Last November, Apple released its first new MacBook Pro screen size in eight years in the form of the 16-inch model. And the company was true to form when it came to fitting the new MacBook Pro, along with its smaller siblings, with ports, providing just four Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports and a 3.5-mm audio port. That's where devices like the DGRule step in, to provide ports for any legacy peripherals.
Its creators call the DGRule an "invisible hub." While that's not quite the case, it's still a pretty discreet and the bulk of the not-too-bulky hub sits underneath the MacBook Pro, so only the clips fastening the device to either side of the laptop will be "visible" most of the time.
The DGRule occupies two Thunderbolt ports – both on the same side of the laptop – leaving the two on the opposite side free for other devices. The hub itself provides only one Thunderbolt 3 port, which is a net gain of -1 such ports overall, but adds three USB 3.1, one HDMI, one miniDP, one USB-C, one MicroSD and one 3.5-mm audio port. The USB-C port supports 100 W charging of the MacBook Pro and the Thunderbolt port offers data transfer rates of up to 40 Gb/s.
Coming in space gray or silver, the DGRule's aluminum exterior will match the enclosure of Apple's laptop and add just 6.6 oz (187 g), 8.7 oz (246 g) or 8.9 oz (252 g) to the 13-in, 15-in and 16-in MacBook pros, respectively. It will also raise the rear of the MacBook Pro around 0.6 in (15 mm) and lets all attached cables trail from the rear of the computer, further enhancing the unit's "invisibility."
The DGRule has exceeded its crowdfunding goal on Kickstarter many times over with two weeks still to run on the campaign. Pledges to secure one start at US$79, a significant discount on the anticipated $140 retail price. Deliveries are slated for March 2020 if all goes to plan.
Check out the DGRule's features in the video below.
Source: Kickstarter/DGRule