Newer Technology updates MiniStack with USB 3.0, more
updated 08:00 pm EDT, Wed July 11, 2012
Mac mini-styled storage up to 4TB in stackable design
Designed to act as a complement for the current-style Mac mini, Newer Technology's updated MiniStack external drive case is Mac, Windows and Linux-compatible and can be ordered with no internal storage or pre-configured with drives, with room for up to 4TB of storage. The case features every popular connector type apart from Thunderbolt, offering USB 3.0/2.0, Firewire 800 and eSATA connections in a stackable design.
The MiniStack, which has been sold by Newer Technology in various form factors over the past seven years, features the option to add AV-rated 7200rpm drives in configurations up to 4TB when ordering, and is compatible with Airport Extreme routers for remote Time Machine backups. The company says a full-capacity 4TB MiniStack could hold up to four million JPEG photos or 2000 hours of video footage and offers transfer rates of up to 500MB per second. The drive is Mac- and PC-bootable from any of its connections.
The body uses the same MagLev cooling fan found in the Mac mini, and exactly matches the 2010-and-later design dimensions. Multiple units can be stacked on top of one another, and a Mac mini can of course be stacked on or underneath it as well.
Preconfigured and bare options on the MiniStack start at $90 for a bare case with no software bundle. OWC, the exclusive resellers for NewerTech, offer a bundle that includes Intech's SpeedTools Utilities (which allows the drive to be used with older Macs going back as far as System 8.6), Prosoft's Data Backup (OS X 10.2.8 and later), NovaStor NovaBackup (for Windows users), Carbon Copy Cloner and an addition 2GB of free and shareware software.
The units also come with an integrated Kensington security slot, and USB 3.0 and FW800 cables included. Cases with preconfigured drives are covered by a three-year warranty. A 500GB 7200rpm preconfigured unit costs $160, with 1TB ($195), 2TB ($250), 3TB ($288) and 4TB ($480) options available. Preconfigured options at or above 2GB feature a 64MB data cache.
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: 08-20-01
What's the point of USB 3 in this thing, when the fastest way to hook it up to your Mac mini is via FW800, which is (theoretically) just 16% the speed of USB 3? If they only had included Thunderbolt, the whole story would make a lot more sense. Ok, and cost more.
Still, the way it looks now this device seems a much better fit for a MacBook Air than for a Mac mini.