This week’s list of new Mac accessories includes protection for your laptop, as well as the latest in Thunderbolt and Lightning.
This company’s new line of Thunderbolt cables starts at $43 for a half-meter cable and goes up to $69 for three meters. They cables offer data transfer rates of 10 GB per second, and they’re compatible with all Thunderbolt devices.
The $90 Countour Overnight Backpack is designed to let you get through airport security without removing your laptop from your bag: Simply unzip the bag, lay it flat, and let it ride through the X-ray machine.
The $109 Freestyle2 Ergonomic Keyboard for Mac makes it easier on your poor old tendons to keep pounding out text throughout the day: It splits in the middle so each hand can get the optimal position. It also includes double-wide escape and delete keys for easy use, as well as “low force” key action to reduce your typing effort.
The XtremKey USB 3.0 ($85 for 32GB; $140 for 64GB) offers secure external storage for your most important data, tucked away in a case designed to withstand extreme head, cold, and hard drops. The device also offers 230 MB/s data transfers, letting you move data to and from the XtremKey quickly. A 64 GB version will be available later this month.
Looking for something more rustic than tech? Check out the Lazerwood line of wooden key caps for Apple’s keyboards. As the vendor says, “This mod takes some nimble fingers and patience but the results are stunning.” The walnut or cherry key cap sets are priced at $40 for Apple’s laptop and non-numeric-keypad keyboards, or $45 for Apple’s keyboard with numeric keypad.
The $170 Laptop Pro Keyboard for Mac is a wireless, non-numeric-keypad version of the company’s popular wired keyboards. Matias says the built-in, rechargeable battery lasts sixth months on a single charge, but the company bills the keyboard’s chief advantage as its Quiet Click, mechanical-keyswitch technology that the company says makes this product the quietest—and best—Bluetooth keyboard around.
Matrox bills the $249 DS1 as the “world’s first” Thunderbolt docking station. The dock includes a Gigabit ethernet port for fast data transfers, a USB 3.0 port, and two USB 2.0 ports, as well as microphone and speaker connections.
The $100 Classic Herringbone Laptop Tote (pictured) is perfect for carrying small laptops and iPads on your business trips. If herringbone isn’t your thing, try the identically priced Classic Corduroy Laptop Tote.
The $65 iGlaze Pro is a protective shell for your 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display. The shell comes with raised rubber feet to facilitate heat dissipation, and it’s available in black or translucent.
The $49 Cardette 3 is the latest generation of Moshi’s much-loved Cardette line of multi-card reader and USB hub, offering USB 3.0 speeds for faster data transfers to and from your Mac.
The $40 Aluminum External Hard Disk Enclosure (pictured) allows you to use any 2.5-inch SATA drive to back up and protect your valuable data; it includes USB 3.0 and eSATA interfaces, but is also compatible with USB 2.0. Also new from Satechi is the $30 Multifunction USB 3.0 Card Reader, which offers slots for SD, XD, MS, TF, M2, and CF cards.
This company just unveiled its Velocity line of laptop-carrying bags, with the Impulse backpack leading the way as the line’s flagship product. It has room for a 15-inch laptop, plus it provides secondary compartments for books and other documents, as well as side pockets for water bottles and umbrellas.
Also new from STM is the Axis line of laptop sleeves, which can protect your laptop in style. The Axis line includes offerings in the extra small, small, and medium range, with a tasteful assortment of pastel colors to choose from.
Author: Joel Mathis
Joel Mathis is a regular contributor to Macworld and TechHive. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife and young son.