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

spencers Avatar
141 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.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GSPice Avatar
141 months ago
I'll only consider it if it's less than $5000
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
olowott Avatar
141 months ago
whats up with thunderbolt device prices:confused:, its really out of...... well my pocket
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
blevins321 Avatar
141 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.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sensamic Avatar
141 months ago
How about dual drive redundancy and no downtime should a drive fail? Also you never get any old drives lying around, just buy drives and slot them in as you need which can be cheap. Great selling points of the Drobo and it's still a valid product in today's market. I'd never use any single system proprietary or not without backup. At least with drobo you get warnings when drives have failed with still access to your files if you need. I'm not a drobo fanboy as my next drive is a DIY enclosure just because it's so cheap. x2 4TB drives and done, my external backup solution which will reduce backup time from my drobo to be much quicker. I can even add another 5 bay enclosure vía eSata. Customer service is beyond excellent and they offer many software updates with plenty of great stuff (the newest update came with Plex).

I do think the price of Drobos should come down as everything is so much cheaper, faster etc.. Even with FW and USB 3.0, Drobo is very slow.

You make it sound like Drobo is the only option that can do those things.

Double redundancy? Ive got that on my Synology NAS. Ive had it for 2 years and not a single drive failure ever. I can still access my data if a drive fails and its much, MUCH faster than any Drobo. I can stream 4 HD 1080p on 4 screens al the same time and probably even more.

Drobo is ****. Before buying one I googled info and there is people mad at it all over the internet.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TwoBytes Avatar
141 months ago
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.
How about dual drive redundancy and no downtime should a drive fail? Also you never get any old drives lying around, just buy drives and slot them in as you need which can be cheap. Great selling points of the Drobo and it's still a valid product in today's market. I'd never use any single system proprietary or not without backup. At least with drobo you get warnings when drives have failed with still access to your files if you need. I'm not a drobo fanboy as my next drive is a DIY enclosure just because it's so cheap. x2 4TB drives and done, my external backup solution which will reduce backup time from my drobo to be much quicker.

I do think the price of Drobos should come down as everything is so much cheaper, faster etc.. Even with FW and USB 3.0, Drobo is very slow.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 15 Pro Mock Feature Buttonless

iPhone 15 Pro Max to 'Break Record' for Thinnest Bezels on a Smartphone

Friday March 17, 2023 2:59 am PDT by
The iPhone 15 Pro Max will have the thinnest bezels of any smartphone, beating the record currently held by the Xiaomi 13. That's according to the leaker known as "Ice Universe," who has divulged accurate information about Apple's plans in the past. Both iPhone 15 Pro models are expected to have thinner, curved bezels compared to the iPhone 14 Pro, potentially resulting in an Apple...
iPhone 12 Pro vs iPhone 15 Pro Feature

iPhone 12 Pro vs. 15 Pro: New Features to Expect if You've Waited to Upgrade

Friday March 17, 2023 10:29 am PDT by
While year-over-year iPhone upgrades are not always groundbreaking, new features can begin to stack up over multiple generations. For example, the iPhone 15 Pro will be a notable upgrade for those who still have a three-year-old iPhone 12 Pro. If you are still using an iPhone 12 Pro and are considering upgrading to the iPhone 15 Pro when it launches later this year, we have put together a...
iphone 14 pro max deep purple feature purple

iPhone 15 Pro Launching This Year With These 11 New Features

Monday March 13, 2023 6:47 am PDT by
While the iPhone 15 lineup is around six months away, there have already been plenty of rumors about the devices. Many new features and changes are expected for the iPhone 15 Pro models in particular, including a titanium frame and more. Below, we have recapped 11 features rumored for iPhone 15 Pro models that are not expected to be available on the standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus:A17...
top stories 18mar2023

Top Stories: iPhone 15 Pro Pricing, New iOS 16.4 Beta, Siri vs. ChatGPT, and More

Saturday March 18, 2023 6:00 am PDT by
Apple's high-end iPhone models have started at $999 in the U.S. since they first launched back in 2017 with the iPhone X, but could this finally be the year that starting price sees an increase? This week also saw some more rumors about Apple's upcoming headset and the company's explorations in the booming AI industry as well as the release of a new round of beta updates, so read on for all...
iphone 14 pro max deep purple feature purple

iPhone 15 Pro Predicted to See First Price Increase Since iPhone X

Wednesday March 15, 2023 7:49 am PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will likely be more expensive than previous Pro models, according to Jeff Pu, a tech analyst at Hong Kong-based investment firm Haitong International Securities. In a research note this week, Pu predicted the iPhone 15 Pro models will see a price increase due to several rumored hardware upgrades, including a titanium frame,...
original iphone auction

Factory-Sealed Original iPhone Sells for $55,000 at Auction

Friday March 17, 2023 1:08 pm PDT by
A first-generation iPhone still sealed inside its box sold for $54,904 at auction, which is more than $54,000 over the original $599 price tag of the device when it was released in 2007. The original iPhone was put up for sale by RR Auction on behalf of a former Apple employee who purchased it back when it first came out. Back in February, an original, sealed iPhone sold for over $63,000,...