Customer Reviews

BookEndz BE-MB13B 13-Inch Docking Station for MacBook (Black)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

With a bit of trepidation, I purchased this product after reading several negative reviews, but, its the only game in town. Upon receipt, the monitor plug gave not signal. "Here we go" I thought and made a call to the support number on the included instructions. Upon receiving a taped message to leave my number and they would get back to me soon I thought "Oh boy, Oh boy, Oh boy!" Everything I read was correct.

Ten minutes later the phone rang, I described the problem and they said they believed they knew exactly what the problem was and that UPS would pick it up the next day. Without even having to type a mailing label, back it went and four days later I had a perfectly functioning unit that makes using a laptop at work and at home a much easier, not to mention that there is probably less wear and tear on the jack built into the computer.

Of course you should not have to return a brand new product but the way that this was handled and the working end product left me pleasantly surprised.

Although I like the idea of conveniently connecting and disconnecting my MacBook to cables at my desk, I was disappointed in the lack of a "quality feel" with this product...especially, considering its price of $160. Once connected the USB indicator light did not light up and I got the message that USB power was not available. I spoke with the manufacturer and they instructed me to return it to Amazon...at my expense since UPS does not serve bush Alaska. Speaking with Amazon today, I was told that it would be back-ordered. I decided to cancel my order and get a refund. Amazon has handled their end very effeciently.

So far, this dock has worked for me just as advertised. BookEndz is the only provider that I am aware of that makes a dock for Apple portablez. The extra USB hub and the full DVI and VGA ports do add value and convenience to the as you don't have to go out and buy the Apple Adapters for $20 a pop, though the $159 price tag does strike me as a little high. Whether the dock is "worth it" will vary on the individual and how they use the Mac. In my case, I plug and unplug a handful of cables and the dock does make it easier and cleaner. I'm not sure that's worth the price tag but it may be for some people. All in all, the dock works just as it is designed to and is the only product of its type I know of on the market. If you're looking for a way to "dock" your Mac notebook at your desk, this is your solution.

Do not waste your time and money with this product. Going on two weeks of use and my mouse, keyboard, printer, and monitor lose connection at least twice a day. Start up and shut down took forever. You're better going with a good usb hub and a velcro-tie for your cables, much cheaper and will work better. I'm now on day 3 with out using the bookendz and my macbook and peripherals are working great!

I returned this product the day I got it. Mainly I am thankful it did not break my MacBook. It does not fit properly and has to be forced to fit, never a wise move. I was really looking forward to it but was very dissappointed. Also, very poorly made and over priced even if it did fit and work properly.

If you have a Macintosh Laptop, you must have a BookEndz Dock for it. It saves time, effort and, perhaps most importantly, wear and tear on your fragile cable connectors. Having those extra, powered ports doesn't hurt either.

The USB Indicator might go off on you (meaning that all the USB devices you plug into the docking station at the rear stop working) after a while, for no apparent reason; have to reboot the mac in that case.

It's pretty bad, esp for the price tag. There doesn't seem to be a better docking station for the mac either.