Who the hell sells a 10-port powered USB hub with only a 500mA power adapter? It's like... what the hell is the point?
Steve Jobs has already given you enough USB ports, so this question is unthinkable in the first place. Don't question the magic, else it won't work!
Okay, after closer examination, it's a 2.5 A power supply. But that's still only 1/2 to a quarter of the current you need to build a charging station for phones and tablets.
Honest question - is this a charging and synching station for phones and tablets? I ask for a couple of reasons. In the past I haven't been able to use a USB hub to charge phones unless it has brains behind it - AKA a computah. Haven't tried this with Apple products or late model blackberries. You're right, 2.5A is anemic. The ipad has a 10A (I think) charger that is much more robust than an iPhone or iPod charger. I found out that I can't charge my iPad in the car on my iPhones charger, and that it charges at the office very, very slowly on my Iphone's charger. If you're just building a charging station why not use actual chargers and build it around a decent power strip? I'm sure you thought of all that and that you want to synch the phones at the station, but I'm curious. Also, I'm looking for a USB hub with a good power supply myself.
For a more serious answer, I'm sure the point is to let you connect 10 devices, not charge ten devices.
Except for super-cheap ones, you can charge from an externally powered hub. An iPad charger is 10W, not 10A. At 5V, thats 2A. Which is still quite powerful compared to most devices which charge on .5-1A. 1. Because we don't have all the chargers anymore/not all the devices came with dedicated chargers (some were meant to be charged only by being plugged in to a computer)/some chargers have quit on us , 2. because we have a perennial shortage of USB cables for syncing because they end up in desk drawers. Charging station with appropriate guidelines (once you're done with the device, go charge it) ensures every device has a cable. Only 5 at a time. We've got a separate hub for that. If I find one, I'll post about it.
