If you’re looking for the latest USB 3.0 technology (including the hubbiest hub ever) look no further than the latest Mac-accessory roundup. Also: cases, key covers, adapter holders, super docks, air filters, and even a backpack.
FirmTek says its new miniSwap/U3 is a “screaming fast” USB 3.0 enclosure for solid state and hard disk drives, offering data-transfer speeds of up to 440 MB/s. Another benefit? It’s fan-free, using an aluminum heat dissipation system to keep cool without the distracting noise.
Looking for a hard shell to protect your Mac laptop? Incase has unveiled a line of $50 hardshell cases to protect your MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, or Retina-display MacBook Pro. Each comes in a variety of colors to let you express your personality while you protect your precious hardware.
The $40 MacBook Wood Keyboard turns the keyboard on your MacBook Pro or MacBook Air into—you guessed it—a wooden keyboard. The key tops, which the company acknowledges take a while to install, are made from either bamboo or rosewood.
Of all the many, many ports on the $70 10-Port USB 3.0 Hub, it’s the 10th that might just be most important: Your computer’s USB ports can’t fast-charge an iPad, but the hub’s 10th port—at the very end of the device—does just that, offering enough oomph to get your iPad to its next appointment.
It’s far too easy to lose your MagSafe to MagSafe 2 Converter, given the adapter’s tiny size, but a simple solution is at hand (or at least in your pocket) in the form of the $10 MagSafe Adapter Key Ring. Made of solid metal, it provides a relatively safe and secure place to stash your Converter—thanks to the Converter’s own magnet—when it’s not plugged in to your MacBook. Unless you’re prone to losing your keys.
The Echo 15 Thunderbolt Dock ($400 to $550) is a versatile “dock box” with a plethora of ports: two Thunderbolt, four USB 3.0, two eSATA, one FireWire 800, as well as a Gigabit-ethernet jack, two headphone/audio-out jacks, and two microphone jacks. You also get an optical drive (either DVD±RW or Blu-ray) and, optionally, a 2 TB hard drive. Also new from Sonnet is the $1,295 xMac Mini Server, which turns your Thunderbolt-equipped Mac mini into an “enterprise-class rack-mount server.”
The $170 Synapse 25 backpack is a new, larger version of the original (and Macworld-favorite) Synapse pack. In addition to giving you some extra room and adding some organizational tweaks, the Synapse 25 includes the appropriate loops for the company’s Cache with Rails checkpoint-friendly laptop sleeves.
First seen by our friends at The MacObserver, the $25 iSchmutz Air Filter For Mac Pro earns our favor merely for bringing Yiddish to the world of Apple accessory names. Lucky thing it’s also useful, filtering dirt, dust, and pollen to keep your Mac Pro in tip-top shape.
Author: Joel Mathis
Joel Mathis is a regular contributor to Macworld and TechHive. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife and young son.