May 19, 2012

Implications of the 2011 MacBook Air’s Unconventional SSD

Is Apple already abandoning the "blade" SSD in the MacBook Air?

As techies moan about the lack of upgrade options presented by a soldered in SSD, they miss the bigger industry picture. For too long, computers have been held back by traditional SCSI and ATA controllers. These are both a performance bottleneck and an impediment to innovation. A shift to an integrated PCI storage model makes much sense tactically and strategically for Apple, and I expect that these rumors are true. Furthermore, this move will put even more stress on Windows PC makers. Once again, Apple is outmaneuvering the competition.

My Incomplete, Subjective List of Enterprise SSD Companies

Jean-Jacques Maleval posted a “complete list of 85 SSD manufacturers in the world” over at StorageNewsletter, and I was surprised to see so many unfamiliar names in the list. So here’s my own rundown of the enterprise SSD makers to keep an eye on in the coming year!

Micron Bursts Into the PCIe SSD Market

The Micron RealSSD P320h is more than a new form-factor for the company; it also introduces their RAIN technology

PCIe SSDs like Micron’s new P320h offer mindbending performance and enterprise class reliability. Although expensive, these devices are in an entirely different league from any other storage option. Micron promises to bring the PCIe P320h to market at nearly $15 per gigabyte, a substantial discount over other PCIe SSD competitors.

Iomega StorCenter PX Series Preview

The Iomega StorCenter PX4 is both an evolution of the IX4 and the start of a new line

The StorCenter PX line is a major step forward for Iomega. The BYOD option is welcome, as is SSD performance and improved specs. With official Citrix XenServer, Microsoft Windows Server, and VMware ESX support, the PX is finally up to the task of business computing. We look forward to putting these new devices through their paces in the future!

LaCie Little Big Disk Thunderbolt Preview

Each Little Big Disk features two Thunderbolt ports, and LaCie demonstrated daisy-chaining four of the devices at NAB

LaCie looks to be the first out of the gate with a Thunderbolt storage system. They promise to deliver their Little Big Disk portable RAID storage device sometime this summer, and the polished look of the devices on display at the NAB show suggests that they will meet this target.

Seagate Versus Western Digital: The Hard Disk Drive Battle Lines Are Drawn

"So it is down to you, and it is down to me."

Both Seagate and Western Digital have much to gain from these transactions. Western Digital becomes a full line giant of the industry, a credible competitor, and a successful supplier to OEMs. Seagate also retains its credibility in the market, but also gains access to Samsung, one of the strongest electronics companies in the world. Time will tell which of these companies got the better deal.

USB 3.0 For Mac Is Here!

I recommend the CalDigit PCI Express card for Mac Pro users with a need for (storage) speed!

My experience using USB 3.0 on a Mac has been wonderful. It’s so well-integrated you might not notice it except for the performance. At over 200 MB/s, it blows FireWire out of the water and is even faster than nearly any device you’re likely to throw at it. CalDigit sent me their Mac OS X-compatible USB 3.0 PCI Express card for evaluation, and I’m pleased as punch with the card.

Iomega USB 3.0 SSD: Hands-On Review

The Iomega SSD blasted through read operations at over 200 MB/s

After testing the Iomega USB 3.0 SSD extensively both in terms of benchmarks and real-world usability, I’m sold on it. the only outstanding question is the high price of the unit: The 64 GB drive starts at an attainable $190, but the big 256 GB drive is downright expensive at $620 (street price). It’s hard to knock the drive’s performance, component choices, or build quality, but is it worth more than a budget laptop?

Back From the Pile: Interesting Links, January 14, 2011

This regular series features highlights from the week. It was another big one for me, with my Network Computing writing gig starting up, the announcement of my Storage for Server Virtualization seminar series, and the finalization of Tech Field Day for February.

Back From the Pile: Interesting Links, January 7, 2011

It’s been a slow week (the holidays) and a crazy one. I’ve started pouring out the thin provisioning series, with 10 posts so far, as well as launching a new video “talk show” about enterprise IT. And I’ve got a new post over at SearchStorage, too. Whew!