Satechi Hub for iMac and iMac Pro: more inputs and convenience
All Apple iMacs have numerous ports of all kinds. If you use them often, their situation at the back of the computer can be uncomfortable. This is where the Satechi iMac hub comes in, one that has a very clever mechanism for merging with desktop Macs. In the last few weeks we have been able to test it together with an iMac Pro and these are our impressions.
Specifications
- Product type: hub or port clusterer.
Compatible Mac models: 2017 iMac, 27-inch iMac 2017 and iMac Pro. - Coupling system: mechanical clamp.
Connection: USB-C / Thunderbolt 3 15cm cable. - Additional ports: three USB 3.0 up to 5GB per second, one usb-C / Thunderbolt 3 port data only.
- Card readers: SD and microSD.
- LED to show operation.
Dimensions and weight: 118mm x 33mm x 11mm; 60 grams. - Colors: silver and spatial gray (analyzed model).
- Where to buy: 44.99 euros in Macifices.
Placing the Satechi hub for iMac
When you’ve been analyzing products and accessories for a while, getting one of them to surprise you is difficult. This Satechi hub achieves this, thanks to its ingenious docking system with the iMac. In the image above we can see the entire hub, with all its ports, card readers and USB-C connector, as well as a series of tabs and a wheel.
-The hub provides numerous ports and card readers, connected via a USB-C / Thunderbolt 3 cable-
We will have to insert these tabs into one of the ventilation grilles of the equipment located at the bottom edge of the screen. When placing them in place, the wheel needs to be rotated so that these tabs open and hold the attachment tightly.
The truth is that it is a system that attracts a lot of attention, because it makes use of the elements already existing in the equipment in conjunction with a mechanism to give a solid solution. The hub remains in place from this point on. You’ll now have a number of ports and card readers at your fingertips.
How he behaves on a day-to-day basis
As soon as you have the hub in place and connected to a USB-C / Thunderbolt 3 port. A tiny LED light on the right side will tell you it’s operational and you can start using it. Any user who regularly uses the iMac’s rear ports will know that it ends up being a little uncomfortable, with this hub that obstacle disappears.
Satechi has added a USB-C / Thunderbolt 3 port to its accessory, so that we don’t lose the one you use in your connection. USB 3.0 ports are quite hard enough, both to put on and to remove. Doing so requires both hands to hold the iMac and hold it in place while placing a cable. Despite this, it is still more comfortable than blindly searching for the port on the back of the iMac.
-This hub provides convenience to use the ports in a novel format that is cleverly coupled to the computer-
Another drawback of this hub is that USB 3.0 ports don’t have too much charging power for devices. They transmit data perfectly, but in my tests I only managed to charge the iPhone (more slowly) and not an iPad or iPad Pro.
File transfer speeds from USB 3.0 are quite high, as you would expect. We were able to transfer a file of about 5GB to iMac Pro in 64 seconds. In this sense, the Satechi hub fulfills its purpose.
It’s available in two colors to be fitted with your iMac or iMac Pro so it doesn’t get out of place. The current price of the accessory is $40.99, with which you earn in comfort, abundance of ports and card readers.
