The Mini makes a GREAT server. I have a multi drive RAID system attached to it for backups and I've been 100% happy with it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wvmb99
Does anyone here have a feeling for the wireless range of these (assuming that the new ones have no updates)? I find myself in the market for a new one, but have avoided the Apple wireless stations after the first one I bought - first or second gen with pathetic range and no easy way to add an antenna.
WTF are you talking about? I have an original Airport Extreme and a Time Capsule and both of them cover my entire 3200 ft2 house with ease - as well as a good bit of the yard.
Quote:
Originally Posted by irnchriz
Just pickup a QNAP NAS box, it has a built in media server and iTunes server, around $350 for a 4 drive housing.
Except it doesn't work very well. I sold mine because it was always dropping connections and wouldn't handle iTunes properly (a lot of things wouldn't play). Not to mention that configuration was a mess.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jexus
3TB for $500?! Now I KNOW I'm never buying Apple drives.
Do you REALLY need someone to explain why the Time Capsule is not simply an Apple Drive or are you just trolling?
Quote:
Originally Posted by franktinsley
I get what you're saying and in principle I completely agree but dude you posted prices for packs of TWENTY HARD DRIVES.
The 3 TB was $400 per drive. Obviously, the point is that $499 for a Time Capsule (which includes not only a 3 TB drive, but all the hardware and software needed for remote backups and so on) is not necessarily out of line.
Was the problem with Time Capsules dying after short time resolved? I've read a lot of stories about hard drives burning out and complete data loss with only slight use and therefore I have Airport Extreme with external usb HDD.
Except it doesn't work very well. I sold mine because it was always dropping connections and wouldn't handle iTunes properly (a lot of things wouldn't play). Not to mention that configuration was a mess
Don't know which firmware you were running or on which box but v3 is cracking. Configuration is a doddle and once configured it runs superbly. I have only used the 4 drive and 8 drive units and currently have a 4 drive unit at home which has 4 2TB drives in a RAID5. All of my home systems backup to it at night and I also use it as a time machine drive (you can allocate any amount of space to TM in the configuration).
The iTunes shared library displays as if it were on another computer on the network and as long as the computer is authorised for your iTunes account the content plays. Works with both audio and digital copy videos (not bought any vids from Apple, but the digital copies from blu-rays are signed to your iTunes account)
It streams all of my media to my Xbox 360 (3 of them), PS3, Macs, windows7 boxes and my iPhones and IPad without a hitch.
We usually just have these boxes hanging off a domain for storage and backup so it was good to see just how simple it was to get the media sharing configured.
Oh, and the 3tb drives are $130-$200 each not $400
Jexus: Thanks for the link to B&H. I have bought a number of computer- and photography-related items from them and can state that their prices and service have been top notch.
As much as I like and support Apple, it's foolish not to do some research WRT these kinds of peripherals. When ordering Macs I've always ordered from the Apple Store and have ordered the least amount of RAM and HDD that I can as I go to B&H or OWC and buy larger capacities. I know the average consumer might find doing such upgrades at home daunting, I've been doing it since monkeying around with the original 1978 Apple II computers and am comfortable doing it. I just lay my anti-static mat down on the kitchen counter, attach my anti-static wrist band to the ground on a nearby outlet, get out my odd tools for opening devices, and off I go.
The 3 TB was $400 per drive. Obviously, the point is that $499 for a Time Capsule (which includes not only a 3 TB drive, but all the hardware and software needed for remote backups and so on) is not necessarily out of line.
3 TB drives cost nowhere near $400. A high-quality external 3 TB drive from OWC is around $300. The bare drive inside of it is around $200, retail. The Airport Extreme costs $180. That's over $100 markup for Apple to combine the two devices into one. Excessive.
I'd rather save the $100 and have full access to the hard drive to connect directly to a computer if necessary for drive maintenance or if you just have a huge amount of data transfer and want to use FW800 to do the job. And when bigger drives come along, or I want to go to a RAID, I can do it without repurchasing the router part. (Or repurchasing the drive part if the router dies).
Complaining about TC prices? They are backup drive + wifi base station and printer server all in one box. The prices justified that plus you get a proper and tested hardware/software integration with your Macs.
Having said that, if you want a cheap backup drive + server but w/o the wifi bit, consider D-Link DNS-320 bare NAS with slot for 2x SATA HDD of your choosing for less than £65.00. It has media server, FTP, file server, iTunes server (so you don't have to put every single music on your iTunes library) and it also has AFP which mean if you have Airport utility installed, you can use the drive as your cheap Time Capsule even from a PC!
[QUOTE=Wiggin;1886691]3 TB drives cost nowhere near $400. A high-quality external 3 TB drive from OWC is around $300. /QUOTE]
That depends on the drive - and you're missing the whole point. Someone posted a link to a 20 pack for $7999 - that's about $400 per drive.
THAT highlights the point. You can't determine the price of something merely by looking at one specification.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wiggin
The bare drive inside of it is around $200, retail. The Airport Extreme costs $180. That's over $100 markup for Apple to combine the two devices into one. Excessive.
Then you're fortunate that no one is going to make you buy one. But I don't think it's unreasonable. I could by an Airport extreme for $180 and an external 3 TB drive for $300. So for $19 more, I get them integrated and save one connection, one power supply, etc.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wiggin
I'd rather save the $100 and have full access to the hard drive to connect directly to a computer if necessary for drive maintenance or if you just have a huge amount of data transfer and want to use FW800 to do the job. And when bigger drives come along, or I want to go to a RAID, I can do it without repurchasing the router part. (Or repurchasing the drive part if the router dies).
Then don't buy one.
No one ever claimed that the product was ideal for everyone. But I love my Time Capsule. I use a MacBook Pro for most of my computing - sitting on the couch, sitting on the porch, etc. With the time capsule, Time Machine automatically backs it up all the time. With your solution, I have to periodically connect to the external backup system - or buy a different NAS which will probably not end up any less expensive than the Time Capsule
... I just lay my anti-static mat down on the kitchen counter, attach my anti-static wrist band to the ground on a nearby outlet, get out my odd tools for opening devices, and off I go.
That's too excessive. Just open it up on the floor or table, touch the metal part of the Mac or your grounded radiator panel and off you go. Just don't move around too much generating static electricity.
But wait, John. Why would you pay $500 for a 3TB Time Capsule when you can buy a Linksys E4200 dual band router and a Seagate 3TB NAS for the low, low price of $370. That's $130 in savings.
But that's not all? We'll also throw in complex setup between devices, fragmented service and support which could be hours of fun for you and your family. Act now, supplies are limited?.
So true.
The pricing on the 3TB is a bit awkward though. Buying two 2TB time capsules only costs $100 more for an additional 1TB of additional storage and basically a repeater for doubling the size of the network footprint. Considering you don't need to buy them both at the same time and I can see this down-selling customers who would otherwise consider the higher capacity model to a 2TB in the short term.
3 TB drives cost nowhere near $400. A high-quality external 3 TB drive from OWC is around $300. /QUOTE]
That depends on the drive - and you're missing the whole point. Someone posted a link to a 20 pack for $7999 - that's about $400 per drive.
THAT highlights the point. You can't determine the price of something merely by looking at one specification.
Then you're fortunate that no one is going to make you buy one. But I don't think it's unreasonable. I could by an Airport extreme for $180 and an external 3 TB drive for $300. So for $19 more, I get them integrated and save one connection, one power supply, etc.
Then don't buy one.
No one ever claimed that the product was ideal for everyone. But I love my Time Capsule. I use a MacBook Pro for most of my computing - sitting on the couch, sitting on the porch, etc. With the time capsule, Time Machine automatically backs it up all the time. With your solution, I have to periodically connect to the external backup system - or buy a different NAS which will probably not end up any less expensive than the Time Capsule
Don't bother giving me advice, I've already made my decision. I was simply pointing out facts that highlight the high prices Apple charges compared to alternatives and to their likely costs to include a 3 TB drive. I won't buy one. Just like I won't buy RAM from Apple. But for some people, they'd rather just have Apple install the RAM form them when they buy the computer. Like you say, evaluate your needs. My needs are to still be able to access my data if my router dies, or to only have to spend $180 vs $500 if the drive fails. Good luck with that! (BTW: If my drive does fail, I've got a 3-year warranty. What do you have?)
Considering how great Apple's prices are on things like the iPad, it's too bad they still feel the need to price some of their other products so uncompetitively.
The problem with the old version is that the CPU is to slow. When you connect USB drives to the device you only get 8-12 megabyte transfer rate. With an A4 CPU we would get 25-35 megabyte.
The internal disk would also speed up considerably with a faster CPU.
The problem with the old version is that the CPU is to slow. When you connect USB drives to the device you only get 8-12 megabyte transfer rate. With an A4 CPU we would get 25-35 megabyte.
The internal disk would also speed up considerably with a faster CPU.
According to Engadget, a teardown of the new Time Capsule revealed a minor surprise: the lack of an enterprise harddrive, seemingly a contradiction to their advertised spec's, or at the least what the general understanding of a "server-grade harddrive" is meant to be.
Comments
I second this. An Apple branded full featured home server would be handy - something I can replace my old power sucking G3 with...
http://www.apple.com/macmini/server/
The Mini makes a GREAT server. I have a multi drive RAID system attached to it for backups and I've been 100% happy with it.
Does anyone here have a feeling for the wireless range of these (assuming that the new ones have no updates)? I find myself in the market for a new one, but have avoided the Apple wireless stations after the first one I bought - first or second gen with pathetic range and no easy way to add an antenna.
WTF are you talking about? I have an original Airport Extreme and a Time Capsule and both of them cover my entire 3200 ft2 house with ease - as well as a good bit of the yard.
Just pickup a QNAP NAS box, it has a built in media server and iTunes server, around $350 for a 4 drive housing.
Except it doesn't work very well. I sold mine because it was always dropping connections and wouldn't handle iTunes properly (a lot of things wouldn't play). Not to mention that configuration was a mess.
3TB for $500?! Now I KNOW I'm never buying Apple drives.
Do you REALLY need someone to explain why the Time Capsule is not simply an Apple Drive or are you just trolling?
I get what you're saying and in principle I completely agree but dude you posted prices for packs of TWENTY HARD DRIVES.
The 3 TB was $400 per drive. Obviously, the point is that $499 for a Time Capsule (which includes not only a 3 TB drive, but all the hardware and software needed for remote backups and so on) is not necessarily out of line.
I'm wondering if this one will actually work? That would be great if it actually worked.
How about some context so that we don't completely ignore your nonsense?
According to the FCC reports, there is a significant difference in the power output of the g/n radios at both 2.4 and 5ghz...
Previous Version...(follow the link, then click on the "Report" link)
http://goo.gl/B8PIu
New Version...
http://goo.gl/3yKRl
Previous Version...
freqency range mode output power dbm output power watts
2412-2462 802.11b 24.57 286.42
2412-2462 802.11g 21.56 143.22
2412-2462 802.11n(ht20) 21.17 130.92
5745-5825 802.11a 23.07 202.77
5745-5805 802.11n(ht20) 22.17 164.82
5755-5795 802.11n(ht40) 21.44 139.32
New Version...
2412-2462 802.11b 24.10 257.04
2412-2462 802.11g 24.88 307.61
2412-2462 802.11n(ht20) 24.11 257.63
5745-5825 802.11a 25.14 326.59
5745-5805 802.11n(ht20) 25.28 337.29
5755-5795 802.11n(ht40) 25.94 392.64
This should mean a fairly significant increase in range with the new model.
[url]
Except it doesn't work very well. I sold mine because it was always dropping connections and wouldn't handle iTunes properly (a lot of things wouldn't play). Not to mention that configuration was a mess
Don't know which firmware you were running or on which box but v3 is cracking. Configuration is a doddle and once configured it runs superbly. I have only used the 4 drive and 8 drive units and currently have a 4 drive unit at home which has 4 2TB drives in a RAID5. All of my home systems backup to it at night and I also use it as a time machine drive (you can allocate any amount of space to TM in the configuration).
The iTunes shared library displays as if it were on another computer on the network and as long as the computer is authorised for your iTunes account the content plays. Works with both audio and digital copy videos (not bought any vids from Apple, but the digital copies from blu-rays are signed to your iTunes account)
It streams all of my media to my Xbox 360 (3 of them), PS3, Macs, windows7 boxes and my iPhones and IPad without a hitch.
We usually just have these boxes hanging off a domain for storage and backup so it was good to see just how simple it was to get the media sharing configured.
Oh, and the 3tb drives are $130-$200 each not $400
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/749855-REG/Seagate_STAM3000100_3TB_FreeAgent_GoFlex_Home.html[/url]
Jexus: Thanks for the link to B&H. I have bought a number of computer- and photography-related items from them and can state that their prices and service have been top notch.
As much as I like and support Apple, it's foolish not to do some research WRT these kinds of peripherals. When ordering Macs I've always ordered from the Apple Store and have ordered the least amount of RAM and HDD that I can as I go to B&H or OWC and buy larger capacities. I know the average consumer might find doing such upgrades at home daunting, I've been doing it since monkeying around with the original 1978 Apple II computers and am comfortable doing it. I just lay my anti-static mat down on the kitchen counter, attach my anti-static wrist band to the ground on a nearby outlet, get out my odd tools for opening devices, and off I go.
http://www.apple.com/macmini/server/
The 3 TB was $400 per drive. Obviously, the point is that $499 for a Time Capsule (which includes not only a 3 TB drive, but all the hardware and software needed for remote backups and so on) is not necessarily out of line.
3 TB drives cost nowhere near $400. A high-quality external 3 TB drive from OWC is around $300. The bare drive inside of it is around $200, retail. The Airport Extreme costs $180. That's over $100 markup for Apple to combine the two devices into one. Excessive.
I'd rather save the $100 and have full access to the hard drive to connect directly to a computer if necessary for drive maintenance or if you just have a huge amount of data transfer and want to use FW800 to do the job. And when bigger drives come along, or I want to go to a RAID, I can do it without repurchasing the router part. (Or repurchasing the drive part if the router dies).
Having said that, if you want a cheap backup drive + server but w/o the wifi bit, consider D-Link DNS-320 bare NAS with slot for 2x SATA HDD of your choosing for less than £65.00. It has media server, FTP, file server, iTunes server (so you don't have to put every single music on your iTunes library) and it also has AFP which mean if you have Airport utility installed, you can use the drive as your cheap Time Capsule even from a PC!
Further info: PDF data sheet
That depends on the drive - and you're missing the whole point. Someone posted a link to a 20 pack for $7999 - that's about $400 per drive.
THAT highlights the point. You can't determine the price of something merely by looking at one specification.
The bare drive inside of it is around $200, retail. The Airport Extreme costs $180. That's over $100 markup for Apple to combine the two devices into one. Excessive.
Then you're fortunate that no one is going to make you buy one. But I don't think it's unreasonable. I could by an Airport extreme for $180 and an external 3 TB drive for $300. So for $19 more, I get them integrated and save one connection, one power supply, etc.
I'd rather save the $100 and have full access to the hard drive to connect directly to a computer if necessary for drive maintenance or if you just have a huge amount of data transfer and want to use FW800 to do the job. And when bigger drives come along, or I want to go to a RAID, I can do it without repurchasing the router part. (Or repurchasing the drive part if the router dies).
Then don't buy one.
No one ever claimed that the product was ideal for everyone. But I love my Time Capsule. I use a MacBook Pro for most of my computing - sitting on the couch, sitting on the porch, etc. With the time capsule, Time Machine automatically backs it up all the time. With your solution, I have to periodically connect to the external backup system - or buy a different NAS which will probably not end up any less expensive than the Time Capsule
... I just lay my anti-static mat down on the kitchen counter, attach my anti-static wrist band to the ground on a nearby outlet, get out my odd tools for opening devices, and off I go.
That's too excessive. Just open it up on the floor or table, touch the metal part of the Mac or your grounded radiator panel and off you go. Just don't move around too much generating static electricity.
But wait, John. Why would you pay $500 for a 3TB Time Capsule when you can buy a Linksys E4200 dual band router and a Seagate 3TB NAS for the low, low price of $370. That's $130 in savings.
But that's not all? We'll also throw in complex setup between devices, fragmented service and support which could be hours of fun for you and your family. Act now, supplies are limited?.
So true.
The pricing on the 3TB is a bit awkward though. Buying two 2TB time capsules only costs $100 more for an additional 1TB of additional storage and basically a repeater for doubling the size of the network footprint. Considering you don't need to buy them both at the same time and I can see this down-selling customers who would otherwise consider the higher capacity model to a 2TB in the short term.
3 TB drives cost nowhere near $400. A high-quality external 3 TB drive from OWC is around $300. /QUOTE]
That depends on the drive - and you're missing the whole point. Someone posted a link to a 20 pack for $7999 - that's about $400 per drive.
THAT highlights the point. You can't determine the price of something merely by looking at one specification.
Then you're fortunate that no one is going to make you buy one. But I don't think it's unreasonable. I could by an Airport extreme for $180 and an external 3 TB drive for $300. So for $19 more, I get them integrated and save one connection, one power supply, etc.
Then don't buy one.
No one ever claimed that the product was ideal for everyone. But I love my Time Capsule. I use a MacBook Pro for most of my computing - sitting on the couch, sitting on the porch, etc. With the time capsule, Time Machine automatically backs it up all the time. With your solution, I have to periodically connect to the external backup system - or buy a different NAS which will probably not end up any less expensive than the Time Capsule
Don't bother giving me advice, I've already made my decision. I was simply pointing out facts that highlight the high prices Apple charges compared to alternatives and to their likely costs to include a 3 TB drive. I won't buy one. Just like I won't buy RAM from Apple. But for some people, they'd rather just have Apple install the RAM form them when they buy the computer. Like you say, evaluate your needs. My needs are to still be able to access my data if my router dies, or to only have to spend $180 vs $500 if the drive fails. Good luck with that! (BTW: If my drive does fail, I've got a 3-year warranty. What do you have?)
Considering how great Apple's prices are on things like the iPad, it's too bad they still feel the need to price some of their other products so uncompetitively.
The problem with the old version is that the CPU is to slow. When you connect USB drives to the device you only get 8-12 megabyte transfer rate. With an A4 CPU we would get 25-35 megabyte.
The internal disk would also speed up considerably with a faster CPU.
No info about the CPU in the new version?
The problem with the old version is that the CPU is to slow. When you connect USB drives to the device you only get 8-12 megabyte transfer rate. With an A4 CPU we would get 25-35 megabyte.
The internal disk would also speed up considerably with a faster CPU.
According to Engadget, a teardown of the new Time Capsule revealed a minor surprise: the lack of an enterprise harddrive, seemingly a contradiction to their advertised spec's, or at the least what the general understanding of a "server-grade harddrive" is meant to be.
http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/25/u...ve-nowhere-to/
http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/25/u...ve-nowhere-to/
Thanks for that link; has an informative comment from user AUPablito on topics such as:
MTTDL (Mean Time To Data Loss)
UER (Unrecoverable Error Rate)
http://timecapsuledead.org/