When the 12-inch Retina MacBook arrived in March of this year, the excitement about such a slender and lightweight Retina display laptop was tempered with some concern over the availability of low-cost third-party accessories for the device. As AWT readers know, that’s no longer a concern. Inateck’s new HB4102C USB Type C to 4-port USB 3.0 hub (US$39.99 MSRP, available for $18.99 via Amazon affiliate link) is a compact and useful addition to the computer bag of any Retina MacBook owner.
Specifications
- Dimensions: 3.77 x 1.18 x .82 inches (96 x 30 x 21 mm)
- Weight: 1.76 ounce (50 grams)
- Cable length: 11.8 inches (30 cm)
- Number of USB 3.0 ports: 4
Design
Someone at Inateck obviously paid attention to the design of this device, putting three of the four available USB 3.0 ports on top of the hub and one in the end. You can put a few flash drives on top, and plug an external drive or microphone into that end port.
The aluminum casing on the hub is a nice touch, since hubs have a tendency to get beat up in computer bags. There’s a single small white LED that tells you when the hub is powered up.
Function
The hub worked well in testing with a 12-inch MacBook. Although it isn’t recommended for devices that need external power, I was able to plug in a low-power external USB hard drive, two flash drives, and an external microphone with no issues or complaint from the MacBook.
Conclusion
Anyone with a 12-inch Retina MacBook should grab one of these hubs. They’re inexpensive and absolutely vital to increase the usability of your skinny Mac laptop.
