Many have chided Apple for the lack of ports available on its high-end laptops. If you want, you can spec out a $3k+ MacBook Pro laptop... but you can't get more than two USB ports on it, no matter what sum you're ready to shell out. For hardcore power users, the limitations can become something of an annoyance, but that's where third-party accessory makers step in to fill the void. Kanex has already supplanted the outgoing AirPort Express design with the mySpot, and now the company has introduced a genius new adapter that makes up for the MBP's dearth of connectors.


The new DualRole is a USB 3.0 hub + Gigabit Ethernet adapter in one. It's a small, pocket-friendly solution that plugs into a single USB 3.0 port on a Mac laptop, and allows three USB 3.0 products to join the fun as well as a single Ethernet port. Naturally, this is most useful for the MacBook Air line and newer machines that have done away with the Ethernet plug in favor of Wi-Fi only. It's bus-powered as well, so no external AC adapter will be necessary. For $69, it's a pretty solid investment if you're constantly swapping things out of your MBP's two USB sockets.