Drobo Introduces Thunderbolt-Powered 5D, Mini Storage Solutions
Drobo Introduces Thunderbolt-Powered 5D, Mini Storage Solutions
After teasing us earlier this month with the possibility of a Thunderbolt-equipped Drobo, the company has taken the wraps off not one, but two such solutions, including a new "Mini" option driven by 2.5-inch laptop hard drives.
Drobo has announced "a new generation" of technology for the company's popular storage stack products on Thursday, unveiling the Thunderbolt-powered Drobo 5D for desktop users, along with a new Drobo Mini aimed at on-the-go notebook users.
"In my 30 years covering the technology industry, I have not seen something as portable, scalable and powerful as the Drobo Mini,†said Rob Enderle, principal analyst for The Enderle Group. “The SMB and prosumer market is clamoring for a plug-and-play storage product because it lacks the technical expertise and resources to manage complex storage systems. With the new Drobo products, there is no question that this enigma is solved.â€
Featuring both Thunderbolt (including a second pass-thru port) and USB 3.0 for optimal performance with Apple's latest Mac computers, both of the new Drobos include industry-first SSD acceleration which utilize the performance benefits of solid-state drives (SSDs) coupled with the capacity benefits of traditional hard drives.
Similar to the company's existing lineup, the Drobo 5D offers the most complete storage system for creative professionals with up to five bays and an additional SSD bay for a maximum of 16TB of protected, SSD-accelerated data.
The all-new Drobo Mini promises to do the same for portable professionals, using up to four 2.5-inch drives which can be popped in without drive carriers or screws. A ruggedized design allows the drives to be safely transported while on the go, complete with a miniaturized power supply and optional carrying case.
The bad news is that these bad boys aren't shipping quite yet -- in fact, Drobo is playing coy about how much they'll cost and when they'll ship beyond "summer 2012." According to The Verge, the Drobo 5D will set you back $799, while the Drobo Mini will come in at $599, but keep in mind you'll still have to add your own drives to do anything with them.
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