Belkin Thunderbolt Express Dock – Drops eSATA Support, Price Cut to $299

Belkin showed off a prototype of its Thunderbolt Express Dock back in September 2011, the accessory added a broad array of connectivity options through a single Thunderbolt port. Now here at CES 2013, Belkin has announced changes to the device, and is quoting a “Q1 2013” launch.

MacRumors:

By June of last year, Belkin had decided to add USB 3.0 and eSATA capabilities, at the cost of $100 price increase to $399.99. But as the September launch window came and went, Belkin pushed back the launch date to the first quarter of 2013.

With CES 2013 now underway, Belkin has officially announced further changes to the Thunderbolt Express Dock, removing eSATA compatibility and dropping the price back to $299.99. Belkin is still quoting a “Q1 2013” launch, and Belkin representatives have told us that it should be closer to the early part of the quarter.

Features include:

• Instant access to up to 8 desktop devices with one cable
• Cable-clutter-free design for a cleaner workstation
• 3 USB 3.0 ports
• 1 FireWire 800 port
• 1 Gigabit Ethernet port
• 1 3.5mm-out port
• 1 3.5mm-in port
• 2 Thunderbolt ports (1 upstream, 1 downstream for daisy-chaining up to 5 additional Thunderbolt devices)

More information can be found in Belkin’s press release.