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Drobo Hints at Forthcoming Thunderbolt-Compatible Products

NewImageDrobo says it will soon have Thunderbolt-enabled data storage products, as well as adding support for solid state drives. The setup, while extremely pricey, would allow data to run 20 times faster than with USB 2.0 alone.

Drobo CEO Tom Buiocchi wrote in a blog post that "customers have been very clear to us about their desire for Drobos with Thunderbolt support".
I was brought up on the east coast, where we enjoyed the monster summertime thunderstorms every year. One of the coolest things about thunder is that you see it first and then you hear the “kaboom” impact – the delay sends anxious anticipation through everyone, and if you’re into science, you can estimate how far away the bolt is based on the length of the delay. Let’s face it, thunderbolts are cool.

Today, Drobo is previewing our new Thunderbolt technology much like the real thing – you’ll see it now (check out our home page for the quick glimpse) and you’ll soon hear the kaboom. Yes, there are some other Thunderbolt products out there now, but I guarantee you that you haven’t seen anything like what we’re building. Nothing even close.
The company will be demonstrating prototype Thunderbolt-enabled Drobos at a technology show in Taiwan. The company didn't offer details on pricing or availability.

Top Rated Comments

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13 months ago
We have a DroboPro... While it's great and all for storage, the stupid thing is god-awful slow.

Makes me wonder if a thunderbolt-equipped product would change anything.
Rating: 9 Positives
13 months ago
I'll only consider it if it's less than $5000
Rating: 7 Positives
13 months ago
whats up with thunderbolt device prices:confused:, its really out of...... well my pocket
Rating: 5 Positives
13 months ago

We have a DroboPro... While it's great and all for storage, the stupid thing is god-awful slow.

Makes me wonder if a thunderbolt-equipped product would change anything.


This. Until they improve their underlying processor and firmware capabilities, there's no chance the thing will come close to needing Thunderbolt's speeds. The one I used to have stuggled under the best of times to even come close to saturating USB2.0.
Rating: 4 Positives
13 months ago

Maybe they will also release a USB 3.0 version too.


They already have one model with USB 3, the Drobo S.

http://www.drobo.com/products/index.php
Rating: 2 Positives
13 months ago

The great thing about drobo is you can mix and match drives - i don't think there are other cheap enclosures out there that do this


This might have been a selling point when drives were more expensive but today it seems rather moot. Furthermore, if stability is your goal, using a mix of old drives is asking for trouble. If your data is valuable enough to invest in a four bay enclosure, then why go with a proprietary system and trust your data to a bunch of mix and match hard drives? Seems pretty foolish.
Rating: 2 Positives
13 months ago
The great thing about drobo is you can mix and match drives - i don't think there are other cheap enclosures out there that do this
Rating: 2 Positives
13 months ago
Who the hell is Drobo!? New word in my vocabulary now :)
Rating: 2 Positives
13 months ago

whats up with thunderbolt device prices:confused:, its really out of...... well my pocket


They aren't home products. You're not supposed to be paying for them out of pocket. They're targeting professionals who have a considerable budget to do whatever they can to speed themselves up.
Rating: 2 Positives
13 months ago
I have both the Drobo 4bay 2nd Gen and the new Drobo S which includes USB 3.0, eSATA, and FW800. I'm along the lines of Can the unit keep up with thunderbolt speeds? I find USB 3.0 and eSATA offer a good price and speed. I picked up the Drobo S for $500 brand new so it was a well worthy investment. If they release a Drobo with Thunderbolt i'm assuming upwards of $900-$1100 for 5bay...
Rating: 2 Positives

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