Customer Reviews

Griffin PowerDock 4 Four-Position Charging Station for iPod and iPhone (Aluminum)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

I love this product. When we travel, we have 2 iphones, an ipod touch, an ipod video classic, all that need charging. Going in and out of hotel rooms, we have always had to set up a laptop computer with USB cables and juggle charging phones and ipods. No More.

This beauty sits by the bedside when we are not traveling and keeps everything powered and ready. GREAT FEATURE: There is no walwart dongle with this unit... the power supply is built in, so the AC cord is simple and easy to wind, making this charger very portable.

It does not currently come with iphone 3G charging adapters, and we had to buy a package of 3 of these from Apple directly for an additional $9, plus shipping, plus state tax. (13.50 total).

I like the metal feel and the look of this unit too. Very sturdy. This is not for playing and syncing your ipod, charging only. I saw somebody else review this product, giving it only 1 star because it wouldn't sync... um, sounds like someone didn't read the clear description. Very unfair to give a product a low rating because you're too lazy to read carefully. I give this 5 out of 5 stars because it fits out needs so well.

Pros:

1. Does exactly as advertised. It charges 4 iPods/iPhones at the same time with a minimal amount of space and cabling.

2. Has a universal power supply built in making it good for international travel. Also, without a bulky external power adapter the setup essentially consists of the dock and the power cable.

3. You can pretty much plug ipods/iphones into the Powerdock without bothering to use the included dock adapters. Silicon gel type cases can remain on the ipod/iphone while docked, but I had to remove a hard shell case like the Contour Showcase in order to get it to fit into the slot.

Cons:

1. Questionable out of the box quality control. My unit works fine, but something is wrong with the top finish. It seems like something "splashed" onto it in the factory and there are "blotches" on the top finish. It's not a huge stain. It's more akin to taking a wet paint brush and carelessly "flicking" some paint residue onto the finish. Except in my case it's more like some sort of corrosive agent that caused the actual top case to have "stains" in certain scattered spots.

2. It's hard to tell when your ipod/iphone is done charging because there are no "charge" indicators. When my devices are docked all I see are 4 devices with black screens. There's no way of telling what is charged without "touching" a device to wake up the screen to see the charge indicator on the device itself. This unit would be better if there were individual indicator lights showing the charge status of each item connected to a dock. Granted, I could leave the backlighting on while charging, but it's such a pain to have to turn backlighting to "always on" just to see when it is done charging. Not to mention the fact that you will probably have to reset the backlighting after charging so that it isn't always on when you are using the device.

3. This is not necessarily a con, but more of a disclaimer. The picture that you see on the Amazon page for this product doesn't exactly match the actual color of the product. The picture gave me the impression that the dock was almost "Macbook white" in appearance. The griffin website gives a better impression of what it actually looks like ... but even the picture on the Griffin product page makes it look "brighter" than it actually is. In reality the top of the case has more of a dull, matte, gun powder grey finish. Griffin might have been trying to go for a "MacPro" kind of a look, but the MacPro has an ever so slight shine in the finish. Like I said this isn't necessarily a con, but it certainly didn't look like what I was expecting from all the pictures.

4. As has been already mentioned, it doesn't sync. I didn't take away points for this. But this product would certainly be better if it also synced with my Mac. Maybe syncing can't be engineered into the product at this price point, but I'd be willing to pay more for a product that gave me desktop charging and syncing all in the same footprint and I bet that there are others out there who would be willing to pay more too.

I was thrilled when Griffin introduced this dock. I have 2 iPods and an iPhone 3G, and I juggle charging them all. I needed a dock for the new iPhone 3G since one doesn't come in the box, and Apple only sells the Universal Dock now for $49. BUT, you have to buy cables too! HA! Let me go pick some leaves on my MONEY TREE in the back yard.. So the Powerdock completely settles the need to charge multiple items, and it does also charge the new iPhone 3G. The inserts that pop in to fit each type of iPod are a good theory, but they prevent a strong connection to the iPhone/iPods. When you dock the iPhone, it makes a noise to let you know it's charging now. Every few minutes, it beeps again, and again, and I find that the connection isn't tight enough. So it disconnects and reconnects while it just sits in the dock. I found that if I pop out all the inserts, the connection into the iPod/iPhone serial ports is deeper in the device and a stronger connection, and there are no issues. The inserts seem to prevent a strong connection. Amazon says the dock is 30+ pounds! It's not more than 1 pound. This makes you have to choose FREE Super Saver Shipping, because if you buy overnight, it's like $100. Add it to your cart with overnight shipping and see. Amazon needs to correct the weight information- it is also incorrect on the PowerDock 2 as well. But this is a good product. I needed it and it charges all 4 items at once, and it's heavy enough that it won't fly off your nightstand when you pull out your iPhone or iPod. Good idea-- all they need now are stable inserts, and maybe a chargeable headphone jack to charge an iPod Shuffle too!

The Griffin PowerDock 4 charging station offers four charging slots for iPod.
It is well made, sturdy and heavy, and looks great with its brushed aluminum finish.
It comes bundled with a set of iPod adapters.

Unlike most docks and iPod accessories which use a "wall wart" type power adapter, the PowerDock contains its own adapter (another reason for its weight). The back of the PowerDock features a standard mains connector, and it comes with a standard power cord. Since the power adapter can handle 110-240V 50-60Hz, you can use the PowerDock anywhere in the world by just replacing the power cord, a nice touch.

Granted, this is a bit expensive for a simple charger, but when you take into account that it can charge four iPods concurrently, minimizes clutter, does not take up space on your power outlet with an unsightly adapter, and looks really good, I think that makes it a real winner if you are a multiple iPod household.

I would like to see Griffin come up with a "valet" variation on the PowerDock, complete with mahogany accents, a drawer, and multiple USB outlets for charging accessories like bluetooth headsets. Until then, the PowerDock 4 is a wonderful clutter buster.

[edit 3/6/2009] Well, almost perfect: the PowerDock will not charge my old 3rd generation iPod, but instead will make the hard drive spin continuously, quickly draining the battery. I then realized that this model was conspicuously absent from the list of supported iPods. It's such an old model that it's unlikely to be much of a problem to most people, still it's unfortunate that a 4-slot dock would not be compatible with absolutely all iPod models. The PowerDock still earns a 5-star rating in my book, I just thought I would point out this somewhat minor inconvenience.

[edit 10/1/2009] I would now downgrade this dock to 4 stars, because it can not reliably charge two iPhones simultaneously. I had our two iPhones 3GS on it and one of them started chirping in the middle of the night.

I'm back, and wanted to say the device is GREAT! It was chiming, but it stopped suddenly. I'm not sure when, but it's been months at least. I'm guessing it was on Apple's software side, because nothing has changed with the device. I'm charging 2 iPhones (sometimes 4 with guests in town) and an iPod mini. No problems at all. I NOW back this product 100%! Best multiple charger on the market.

---------OLD REVIEW-------------
I've owned this product for months now and have had the same issue as others: the connections will disconnect and reconnect over and over. This causing the iPhone or iPod "chime" to indicate a connection has been made to sound-off over and over. Throw 4 iPhones/iPods into the mix and it just sounds insane!

After hearing my wife complain about it enough, I contacted Griffin. Customer service was TOP-NOTCH! I had a replacement unit sent out to me and all was well for the first couple days.... Then... it started again. It continues to get worse and worse.

Times it drives us crazy that this thing has gone "chime" crazy:

Watching a movie
Talking with friends
3AM while sleeping
Praying with people

Just to name a few.

If the connections would be kept, this product would be 5 STAR all the way. It looks slick, takes up minimal counter space (as opposed to 4 iPhone docks), and feels very sturdy. A lot of my friends and family come over, want the device, then at some point hear the chime parade and say - forget that.

I've contacted Griffin again - hopefully a resolution will be found.

It is great having a 4 slot charger. MY iphone in its clear case does not fit unless I remove it (bummer and yes I have tried other cases NO GO). MY 80 ipod fits perfecly in case and so does my ipod 30 touch. Otherwise, I would of give 5 star rating.

Works with iPhone 3G and all other iPods. Charged 4 apple products at once and works fantastic! Best of all it works with my 3G which is picky with chargers. Never had an issue with the charger and used it almost nightly for over 2 months now. Highly recommend as a result. The only drawback is it has no USB input/output so there is no way to sync your product wit hthis dock... but thats not this docks purpose anyhow!

The unit is small and compact. Others complained about chirping of devices. I have not had this experience. Not sure if the unit has changed or what, but this just does not happen to us. We charge a 1st gen iPhone, a 3G iPhone, iPod touches, an iPod classic and an older iPod nano. They all charge fine. We also do not use the inserts. It is easy enough to just plug the devices in without the inserts and that way any device can go into any slot. This also means I do not need to remove the case from some devices, although it varies based on the thickness of your case. The rubbery sleeve for the touch has to be removed, but the leather cases on the iPhone and classic can be left in place. Overall very satisfied.

Bad news: My Griffin Quad charger arrived promptly from Amazon and alas, had the problem others had reported: charging would randomly switch on an off causing annoying chirps from the inserted iPhones. It was not a connection problem - it is apparently a problem with the Griffin charging circuitry.

Good news: I contacted Griffin and they promptly replaced my unit (interesting tidbit: you don't return your old one, you smash it up and send them the photos to qualify for a replacement!). The second unit works PERFECTLY and I highly recommend it. Charging our family's 4 iPhones/iPods was leaving a mess of cables everywhere - the Griffin quad charger is perfect for those situations!

Would have been 5 stars were it not for the hassle of having to replace a bad unit.

I purchased this charging station not knowing if an iPhone 3GS in a hardshell case would fit... it does without an insert, just barely. I really like the styling and the brushed stainless is classy looking. I would recommend this unit to anyone with several iPods/iPhones in the family!