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Belkin Updates Thunderbolt Express Dock With New Ports and New Price Tag

Belkin Updates Thunderbolt Express Dock With New Ports and New Price Tag

I’ve had my eye on Belkin’s Thunderbolt Express Dock for a while now, especially seeing it in person at CES – and today Belkin provided some good news…or is it bad news? The company is currently at Computex 2012 in Tapei showing off the dock, but they’ve made some changes that are likely to bring mixed reactions.

From the press release:

The Thunderbolt Express Dock is a first-of-its-kind docking solution for both PC and Mac users that enables instant access to up to nine desktop peripherals with one cable, and provides an easy transition from a desktop workstation to a mobile device. Upgrades to the latest version of the dock include the addition of three USB 3.0 ports, instead of USB 2.0 ports, as well as an eSata port.

Belkin has significantly upgraded the Express Dock prior to its release, bringing USB 3.0 into the mix, as well as a Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapter. In total, the dock will now feature two Thunderbolt ports, three USB 3 ports, FireWire 800, a Gigabit Ethernet port, eSATA, and audio in and out jacks. That’s quite a laundry list!

OK. Now for the bad news: The expected price has been bumped from $299 to $399! While it might still be cheaper to buy a cheaper 27-inch display and the Thunderbolt Express Dock, the $400 price tag sorta makes buying a Thunderbolt Display seem more appealing (although this dock does sport some extra goodies…). Putting this in contrast with the Matrox DS-1 (announced yesterday) makes me question how many people will use Belkin’s offering.

Along with the changes comes an announcement that Belking will also launch their own meter-long Thunderbolt cable, which will be released in July, while the Thunderbolt Express Dock is still on track to be released in September.