I've been using my M4 Mac Mini for a few months at this point, and while it took some time to grow on me, it's actually become my main computer, and there's a lot I love about it. But if there's one thing that's become very apparent in my time using the Mac Mini is that a docking station or USB hub is kind of essential to get the most out of your experience.

And while that goes for the Mac Mini, in some ways, it can apply to almost every Mac. Apple has almost ensured that a docking station is one of the best accessories you can buy for a Mac due to the limited ports, to the point where it almost feels intentional. Here are a few reasons why you'll probably want a docking station for your Mac.

USB Type-A, where are you?

We still need these classic ports

Apple has been pushing for consumers to go all-in on USB-C for its Macs for quite a few years now (though strangely it had to be forced to do so with the iPhone). But despite that, we still live in a world where a ton of accessories are made with USB Type-A in mind first and foremost. It's cheaper to produce, so it's still very common.

Unfortunately, that means modern Macs may struggle with some devices, at least to some extent. Even very premium accessories often still use USB Type-A as their primary connection method. As an example, the Razer Kiyo Pro Ultrafrom 2023 cost $300, and while it had a USB-C port itself, the included cable was made for a USB Type-A computer. Keychron keyboards still come with USB Type-A dongles for low-latency wireless communication, and so does the, one of the best mice out there.

Sure, these devices also support Bluetooth, but there's a reason the option to use a dongle is still available. These custom wireless connections are faster and more reliable, but to use them on a Mac, you need a docking station that gives you USB Type-A ports.

The same can be said for HDMI in the MacBook Air. While most Macs do have an HDMI port, the MacBook Air doesn't, which means a lot of monitors straight up won't work with it. You either need a USB-C monitor, which is usually pricier and harder to find, or a USB hub with HDMI so you can connect your PC to any monitor or TV.

SD card readers still matter

It's crazy that they're not included

Macs are very popular among those working with media such as photos and video, and usually, this media is captured with a camera that saves files to an SD card. That's why it's all the more surprising how many Macs actually don't have an SD card reader at all. Out of the entire lineup, only the MacBook Pro and the Mac Studio come with an SD card reader, even though pretty much every modern Mac is suitable for photo and video editing.

Seriously, I use my Mac Mini for all the photos I edit for XDA and to produce videos for my personal YouTube channel, which works great. However, if I want to bring media in from an external camera, I need an adapter to insert an SD card. The Mac Mini, MacBook Air, and even the Mac Pro all lack an SD card reader. It's another essential for me, and in this case, it's easy to blame Apple for the fact this is necessary in the first place.

Support for multiple displays

Apple's limitations can get frustrating

We already touched on HDMI ports above, but if we're talking about external monitors, it's important to note how Apple limits the display outputs of its Macs for arbitrary reasons. A device like the Mac Mini can only output to two displays at once, even if you have monitors with the ports you need. A MacBook Air can only connect to one external display unless you close the lid.

This even affects most docking stations, but thankfully, there are some models that are designed to circumvent this. DisplayLink technology allows docking stations to carry a video signal over a standard USB connection, which is meant to work around the limitations of some USB ports, and in the case of modern Macs, limitations of the processor.

A DisplayLink-enabled dock such as the Satechi Thunderbolt 4 Multi-Display Docking Stationcan support up to three 4K displays, even on the MacBook Air or the base Mac Mini, all because of DisplayLink technology. This way, you don't need to get an M4 Max model just to build your ideal desktop setup, which is a big deal for productivity.

We can't blame Apple for everything

USB Type-C should be the standard

While it's very easy to point fingers at Apple for many of its bad decisions, not all of these reasons fall on the company. Yes, back in 2016, it was ridiculous to force USB-C for everything. But it's been nine years, and everyone agrees USB-C is better than USB Type-A in just about every way. Arguably, it's even better than HDMI, too. We have this simple, tiny connector that can handle just about everything we need, but many companies insist on using these old-school ports that take up more space and often don't work as well. I know I wrote a couple of years agoabout how I'd like laptops to include more ports, but realistically, accessory makers are also to blame for USB Type-A ports being necessary.

It's especially baffling that high-end accessories like the Logitech MX Master 3S still use a USB Type-A dongle. All these accessory companies need to start moving over to USB Type-C so that laptops can also commit to this transition even more. There's no reason for these ports to still be the standard when it's clear USB-C is better and there aren't really any downsides to using it. And realistically, if you're one of the thousands of people who celebrated Apple being forced to use USB-C for its iPhones, you should equally champion USB-C for everything else. Especially when we're talking about accessories that already carry a premium price tag. Is the added cost of a USB-C cable or dongle really going to make or break the profitability of these products? I can't imagine that.

Docking stations are great for any PC, but Macs need them the most

We've talked about docking stations a few times in the past here on XDA, and they're great accessories to have for a variety of reasons. But in the Windows 11 world, you can always find different PC designs that have the ports and capabilities you need, while the Mac ecosystem makes things a little bit harder.

As for what docking station you should get, it really depends on the device and needs you have. Personally, I already have a USB-C monitor that includes some USB ports, so the main thing I need is an SD card reader, which is fairly easy to come by and not too expensive. But if you want multiple displays, then you'll be spending a bit more on a DisplayLink dock.