Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. News

OWC adds thickness and expandability to MacBook Pro with DEC expansion base

Mark Coppock
By

owc announces dec expansion base for macbook air at ces 1027 header
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Apple concentrated on making their 2016 MacBook Pro line as thin as possible. That resulted in a number of compromises that had Mac fans up in arms, including lower battery life, fewer ports, and a compromised keyboard.

While nobody has directly addressed the battery or keyboard concerns, a host of dongles and expansion ports have followed from both Apple and accessory makers to help alleviate the connectivity and expansion issues. Now, peripheral maker OWC  announced at CES 2017 the DEC expansion base that directly takes on those two issues, the MacSales blog reports.

Recommended Videos

The OWC DEC is a base that snaps onto the MacBook Pro and adds a host of new connectivity and expansion options. The accessory adds in three USB 3 ports, a Gigabit ethernet port, the much-missed SD card slot, and up to 4TB of solid-state drive (SSD) storage. The OWC DEC’s CNC-milled aircraft-grade aluminum is engineered to one-thousandths of an inch tolerance, ensuring a seamless fit with the MacBook Pro.

Related

The expansion base significantly increases the thickness of the package, making a MacBook Pro fitted with the OWC DEC about as thick as a 2012 MacBook Pro model, MacSales notes. That is likely a reasonable compromise to gain back some of the connectivity and expansion that was lost to Apple’s continued obsession with thinness.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Founder and CEO Larry O’Conner described the company’s objectives with the OWC DEC, saying, “We’ve been developing this concept for over three years and feel now is the perfect time for this ground-breaking product. Storage space is always at a premium on a laptop and without the potential to upgrade the factory drive, the OWC DEC brings that option back in addition to cleanly supporting the gear we all rely on.”

OWC is anticipated to ship the expansion base in spring 2017. Pricing and complete feature set have yet to be announced.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Mark Coppock
Mark Coppock
Computing Writer
Mark has been a geek since MS-DOS gave way to Windows and the PalmPilot was a thing. He’s translated his love for…
Which color MacBook should you buy? Here’s how to pick
The MacBook Air on a table in front of a window.

Apple’s MacBook laptops come in a range of colors, and selecting which is right for you can be a tricky business. Sure, it’s perhaps not as important as deciding which chip to pick or how much memory you should buy, but it’s still a vital part of the equation. After all, you’re going to see that color every time you reach for your MacBook. You don’t want it to be something that fills you with regret.

But how should you pick a MacBook color? And what do the colors even look like in the first place? We’ve got the answers to those questions in this guide. We’d also advise you to go to an Apple Store to take a look at the MacBook colors in person, as some can be hard to appreciate just by browsing Apple’s website.

Read more
Why you should buy a MacBook Air instead of a MacBook Pro
The MacBook Air on a table in front of a window.

The MacBook Air has officially caught up. Now with the M3 on board, the MacBook Air has gained the benefits of the new chip, which was previously available just on the MacBook Pro and iMac.

Choosing between the M3 15-inch MacBook Air and the 14-inch MacBook Pro is tough, and requires an in-depth look at differences in ports, displays, speakers, and more. It's a legitimately hard decision to make.

Read more
The MacBook Air 15 vs. MacBook Pro 14: the easy way to decide
Apple's 15-inch MacBook Air placed on a desk with its lid closed.

Picking out a new MacBook isn't as easy as it used to be.

The hardest choice in the lineup might be between the 15-inch MacBook Air and the 14-inch MacBook Pro. Both are now offered with the same M3 chip, despite there being a $300 difference in the base models. But when similarly configured, there's actually only a $100 difference between these two laptops.

Read more