**The Ultimate Accessory for MacBook Pro Users: A Review**

For Macbook Pro users who like to dock their laptop, there are several accessories that can make their computing experience more efficient and convenient. In this article, we will review some of the best accessories available in the market, including a quality Thunderbolt 3 dock from El Gato, stands from 12 South, and a special adapter called Blockhead.

**The Swiss Army Knife of SD Card Readers**

If you need to read multiple types of cards on your Macbook Pro, there is one accessory that stands out - a SD card reader. This device is like the Swiss Army knife of SD card readers, with a hidden micro USB plug available too. The cap on the other side can be removed to access standard USB type-A ports, making it incredibly versatile and convenient. With this accessory, you can easily transfer files between your Macbook Pro and any device that uses an SD or micro SD card.

**The Thunderbolt 3 Dock from El Gato**

For those who need a lot of ports on their Macbook Pro, the Thunderbolt 3 dock from El Gato is a great option. The design is sleek and will match most setups, making it easy to integrate into your workspace. One single connection via USB C can power your Macbook Pro and open up a new world of ports that your Macbook currently doesn't have. This includes a Gigabit Ethernet port, two USB type-a ports, two USB type-c ports, and a display port - all located on the back of the dock. Additionally, there is an extra USB type-a port on the front, along with one mic and one headphone 3.5 millimeter audio jack. While it would have been nice to see this dock include an SD card reader, for the most part, it includes all of the standard ports and offers speeds comparable to most docks in this price range.

**Stands from 12 South**

For those who want to create a dedicated workspace for their Macbook Pro, stands from 12 South are a great option. These stands can help you dock your laptop in a vertical manner, saving real estate on your desk and reducing clutter. The Book Arc stand is a great option for this purpose, allowing you to use your Macbook Pro with the lid open while keeping it elevated away from potential spills or accidents. However, there is one drawback - you have to use your Macbook Pro in clamshell mode, which means you won't have the option for dual screens.

**The Curve Stand: A Great Option for Dual Screens**

For those who need more screen real estate via two screens and storage space under their Macbook Pro, the Curve stand from 12 South is a great option. Both stands are constructed of durable aluminum and are an elegant addition to any workspace. This stand allows you to use your Macbook Pro with the lid open, giving you access to both the screen and storage space.

**Blockhead: A Convenient Adapter**

Finally, there's a special adapter called Blockhead that is worth mentioning. Blockhead is a small device that looks similar to the one found on your Macbook Pro power brick, but when connected to the power brick, your plug will now face sideways. This makes it much easier to plug in multiple items into your wall outlet without worrying about blocking other outlets or finding the right spot. While it may not be the most exciting accessory, Blockhead is a convenient solution for anyone who struggles with this issue. It works with both Macbook Pro chargers and iPad chargers, and its price of $20 makes it an affordable option.

**Conclusion**

In conclusion, these accessories are must-haves for any Macbook Pro user who wants to create a efficient and convenient computing experience. Whether you're looking for a high-quality Thunderbolt 3 dock, a stand that can help you dock your laptop in a vertical manner, or a convenient adapter that solves the problem of blocked outlets, there's an accessory out there for you. So, take a look at these options and see if they meet your needs - you won't regret it!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhey everyone dan with MacRumors and the 2018 MacBook Pros have been available for about a month now and if you're looking to pick one up you should consider these accessories to go along with your new MacBook Pro the new MacBook Pros are powerful but expensive and protecting your expensive investment should obviously be a number-one priority last month we featured Apple's leather sleeve and even though it does a pretty good job at protecting your MacBook from scuffs and even scratches it's also pretty expensive itself there are some great options out there that won't break the bank even more and one that I recommend picking up is the icon sleeve from encase this sleeve is available for the 13 inch and 15 inch MacBook Pros available in graphite or the asphalt gray that I have here with advanced answer light technology along with a really lightweight bumper frame the in case to me seems to provide more security against drops and can absorb a little bit more impact better than Apple's leather sleeve another convenient feature of this sleeve is how easy it is to get your macbook pro in and out thanks to its magnetic snap closure the icon sleeve makes it easy for you to pop your laptop in and out whenever you need to now for me personally I love the look and feel of this case now I know it's not as classy as the leather sleeve from Apple but it's also a hundred plus dollars less and offers the same if not better protection another way to save a little bit of coin with your MacBook is by picking up an external hard drive as opposed to spending literally thousands more dollars for the four terabyte maximum internal SSD storage my recommendation is this Lessie 4 terabyte USB C rugged raid pro hard drive the rugged design of the raid pro should be familiar if you've ever used a lossy rugged Drive before with a big orange rubber padding around the frame of the aluminum hard drive what makes this my go-to choice for a hard drive right now are the ports on the back this is perfect for content creators or anyone really who uses an SD card slot and needs to transfer information over to your macbook the hard drive plugs in via USB C which means you won't need a dongle to connect just simply use the included USB C cable and then you can insert an SD card into the hard drive and use that as your card reader now in terms of transfer speeds since this is not a solid-state drive you won't be getting the blazing speeds of an SSD but let's see promises a transfer rate of around 240 megabytes per second via USB see and this is a pretty accurate statement as that was what I was pretty much getting during my use the included software also helps you really easily set up the rugged raid and it allows you to easily set it up as a raid zero which will give you the fastest transfer speeds available or raid 1 which will mirror both 2 terabyte drives so you always have two copies of your data at the end of the day this 4 terabyte hard drive could save you thousands if you don't need SSD speeds but still want a fantastic hard drive for your new MacBook Pro now if you decided to go with all that storage but you still need something to read your SD cards this USB C SD card reader is the perfect option there are two slots to insert a micro or regular SD card and the best part about this reader is that on one end you have the ability to plug it directly into your macbook using the USB C port or if your MacBook is dock somewhere and you have a type-a port available you can remove the cap on the other side and use the standard USB type-a there's even a hidden micro USB plug available too this is really the Swiss Army knives of SD card readers if you need more ports and usually like to dock your macbook say when you get to the office and maybe connect to an external display you should definitely take a look at a quality Thunderbolt 3 doc this Thunderbolt 3 dock from El Gato is my go-to right now the design is sleek and will most likely match your setup and look right on your desk most importantly one single connection via USB C can power your macbook and open up a new world of ports that your macbook currently doesn't have this includes a Gigabit Ethernet port two USB type a ports two USB type-c ports and a display port all located on the back not to mention the additional USB type a port on the front along with one mic and one headphone 3.5 millimeter audio jacks it would have been nice to see this dock include an SD card reader but for the most part this dock includes all of the standard ports and offers speeds comparable to most docks in this price range the smaller footprint ability to charge your MacBook as well as connecting an external display and the additional ports makes this the perfect accessory for you MacBook Pro users who like to dock your MacBook if you do go the dock route well you're actually going to need a place to actually dock your MacBook and they laptop can take up quite a bit of space on your desk but these stands from 12 South can actually help you with whatever orientation you might want to dock your MacBook in so first up is the book arc which can really only dock your MacBook in a vertical manner but it will definitely help save a lot of real estate on your desk reduce clutter and elevate your math book away from any potential spillage of coffee or any other drinks that might happen on your desk docking your MacBook this way makes it easy to get to your USB seaports if needed and it comes in space gray or silver to match your MacBook Pro the unfortunate part about the book arc is that you have to use your macbook in clamshell mode which means you won't have the option for dual screens if you need some extra screen real estate along with your monitor the curve stand from 12 South might be the one to check out the curve stand obviously allows for you to use your MacBook with the lid open giving you more screen real estate via two screens and allowing for storage of hard drives or anything else that you might want to store underneath your macbook both stands are constructed of durable aluminum and are an elegant option for dock in your MacBook finally the last accessory that I'm honestly so shocked Apple hasn't replicated yet is called blockhead blockhead is a special adapter that looks pretty similar to the one found on your MacBooks power brick but when connected to the power brick your plug will now face sideways now why would somebody want something like this you might say well maybe you have or haven't noticed but plugging in your current macbook charger can be an intricate game of finding the right spot in your wall or making sure it doesn't block the other outlets that might be around it which it's very capable of doing because it's pretty big by plugging in your math book charger with the blockhead attached to it the bulk in mass of the charging brick is now kind of out of the way of the other plug socket thus making it much more manageable to plug in multiple items in years past Apple would include an extension cable with your MacBook Pro giving you a longer reach and kind of solving this problem but now that accessory is sold separately and even though both blockhead and the extension cable is the same price of $20 if you don't need the extra length of the cord and all of that bulk and additional clutter that you might add to your bag then just go for blockhead instead blockhead also works with other MacBook chargers and even the iPad charger - there are also a couple of negatives about blockhead both of which aren't the end of the world but I did wish the actual prongs itself would kind of fold back into itself like the original macbook charger adapter does and I also would change the color now I'm not sure if there was a specific reason why they didn't want to go with white to blend in with the charging brick but the blue definitely stands out and it kind of looks a little funny but that's really just a minor issue let us know which item you think you might pair with your new MacBook Pro or any other accessory that you're currently using that you think people might need to check out if they're gonna pick up a new MacBook Pro in the comment section down below this has been down with Mac rumors thanks for watching and I will see you in the next onehey everyone dan with MacRumors and the 2018 MacBook Pros have been available for about a month now and if you're looking to pick one up you should consider these accessories to go along with your new MacBook Pro the new MacBook Pros are powerful but expensive and protecting your expensive investment should obviously be a number-one priority last month we featured Apple's leather sleeve and even though it does a pretty good job at protecting your MacBook from scuffs and even scratches it's also pretty expensive itself there are some great options out there that won't break the bank even more and one that I recommend picking up is the icon sleeve from encase this sleeve is available for the 13 inch and 15 inch MacBook Pros available in graphite or the asphalt gray that I have here with advanced answer light technology along with a really lightweight bumper frame the in case to me seems to provide more security against drops and can absorb a little bit more impact better than Apple's leather sleeve another convenient feature of this sleeve is how easy it is to get your macbook pro in and out thanks to its magnetic snap closure the icon sleeve makes it easy for you to pop your laptop in and out whenever you need to now for me personally I love the look and feel of this case now I know it's not as classy as the leather sleeve from Apple but it's also a hundred plus dollars less and offers the same if not better protection another way to save a little bit of coin with your MacBook is by picking up an external hard drive as opposed to spending literally thousands more dollars for the four terabyte maximum internal SSD storage my recommendation is this Lessie 4 terabyte USB C rugged raid pro hard drive the rugged design of the raid pro should be familiar if you've ever used a lossy rugged Drive before with a big orange rubber padding around the frame of the aluminum hard drive what makes this my go-to choice for a hard drive right now are the ports on the back this is perfect for content creators or anyone really who uses an SD card slot and needs to transfer information over to your macbook the hard drive plugs in via USB C which means you won't need a dongle to connect just simply use the included USB C cable and then you can insert an SD card into the hard drive and use that as your card reader now in terms of transfer speeds since this is not a solid-state drive you won't be getting the blazing speeds of an SSD but let's see promises a transfer rate of around 240 megabytes per second via USB see and this is a pretty accurate statement as that was what I was pretty much getting during my use the included software also helps you really easily set up the rugged raid and it allows you to easily set it up as a raid zero which will give you the fastest transfer speeds available or raid 1 which will mirror both 2 terabyte drives so you always have two copies of your data at the end of the day this 4 terabyte hard drive could save you thousands if you don't need SSD speeds but still want a fantastic hard drive for your new MacBook Pro now if you decided to go with all that storage but you still need something to read your SD cards this USB C SD card reader is the perfect option there are two slots to insert a micro or regular SD card and the best part about this reader is that on one end you have the ability to plug it directly into your macbook using the USB C port or if your MacBook is dock somewhere and you have a type-a port available you can remove the cap on the other side and use the standard USB type-a there's even a hidden micro USB plug available too this is really the Swiss Army knives of SD card readers if you need more ports and usually like to dock your macbook say when you get to the office and maybe connect to an external display you should definitely take a look at a quality Thunderbolt 3 doc this Thunderbolt 3 dock from El Gato is my go-to right now the design is sleek and will most likely match your setup and look right on your desk most importantly one single connection via USB C can power your macbook and open up a new world of ports that your macbook currently doesn't have this includes a Gigabit Ethernet port two USB type a ports two USB type-c ports and a display port all located on the back not to mention the additional USB type a port on the front along with one mic and one headphone 3.5 millimeter audio jacks it would have been nice to see this dock include an SD card reader but for the most part this dock includes all of the standard ports and offers speeds comparable to most docks in this price range the smaller footprint ability to charge your MacBook as well as connecting an external display and the additional ports makes this the perfect accessory for you MacBook Pro users who like to dock your MacBook if you do go the dock route well you're actually going to need a place to actually dock your MacBook and they laptop can take up quite a bit of space on your desk but these stands from 12 South can actually help you with whatever orientation you might want to dock your MacBook in so first up is the book arc which can really only dock your MacBook in a vertical manner but it will definitely help save a lot of real estate on your desk reduce clutter and elevate your math book away from any potential spillage of coffee or any other drinks that might happen on your desk docking your MacBook this way makes it easy to get to your USB seaports if needed and it comes in space gray or silver to match your MacBook Pro the unfortunate part about the book arc is that you have to use your macbook in clamshell mode which means you won't have the option for dual screens if you need some extra screen real estate along with your monitor the curve stand from 12 South might be the one to check out the curve stand obviously allows for you to use your MacBook with the lid open giving you more screen real estate via two screens and allowing for storage of hard drives or anything else that you might want to store underneath your macbook both stands are constructed of durable aluminum and are an elegant option for dock in your MacBook finally the last accessory that I'm honestly so shocked Apple hasn't replicated yet is called blockhead blockhead is a special adapter that looks pretty similar to the one found on your MacBooks power brick but when connected to the power brick your plug will now face sideways now why would somebody want something like this you might say well maybe you have or haven't noticed but plugging in your current macbook charger can be an intricate game of finding the right spot in your wall or making sure it doesn't block the other outlets that might be around it which it's very capable of doing because it's pretty big by plugging in your math book charger with the blockhead attached to it the bulk in mass of the charging brick is now kind of out of the way of the other plug socket thus making it much more manageable to plug in multiple items in years past Apple would include an extension cable with your MacBook Pro giving you a longer reach and kind of solving this problem but now that accessory is sold separately and even though both blockhead and the extension cable is the same price of $20 if you don't need the extra length of the cord and all of that bulk and additional clutter that you might add to your bag then just go for blockhead instead blockhead also works with other MacBook chargers and even the iPad charger - there are also a couple of negatives about blockhead both of which aren't the end of the world but I did wish the actual prongs itself would kind of fold back into itself like the original macbook charger adapter does and I also would change the color now I'm not sure if there was a specific reason why they didn't want to go with white to blend in with the charging brick but the blue definitely stands out and it kind of looks a little funny but that's really just a minor issue let us know which item you think you might pair with your new MacBook Pro or any other accessory that you're currently using that you think people might need to check out if they're gonna pick up a new MacBook Pro in the comment section down below this has been down with Mac rumors thanks for watching and I will see you in the next one\n"