The MiFi 2200 requires a special charging cable. The bundled charger works, but normal folks (like me) might assume that any Micro-USB cable will work. They would be wrong.
What If Light Peak Was Electrical Rather Than Optical?
December 10, 2010 By 1 Comment
As I considered the possibilities of the new Apple/Intel interconnect technology known as Light Peak, an odd parallel with 10 Gb Ethernet popped into my head. Much of the confusion around Light Peak revolves around connectors, power conduction, and backward-compatibility. Then, like the Grinch, I thought of something I hadn’t before: Why use optical at all? 10 GBASE-T does just fine over twisted pair, and short interconnect distances would reduce power draw to reasonable levels. What if Light Peak was electrical rather than optical?
Light Peak + USB 3.0 = Awesome!
December 9, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Yesterday I talked about Light Peak, the new optical interconnect being developed by Apple, Intel, and others. Today I’m continuing that theme, suggesting a possible productization that would really take Light Peak to the next level: Integrating it with USB 3.0.
Is Everyone Wrong About Light Peak?
December 8, 2010 By 1 Comment
Light Peak isn’t anything yet; it doesn’t exist. But I don’t think Light Peak will become the USB 3.0-killer that many folks suggest. Light Peak is a cabling spec only, not a new protocol that will eliminate everything that currently exists. In other words, Light Peak is a “middle connection” between a computer and peripherals that will retain compatibility with USB, HDMI/DVI, and Ethernet.
Is The iPad Compatible With SDXC and ExFAT Cards?
December 6, 2010 By 4 Comments
After Apple added SDXC and ExFAT compatibility to Mac OS X in 10.6.5, I got to wondering if they had added similar compatibility to the iPad in iOS 4.2.1. Although the hardware reader is probably not SDXC-capable, it wouldn’t have been too hard to add the ExFAT driver from Mac OS X to iOS. Then, the iPad could import from SD cards formatted as ExFAT and USB-connected cameras.
How Fast Is It? A Storage Infographic
October 29, 2010 By 6 Comments
How fast is a hard disk drive? How about the various flavors of SATA and Fibre Channel? Check out this handy Pack Rat infographic to answer the question, “how fast is it?”
The Four Horsemen of Storage System Performance: I/O As a Chain of Bottlenecks
October 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment
It is tempting to think of storage as a game of hard disk drives, and consider only The Rule of Spindles. But RAM cache can compensate for the mechanical limitations of hard disk drives, and Moore’s Law continues to allow for ever-greater RAM-based storage, including cache, DRAM, and flash. But storage does not exist in a vacuum. All that data must go somewhere, and this is the job of the I/O channel.
Apple Replaces Operating System DVDs with the Software Reinstall Drive
October 20, 2010 By 2 Comments
Along with the apparent Mini PCI-E SSD, Apple introduced another storage feature with the late-2010 MacBook Air: The Software Reinstall Drive. Although not mentioned in the product introduction, the read-only USB drive is a clever solution for a device with no optical drive. Here’s what I’ve discovered about it so far.
Unconventional SSDs: PCI Express Mini Card (Mini PCI-E)
October 20, 2010 By 2 Comments
With Apple almost certain to introduce a new MacBook Air, questions have turned to the specifics of the hardware to be used. A leaked pre-production photo features an odd memory configuration (not to mention four batteries), a device I immediately recognized as an SSD-on-a-stick. With this high-profile introduction of a new SSD stick form, I thought it was time to cover these unconventional new storage formats.
Will OS X 10.7 “Lion” Bring USB 3.0 To The Mac?
October 18, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Apple is a funny company, happy to go their own way even as the rest of the industry piles on to the latest trend. Such is the case with storage, with Apple ditching floppy drives, optical drives, and even hard disks. On the expansion side, Apple was an early and aggressive proponent of USB but stubbornly ignored eSATA. Now that PC makers are turning to USB 3.0, many are wondering when Apple will follow suit. My sources tell me that “Super Speed” USB 3.0 is indeed coming to the Mac, and very soon!
