency of their Mac, that pursuit starts with one word: Thunderbolt. Over the past decade, the Apple-championed Thunderbolt technology has emerged as the fastest, most productive connectivity type in personal computing. That's because Thunderbolt is not only blisteringly fast, but is also capable of doing virtually everything a computer connection needs to do.
It transfers data at up to a whopping 40Gbps. It charges smartphones, devices, and most laptops with up to 100 watts of power. It can even output video to two 4K monitors at once.
However, even Apple's latest and greatest Macbooks, Mac Pros, and Mac Minis powered by their next-gen M1 processor only come with 2 Thunderbolt ports. While Thunderbolt connectivity has the added ability to daisy chain multiple components together, that's still a severe limitation in getting premium speed and productivity out of your Mac.
OWC Thunderbolt Dock
OWC has the largest array of Thunderbolt-enhanced products on the market, so it's little surprise they came up with the preeminent answer to those lack of ports with their new Thunderbolt dock, the world's first Thunderbolt port expander to accommodate up to 4 Thunderbolt connections at once.
The new Thunderbolt dock is a Mac power user's fantasy, connecting up to 4 Thunderbolt driven components (as well as a fifth USB-connected device), all with the same performance and compatibility as if they were plugged directly into the computer itself.
Equipped to accommodate Thunderbolt 3 and recently released Thunderbolt 4 connectors, users can create up to three daisy chains of Thunderbolt powered devices, assuring they can get all of their high-performance storage devices, A/V mixers, phones, and tablets, or even desktop accessories like a keyboard or mouse all connected through literally one Thunderbolt port in their Mac. It even handles the huge data requirements for two 4K displays or even a 5K, 6K, or even 8K display monitor.
Surrounded by heat-dissipating anodized aluminum, the OWC Thunderbolt Hub also runs cool and looks stylish in its polished black top casing.
There's even a version of this hub rolled out at last month's CES that will also include two more 10Gbps USB-A ports, as well as ports for Gigabit Ethernet, an SD card, a 3.5mm audio out, as well as a USB 2.0 port. That hub starts shipping in March.
Old school Mac? No problem.
Even if you aren't rocking the hottest new Mac device to take full advantage of this next gen hub, OWC also has a host of other Thunderbolt accessories like docks, drives, cables, adapters, and more to help keep previous Mac generations surging at top efficiency.
You can head over to the OWC website, check out the Thunderbolt hub, and all the rest of OWC's cutting edge Mac optimization items.
