Great - its a DeathStar Disk. For back ups. On a disk running 24/7.
May I just ask one thing - why does anyone else here think that it is widely considered that those disks amrked the end of IBM disks if the disks were that good ?
Honestly ? Did samsung sells its HD division - no they made it - dixit Toshiba - dixit Seagate. Plese any informed user do a Google on Deaskstar Disks and their reliability.
And Apple is never an innocent victim - if you are one of the most profitable and sucessfull computer companies in the world (eat your hat M. Dell) you are never the victim but part of the process/problem.
1) Why do people still think that there are no programs for Macs when that hasn't been the case for many a year. Some people only seem to remember the bad stuff, which is why we will never have another cruise ship name Titanic, a shuttle named Challenger, or why I'll never name child my Dahmer-Osama Adolf-Manson Solipsism.
2) Reviews show that this drive functions remarkably well. The sensationalist "DeathStar" has stuck and no matter how the drive performs you're always going to associate the DeskStar brand with faulty drives. Japanese car companies had to create a new brands in the 1980s because no matter how luxurious the car was the brand was still associated with "cheap". So perhaps they'd do some good to rename them, but that name doesn't mean they are bad.
Thanks! Do you by any chance know if I can get four time capsules and have each one back up one of my four hard drives?
It can't, it's a consumer device. If you have 4 HDDs in your MacPro you don't need a Time Capsule. Just use do a RAID1+0 to two of your storage drives and use the 4th drive for a TIme Machine backup of your System drive.
Time Capsule, Apple's brand name for an Airport Extreme Base Station with an integrated hard drive and power adapter, is now shipping. Here's a look at what's in the box, and how the new Apple TV-sized wireless backup unit stacks up against the existing AirPort Extreme.
Inside the Box
While AirPort wireless devices have long been shipping in white boxes, Time Capsule ships in a black box with a purple galaxy graphic (below) reminiscent of Leopard's space themed desktop background. The association is a clear nod toward the new wireless base station's support for Leopard's Time Machine feature.
The packaging borrows from the iPod's, with a paper cover that slides off to reveal a plain black box (below) with the words "Designed by Apple in California."
The paper and styrofoam box opens like a book to reveal the shrink wrapped base station unit (below).
Underneath the device is a white envelope with regulatory information, a setup guide booklet, install software, and an AC power cable (below).
The Bigger Box (As Seen On Apple TV)
There's no power brick because Time Capsule includes the AC transformer in the unit itself, just like the Apple TV. The existing AirPort Extreme uses an external power adapter (below), which helps makes it slightly smaller at the expense of having a longer tail and another box to hide. Time Capsule also manages to find room inside itself for a full sized 3.5" hard disk drive with either a full or half terabyte capacity.
Time Capsule has the same 7.7" square outline as Apple TV, making it noticeably larger than the existing 6.5" AirPort Extreme when stacked (below), as well as being a bit heavier.
It has all the same ports as the existing Extreme, although Time Capsule has a regular AC power plug instead of a round DC adapter for the AirPort Extreme's power brick. USB is used for connecting additional hard drives or shared printers; there are three Gigabit Ethernet LAN network jacks (just like the second revision of the Extreme; the original unit only supplied 10/100 Fast Ethernet ports) a WAN network jack, a reset button, and a security hole for a locking cable.
All three units share the same rubberized bottom, which is glued to the base in a way that makes opening up the unit awkward but not entirely difficult. There aren't any intended user serviceable parts inside. Users who outgrow the supplied 500GB or 1TB drive are expected to add an external disk via USB rather than peeling the drive open to swap in a larger model.
The only other cosmetic difference is that Time Capsule has a shiny, mirror finished Apple logo on top rather than the Extreme's plain embossed logo outline or Apple TV's printed logo on a glossy inlaid plastic panel (below).
Time Capsule is just slightly taller than the Extreme and shares the same slotted top design (below top), while it's a full lip taller than Apple TV (below bottom).
Time Capsule Software
The installer CD includes a PDF version of the printed user guide, a brief read me, a "need to know" PDF guide about backups (also included in print as a short leaflet), and an HTML page linking to various resources on finding more information, including the extended references such as Designing AirPort Networks, at Apple - Support - Manuals.
The read me document lists system requirements:
Time Machine backup requires Mac OS X Leopard v10.5.2 or later
AirPort Utility requires Mac OS X v10.4.x or later for configuration of Time Capsule
Wireless network access requires a Macintosh computer with AirPort or AirPort Extreme card
WPA2 support requires a Macintosh computer with an AirPort Extreme card
The short Need to Know PDF points out some basic tips:
The first backup will take a long time, perhaps even lasting overnight
You can set Time Machine to exclude items in Options to save space on the Time Capsule drive
Users should set up the device as the primary base station because its 802.11N is faster than than the Express or earlier AirPort units
Portables being backed up will complete fastest if they have a good signal in the same room as the Time Capsule and are plugged into power
If a Mac is shut down or interrupted during Time Machine backup, it will just start up from where it left off next time
Like the earlier AirPort Extreme, the Time Capsule software includes "AirPort Extreme" 802.11N enabler software for any Macs that shipped with 802.11N hardware but did not include software drivers for it, as well as the AirPort Utility software.
Setting up the unit is as easy as plugging it in, starting AirPort Utility, selecting the unit, and running through the setup assistant (below).
If you select the option to replace an existing base station (below top), the next option presented is to pick from one of the existing configuration settings saved by AirPort Utility, making for a painless upgrade (below bottom). Also available in the base station upgrade candidate list are third party devices saved by the local AirPort client software as previously used WiFi networks.
Another option is to join and extend the range of an existing wireless network. Pick a wireless network, and the software supplies your login if it has previously been joined and the password saved to the Keychain (below).
These slickly automated upgrade and expand options highlight the advantages of using standalone client software to configure the AirPort units rather than a simple embedded web page as most wireless base stations do. Alternatively, none of the AirPort base stations, including Time Capsule, can be set up from a basic web browser; they require installing the AirPort Utility software, which works on both the Mac and Windows PCs.
The Time Capsule Disk
The included drive is formatted and ready for use. The volume name can be changed from the Disks section by selecting the Time Capsule volume (below top). To erase and reformat the drive, select the Time Capsule Disk and click Erase... (below bottom). Either page can be used to boot off all connected users.
The file sharing tab (below) allows you to limit guess access to read only or block guests entirely; setting a Workgroup name is used to serve the drive to Windows clients; and "secure shared disks" offers three options for shared disk security:
with a Time Capsule password uses the same password to access the shared disk as to join the wireless network
with a disk password uses a separate password for the network and disk access
with user accounts sets up the ability to add multiple users on a third tab, each with their own password and an option to limit them to read only access or to block their access without affecting the other users.
No Love for Extreme Users?
Other options for sharing USB printers, logging, SNMP, IPv6, and Bonjour services are identical to the existing AirPort Extreme. Apple continues to sell the Extreme alongside the new Time Capsule models, but hasn't yet issued an update allowing Time Machine to backup to USB disks attached to the Extreme. This is disappointing because a lot of users expect Time Machine backups to work with their existing Extreme shared disks, and Apple hasn't released any clear indication on whether this will be released or not.
It would really seem petty if Apple expected its Extreme customers to all upgrade to Time Capsule, particularly since the company prominently advertised Time Machine as a feature that was planned to work with shared disks on the Extreme in pre-release Leopard information. While those features were listed as "subject to change," there appears to be no technical reason for not supporting the Extreme with Time Machine. Time Capsule also supports externally connected USB disks for use with Time Machine.
We will be testing the drive included with Time Capsule against USB drives attached to an AirPort Extreme in a more in depth look at Time Capsule, but the limitations of wireless networking will likely show no difference in performance throughput between the two. Readers who would like to make special request of the reviewer ahead of the formal review can email Prince with those requests.
Time Capsule is offered in two versions alongside the existing AirPort Express and Extreme:
AirPort Express $99 802.11b/g No disk sharing; USB printer and AirTunes audio sharing only. AirPort Extreme $179 802.11a/b/g/n USB disk and printer sharing; disk for network storage only. Time Capsule $299 802.11a/b/g/n 500 GB disk, USB disk, and printer sharing; Time Machine backups. Time Capsule $499 802.11a/b/g/n 1TB (1024 GB) disk, USB disk, and printer sharing; Time Machine backups.
I installed Airport Utility from CD that came with Time Capsule. Network setup was easy to perform using the setup assistant - I was well pleased with that. My configuration included several external HD's connected to Time capsule via a USB hub. I was able to access them without any problem. But I was unable to access the Time Capsule internal HD. I got the following error:
"The operation cannot be completed because the original item for MYNAME's Time Capsule" cannot be found". It was pointed out to me by my son that the apostrophe in the name may be causing a problem. The HD was named automatically during the setup process! I changed the HD name to remove the apostrophe. Once I did this I was able to access the drive. It seems that the setup assistant has a flaw in how it names the internal HD!
I don't know if others have experienced the same problem.
What's the advantage of doing a TM backup to a TC opposed to a backup connected directly to your machine? Wouldn't a direct connection (via FW or internal) be faster anyway compared to wireless? And why in the world would someone want to do multiple backups from multiple machines to a single drive (TC)? When that one drive craps out, all machines have lost there backup rather than just one. Enlighten me please.
Personally, I'm not sold on this product. As for backups, as cheap as HDD's are today there's no reason why anyone couldn't afford a dependable drive and enclosure for each machine they own. As far as wirelessly sharing an iTunes library, hell I've been doing that since my old APE (flying saucer style) was released (along with a $75 G4 tower) and even those files are backed up elsewhere. I also have the ability of quickly throwing my iTunes drive into a machine if I choose. I feel that depending too much on a single device, in this case, is not a good idea.
If this device can allow a backup of itself then it may be a plausible if someone's using it for TM.
Just my opinion, not meaning to start any arguments. I'm sure someone can shoot it down, it's just that some people get caught up in so much hype about some products.
Tony
Space! I would love to have my back up HDD down stairs in the basement as opposed to on my desk with a USB cable and power cable. Cleaner look is the draw for me. I don't have a Time Capsule unit yet but I imagine I will soon.
Also, I can backup multiple machines to one central location without the hardware being on their desk to get knocked off (work). Space is again key with fewer cables.
Ok, why all of a sudden Apple is going nuts with all this back-up hardware and software? It seems to me computers have been around for an awfully long time and no one's died, no countries have collapsed, no villages burned down and no massive financial ruin befall anyone due to a lack of back-up hardware and software. So why now all of a sudden is there this hysteria to back everything the F up? I would rather have Apple focus it's development on more ground breaking products like the macbook air or software. Just my opinion. Seems like a lot of future e-waste.
Ok, why all of a sudden Apple is going nuts with all this back-up hardware and software? It seems to me computers have been around for an awfully long time and no one's died, no countries have collapsed, no villages burned down and no massive financial ruin befall anyone due to a lack of back-up hardware and software. So why now all of a sudden is there this hysteria to back everything the F up? I would rather have Apple focus it's development on more ground breaking products like the macbook air or software. Just my opinion. Seems like a lot of future e-waist.
Untapped market for big potential.
The need is there. Have you used a one touch backup HDD? Not very good when compared to SuperDuper! or TIme Machine.
Did I mention an untapped market for Apple to exploit billions of dollars from AI members alone.
Ok, why all of a sudden Apple is going nuts with all this back-up hardware and software? It seems to me computers have been around for an awfully long time and no one's died, no countries have collapsed, no villages burned down and no massive financial ruin befall anyone due to a lack of back-up hardware and software. So why now all of a sudden is there this hysteria to back everything the F up? I would rather have Apple focus it's development on more ground breaking products like the macbook air or software. Just my opinion. Seems like a lot of future e-waste.
yeah I get the dollar aspect and all that. $$$ more more more. It's just a little bonkers how a company can drive the public into thinking they need this stuff. It's like some Photographers I know who back up to a portable HD and ship it to another state for safe keeping. Well, if the state you're living in goes down I don't think you need to worry about your pictures that you sent out of state, you'll be dead. Why not send it to the moon. My point is why not as a company direct your attention to something worth while, something truly untapped.
Ok, why all of a sudden Apple is going nuts with all this back-up hardware and software? It seems to me computers have been around for an awfully long time and no one's died, no countries have collapsed, no villages burned down and no massive financial ruin befall anyone due to a lack of back-up hardware and software. So why now all of a sudden is there this hysteria to back everything the F up? I would rather have Apple focus it's development on more ground breaking products like the macbook air or software. Just my opinion. Seems like a lot of future e-waste.
Purchased media and user created media.
Apple is selling a lot of people a lot of data files. Plus many more data files are being generated by us users through iPhoto, iMovie and Garageband. How many of those files have been lost due to hardware failures? How many were backed up? How much hand holding has Apple done while consoling people for their lost masterpieces? I bet a lot. This is Apples solution.
yeah I get the dollar aspect and all that. $$$ more more more. It's just a little bonkers how a company can drive the public into thinking they need this stuff. It's like some Photographers I know who back up to a portable HD and ship it to another state for safe keeping. Well, if the state you're living in goes down I don't think you need to worry about your pictures that you sent out of state, you'll be dead. Why not send it to the moon. My point is why not as a company direct your attention to something worth while, something truly untapped.
Think Katerina.
How many photographers lost their primary files and local backup files? I don't know, but I bet the most relieved were those who had out of state backup. A lot was lost there as many were forced to leave with just the clothes on their back.
yeah I get the dollar aspect and all that. $$$ more more more. It's just a little bonkers how a company can drive the public into thinking they need this stuff. It's like some Photographers I know who back up to a portable HD and ship it to another state for safe keeping. Well, if the state you're living in goes down I don't think you need to worry about your pictures that you sent out of state, you'll be dead. Why not send it to the moon. My point is why not as a company direct your attention to something worth while, something truly untapped.
First of all, backing up one's data has always been important, and many companies have tried to address the problem but it's often been tedious, difficult, and/or expensive to do. We are also getting more and more digital each year. My parents don't even own a film camera anymore.
We are now at a point where home networks and capabilities are fast and large enough to be had at very reasonable prices. I know I have been backing up for many years. i used to put all personal info in a text file that was saved as a draft email on Hotmail.com. Oh, the memories.
Now I can backup large video files I'm almost certain I'll never watch again to music and keychain passwords, bookmarks, and contacts. .Mac and migration assistance takes care of most of that for me. And with the iPhone, the result is that I never have to add all my contacts manually to a new cellphone and edited contacts can be down more comfortably with Address Book on a Mac.
Now that I think of it, I have my most important data saved in no less than 5 places at once. This is a common thing with progression. We depend on computers more and more each day and so much of us (in some regard) is stored in them that it's only natural that we'd want to preserve if possible.
And what if we ran out or severely crippled our power resources? What if all of a sudden only life sustaining energy could be used. Heat, water, Hospitals, the like. I'm not being a...what do they call it? A doomsday freak for lack of a better term. Just suppose we put all this energy, time, money and effort into backing up all these trivial things created by our computers into making a real difference with the direction we are headed in life. As for myself I can remember the days when I could recite 12-20 telephone numbers. Shit now I can hardly remember my own. Thankfully it's backed up somewhere. I realize having all these new shinny things makes us feel better, more secure, safe. But what if, what if we all of a sudden we had to actually write shit down to back it up.
And what if we ran out or severely crippled our power resources? What if all of a sudden only life sustaining energy could be used. Heat, water, Hospitals, the like. I'm not being a...what do they call it? A doomsday freak for lack of a better term. Just suppose we put all this energy, time, money and effort into backing up all these trivial things created by our computers into making a real difference with the direction we are headed in life. As for myself I can remember the days when I could recite 12-20 telephone numbers. Shit now I can hardly remember my own. Thankfully it's backed up somewhere. I realize having all these new shinny things makes us feel better, more secure, safe. But what if, what if we all of a sudden we had to actually write shit down to back it up.
That is why one of my backup methods is to etch things onto large stone slabs. Though I could always etch it onto aluminium Macs.
Seriously though, if that were to happen then all that data would be worthless to be anyway. I'd be more interested to getting on Mel Gibson's good side.
I mean it this time: Seriously, the chances of that happening is not something I consider. but if it does I hope I can get my own Interceptor.
PS: The movie Doomsday looks interesting.
PPS: Oddly, I can seemingly remember every phone number until the time I started storing them in cell phones. Now, like you say, I sometimes forget my own cell number.
1) Why do people still think that there are no programs for Macs when that hasn't been the case for many a year. Some people only seem to remember the bad stuff, which is why we will never have another cruise ship name Titanic, a shuttle named Challenger, or why I'll never name child my Dahmer-Osama Adolf-Manson Solipsism.
2) Reviews show that this drive functions remarkably well. The sensationalist "DeathStar" has stuck and no matter how the drive performs you're always going to associate the DeskStar brand with faulty drives. Japanese car companies had to create a new brands in the 1980s because no matter how luxurious the car was the brand was still associated with "cheap". So perhaps they'd do some good to rename them, but that name doesn't mean they are bad.
I happen to have quite a stock of dead deskstar disks behind me. Ranging from the year 200 to the year 2007. It might just have been coincidence granted. But on a more general statement : consumer HDs should never ever run 24/7 for more then a year in a consumer environement.
The MTBFs as per the manufacturers are under OPTIMAL conditions. Dust free, low temp. Great - but whose's household really does offer this ? Really ! Or isn't the 'common' SOHO a warm(ish) room usually full of clutter and other stuff. Who has a SOHO that is similar to a Data Center.
Should the drive power down though => then the following is me and what i get for my nagging
I mean it this time: Seriously, the chances of that happening is not something I consider. but if it does I hope I can get my own Interceptor.
PS: The movie Doomsday looks interesting.
PPS: Oddly, I can seemingly remember every phone number until the time I started storing them in cell phones. Now, like you say, I sometimes forget my own cell number.
Comments
Great - its a DeathStar Disk. For back ups. On a disk running 24/7.
May I just ask one thing - why does anyone else here think that it is widely considered that those disks amrked the end of IBM disks if the disks were that good ?
Honestly ? Did samsung sells its HD division - no they made it - dixit Toshiba - dixit Seagate. Plese any informed user do a Google on Deaskstar Disks and their reliability.
And Apple is never an innocent victim - if you are one of the most profitable and sucessfull computer companies in the world (eat your hat M. Dell) you are never the victim but part of the process/problem.
1) Why do people still think that there are no programs for Macs when that hasn't been the case for many a year. Some people only seem to remember the bad stuff, which is why we will never have another cruise ship name Titanic, a shuttle named Challenger, or why I'll never name child my Dahmer-Osama Adolf-Manson Solipsism.
2) Reviews show that this drive functions remarkably well. The sensationalist "DeathStar" has stuck and no matter how the drive performs you're always going to associate the DeskStar brand with faulty drives. Japanese car companies had to create a new brands in the 1980s because no matter how luxurious the car was the brand was still associated with "cheap". So perhaps they'd do some good to rename them, but that name doesn't mean they are bad.
No, Time Capsule has a built-in wifi router.
EDIT: solipsism beat me to it.
Thanks! Do you by any chance know if I can get four time capsules and have each one back up one of my four hard drives?
Thanks! Do you by any chance know if I can get four time capsules and have each one back up one of my four hard drives?
It can't, it's a consumer device. If you have 4 HDDs in your MacPro you don't need a Time Capsule. Just use do a RAID1+0 to two of your storage drives and use the 4th drive for a TIme Machine backup of your System drive.
Time Capsule, Apple's brand name for an Airport Extreme Base Station with an integrated hard drive and power adapter, is now shipping. Here's a look at what's in the box, and how the new Apple TV-sized wireless backup unit stacks up against the existing AirPort Extreme.
Inside the Box
While AirPort wireless devices have long been shipping in white boxes, Time Capsule ships in a black box with a purple galaxy graphic (below) reminiscent of Leopard's space themed desktop background. The association is a clear nod toward the new wireless base station's support for Leopard's Time Machine feature.
The packaging borrows from the iPod's, with a paper cover that slides off to reveal a plain black box (below) with the words "Designed by Apple in California."
The paper and styrofoam box opens like a book to reveal the shrink wrapped base station unit (below).
Underneath the device is a white envelope with regulatory information, a setup guide booklet, install software, and an AC power cable (below).
The Bigger Box (As Seen On Apple TV)
There's no power brick because Time Capsule includes the AC transformer in the unit itself, just like the Apple TV. The existing AirPort Extreme uses an external power adapter (below), which helps makes it slightly smaller at the expense of having a longer tail and another box to hide. Time Capsule also manages to find room inside itself for a full sized 3.5" hard disk drive with either a full or half terabyte capacity.
Time Capsule has the same 7.7" square outline as Apple TV, making it noticeably larger than the existing 6.5" AirPort Extreme when stacked (below), as well as being a bit heavier.
It has all the same ports as the existing Extreme, although Time Capsule has a regular AC power plug instead of a round DC adapter for the AirPort Extreme's power brick. USB is used for connecting additional hard drives or shared printers; there are three Gigabit Ethernet LAN network jacks (just like the second revision of the Extreme; the original unit only supplied 10/100 Fast Ethernet ports) a WAN network jack, a reset button, and a security hole for a locking cable.
All three units share the same rubberized bottom, which is glued to the base in a way that makes opening up the unit awkward but not entirely difficult. There aren't any intended user serviceable parts inside. Users who outgrow the supplied 500GB or 1TB drive are expected to add an external disk via USB rather than peeling the drive open to swap in a larger model.
The only other cosmetic difference is that Time Capsule has a shiny, mirror finished Apple logo on top rather than the Extreme's plain embossed logo outline or Apple TV's printed logo on a glossy inlaid plastic panel (below).
Time Capsule is just slightly taller than the Extreme and shares the same slotted top design (below top), while it's a full lip taller than Apple TV (below bottom).
Time Capsule Software
The installer CD includes a PDF version of the printed user guide, a brief read me, a "need to know" PDF guide about backups (also included in print as a short leaflet), and an HTML page linking to various resources on finding more information, including the extended references such as Designing AirPort Networks, at Apple - Support - Manuals.
The read me document lists system requirements:
Time Machine backup requires Mac OS X Leopard v10.5.2 or later
AirPort Utility requires Mac OS X v10.4.x or later for configuration of Time Capsule
Wireless network access requires a Macintosh computer with AirPort or AirPort Extreme card
WPA2 support requires a Macintosh computer with an AirPort Extreme card
The short Need to Know PDF points out some basic tips:
The first backup will take a long time, perhaps even lasting overnight
You can set Time Machine to exclude items in Options to save space on the Time Capsule drive
Users should set up the device as the primary base station because its 802.11N is faster than than the Express or earlier AirPort units
Portables being backed up will complete fastest if they have a good signal in the same room as the Time Capsule and are plugged into power
If a Mac is shut down or interrupted during Time Machine backup, it will just start up from where it left off next time
Like the earlier AirPort Extreme, the Time Capsule software includes "AirPort Extreme" 802.11N enabler software for any Macs that shipped with 802.11N hardware but did not include software drivers for it, as well as the AirPort Utility software.
Setting up the unit is as easy as plugging it in, starting AirPort Utility, selecting the unit, and running through the setup assistant (below).
If you select the option to replace an existing base station (below top), the next option presented is to pick from one of the existing configuration settings saved by AirPort Utility, making for a painless upgrade (below bottom). Also available in the base station upgrade candidate list are third party devices saved by the local AirPort client software as previously used WiFi networks.
Another option is to join and extend the range of an existing wireless network. Pick a wireless network, and the software supplies your login if it has previously been joined and the password saved to the Keychain (below).
These slickly automated upgrade and expand options highlight the advantages of using standalone client software to configure the AirPort units rather than a simple embedded web page as most wireless base stations do. Alternatively, none of the AirPort base stations, including Time Capsule, can be set up from a basic web browser; they require installing the AirPort Utility software, which works on both the Mac and Windows PCs.
The Time Capsule Disk
The included drive is formatted and ready for use. The volume name can be changed from the Disks section by selecting the Time Capsule volume (below top). To erase and reformat the drive, select the Time Capsule Disk and click Erase... (below bottom). Either page can be used to boot off all connected users.
The file sharing tab (below) allows you to limit guess access to read only or block guests entirely; setting a Workgroup name is used to serve the drive to Windows clients; and "secure shared disks" offers three options for shared disk security:
with a Time Capsule password uses the same password to access the shared disk as to join the wireless network
with a disk password uses a separate password for the network and disk access
with user accounts sets up the ability to add multiple users on a third tab, each with their own password and an option to limit them to read only access or to block their access without affecting the other users.
No Love for Extreme Users?
Other options for sharing USB printers, logging, SNMP, IPv6, and Bonjour services are identical to the existing AirPort Extreme. Apple continues to sell the Extreme alongside the new Time Capsule models, but hasn't yet issued an update allowing Time Machine to backup to USB disks attached to the Extreme. This is disappointing because a lot of users expect Time Machine backups to work with their existing Extreme shared disks, and Apple hasn't released any clear indication on whether this will be released or not.
It would really seem petty if Apple expected its Extreme customers to all upgrade to Time Capsule, particularly since the company prominently advertised Time Machine as a feature that was planned to work with shared disks on the Extreme in pre-release Leopard information. While those features were listed as "subject to change," there appears to be no technical reason for not supporting the Extreme with Time Machine. Time Capsule also supports externally connected USB disks for use with Time Machine.
We will be testing the drive included with Time Capsule against USB drives attached to an AirPort Extreme in a more in depth look at Time Capsule, but the limitations of wireless networking will likely show no difference in performance throughput between the two. Readers who would like to make special request of the reviewer ahead of the formal review can email Prince with those requests.
Time Capsule is offered in two versions alongside the existing AirPort Express and Extreme:
AirPort Express $99 802.11b/g No disk sharing; USB printer and AirTunes audio sharing only. AirPort Extreme $179 802.11a/b/g/n USB disk and printer sharing; disk for network storage only. Time Capsule $299 802.11a/b/g/n 500 GB disk, USB disk, and printer sharing; Time Machine backups. Time Capsule $499 802.11a/b/g/n 1TB (1024 GB) disk, USB disk, and printer sharing; Time Machine backups.
[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]
I installed Airport Utility from CD that came with Time Capsule. Network setup was easy to perform using the setup assistant - I was well pleased with that. My configuration included several external HD's connected to Time capsule via a USB hub. I was able to access them without any problem. But I was unable to access the Time Capsule internal HD. I got the following error:
"The operation cannot be completed because the original item for MYNAME's Time Capsule" cannot be found". It was pointed out to me by my son that the apostrophe in the name may be causing a problem. The HD was named automatically during the setup process! I changed the HD name to remove the apostrophe. Once I did this I was able to access the drive. It seems that the setup assistant has a flaw in how it names the internal HD!
I don't know if others have experienced the same problem.
TTFN Peter
What's the advantage of doing a TM backup to a TC opposed to a backup connected directly to your machine? Wouldn't a direct connection (via FW or internal) be faster anyway compared to wireless? And why in the world would someone want to do multiple backups from multiple machines to a single drive (TC)? When that one drive craps out, all machines have lost there backup rather than just one. Enlighten me please.
Personally, I'm not sold on this product. As for backups, as cheap as HDD's are today there's no reason why anyone couldn't afford a dependable drive and enclosure for each machine they own. As far as wirelessly sharing an iTunes library, hell I've been doing that since my old APE (flying saucer style) was released (along with a $75 G4 tower) and even those files are backed up elsewhere. I also have the ability of quickly throwing my iTunes drive into a machine if I choose. I feel that depending too much on a single device, in this case, is not a good idea.
If this device can allow a backup of itself then it may be a plausible if someone's using it for TM.
Just my opinion, not meaning to start any arguments. I'm sure someone can shoot it down, it's just that some people get caught up in so much hype about some products.
Tony
Space! I would love to have my back up HDD down stairs in the basement as opposed to on my desk with a USB cable and power cable. Cleaner look is the draw for me. I don't have a Time Capsule unit yet but I imagine I will soon.
Also, I can backup multiple machines to one central location without the hardware being on their desk to get knocked off (work). Space is again key with fewer cables.
Ok, why all of a sudden Apple is going nuts with all this back-up hardware and software? It seems to me computers have been around for an awfully long time and no one's died, no countries have collapsed, no villages burned down and no massive financial ruin befall anyone due to a lack of back-up hardware and software. So why now all of a sudden is there this hysteria to back everything the F up? I would rather have Apple focus it's development on more ground breaking products like the macbook air or software. Just my opinion. Seems like a lot of future e-waist.
Untapped market for big potential.
The need is there. Have you used a one touch backup HDD? Not very good when compared to SuperDuper! or TIme Machine.
Did I mention an untapped market for Apple to exploit billions of dollars from AI members alone.
Ok, why all of a sudden Apple is going nuts with all this back-up hardware and software? It seems to me computers have been around for an awfully long time and no one's died, no countries have collapsed, no villages burned down and no massive financial ruin befall anyone due to a lack of back-up hardware and software. So why now all of a sudden is there this hysteria to back everything the F up? I would rather have Apple focus it's development on more ground breaking products like the macbook air or software. Just my opinion. Seems like a lot of future e-waste.
Wow! SImply, wow!
Ok, why all of a sudden Apple is going nuts with all this back-up hardware and software? It seems to me computers have been around for an awfully long time and no one's died, no countries have collapsed, no villages burned down and no massive financial ruin befall anyone due to a lack of back-up hardware and software. So why now all of a sudden is there this hysteria to back everything the F up? I would rather have Apple focus it's development on more ground breaking products like the macbook air or software. Just my opinion. Seems like a lot of future e-waste.
Purchased media and user created media.
Apple is selling a lot of people a lot of data files. Plus many more data files are being generated by us users through iPhoto, iMovie and Garageband. How many of those files have been lost due to hardware failures? How many were backed up? How much hand holding has Apple done while consoling people for their lost masterpieces? I bet a lot. This is Apples solution.
Speak of the devil.
yeah I get the dollar aspect and all that. $$$ more more more. It's just a little bonkers how a company can drive the public into thinking they need this stuff. It's like some Photographers I know who back up to a portable HD and ship it to another state for safe keeping. Well, if the state you're living in goes down I don't think you need to worry about your pictures that you sent out of state, you'll be dead. Why not send it to the moon. My point is why not as a company direct your attention to something worth while, something truly untapped.
Think Katerina.
How many photographers lost their primary files and local backup files? I don't know, but I bet the most relieved were those who had out of state backup. A lot was lost there as many were forced to leave with just the clothes on their back.
yeah I get the dollar aspect and all that. $$$ more more more. It's just a little bonkers how a company can drive the public into thinking they need this stuff. It's like some Photographers I know who back up to a portable HD and ship it to another state for safe keeping. Well, if the state you're living in goes down I don't think you need to worry about your pictures that you sent out of state, you'll be dead. Why not send it to the moon. My point is why not as a company direct your attention to something worth while, something truly untapped.
First of all, backing up one's data has always been important, and many companies have tried to address the problem but it's often been tedious, difficult, and/or expensive to do. We are also getting more and more digital each year. My parents don't even own a film camera anymore.
We are now at a point where home networks and capabilities are fast and large enough to be had at very reasonable prices. I know I have been backing up for many years. i used to put all personal info in a text file that was saved as a draft email on Hotmail.com. Oh, the memories.
Now I can backup large video files I'm almost certain I'll never watch again to music and keychain passwords, bookmarks, and contacts. .Mac and migration assistance takes care of most of that for me. And with the iPhone, the result is that I never have to add all my contacts manually to a new cellphone and edited contacts can be down more comfortably with Address Book on a Mac.
Now that I think of it, I have my most important data saved in no less than 5 places at once. This is a common thing with progression. We depend on computers more and more each day and so much of us (in some regard) is stored in them that it's only natural that we'd want to preserve if possible.
And what if we ran out or severely crippled our power resources? What if all of a sudden only life sustaining energy could be used. Heat, water, Hospitals, the like. I'm not being a...what do they call it? A doomsday freak for lack of a better term. Just suppose we put all this energy, time, money and effort into backing up all these trivial things created by our computers into making a real difference with the direction we are headed in life. As for myself I can remember the days when I could recite 12-20 telephone numbers. Shit now I can hardly remember my own. Thankfully it's backed up somewhere. I realize having all these new shinny things makes us feel better, more secure, safe. But what if, what if we all of a sudden we had to actually write shit down to back it up.
That is why one of my backup methods is to etch things onto large stone slabs. Though I could always etch it onto aluminium Macs.
Seriously though, if that were to happen then all that data would be worthless to be anyway. I'd be more interested to getting on Mel Gibson's good side.
I mean it this time: Seriously, the chances of that happening is not something I consider. but if it does I hope I can get my own Interceptor.
PS: The movie Doomsday looks interesting.
PPS: Oddly, I can seemingly remember every phone number until the time I started storing them in cell phones. Now, like you say, I sometimes forget my own cell number.
Thanks for the discussion.
1) Why do people still think that there are no programs for Macs when that hasn't been the case for many a year. Some people only seem to remember the bad stuff, which is why we will never have another cruise ship name Titanic, a shuttle named Challenger, or why I'll never name child my Dahmer-Osama Adolf-Manson Solipsism.
2) Reviews show that this drive functions remarkably well. The sensationalist "DeathStar" has stuck and no matter how the drive performs you're always going to associate the DeskStar brand with faulty drives. Japanese car companies had to create a new brands in the 1980s because no matter how luxurious the car was the brand was still associated with "cheap". So perhaps they'd do some good to rename them, but that name doesn't mean they are bad.
I happen to have quite a stock of dead deskstar disks behind me. Ranging from the year 200 to the year 2007. It might just have been coincidence granted. But on a more general statement : consumer HDs should never ever run 24/7 for more then a year in a consumer environement.
The MTBFs as per the manufacturers are under OPTIMAL conditions. Dust free, low temp. Great - but whose's household really does offer this ? Really ! Or isn't the 'common' SOHO a warm(ish) room usually full of clutter and other stuff. Who has a SOHO that is similar to a Data Center.
Should the drive power down though => then the following is me and what i get for my nagging
I mean it this time: Seriously, the chances of that happening is not something I consider. but if it does I hope I can get my own Interceptor.
PS: The movie Doomsday looks interesting.
PPS: Oddly, I can seemingly remember every phone number until the time I started storing them in cell phones. Now, like you say, I sometimes forget my own cell number.
Woot! Fellow Mad Max fan?