Time Capsule opened despite it not yet being the future

You kind of miss the point if you open your Time Capsule after just a day or two, but at least we now know that future generations can, in fact, expect an active drive cooling system (by way of a blower fan).

[alexvoda @ Mar 1st 2008 8:15AM]

can anyone hack it to put linux on it?

[alexvoda @ Mar 1st 2008 8:19AM]

What Processor does it have?
And how much memory does it have?

[richard @ Mar 1st 2008 8:24AM]

Since when was the Deskstar range "Server-grade"? Ultrastar is HGST's
server-grade drive.

[martin @ Mar 1st 2008 1:22PM]

Makes me laugh, I work with servers and just because they are "server grade" doesn't mean they won't fail.

If you put 500 GB or 1TB of your most important data on this there is still only 1 drive! should have at least two 500GB and give people the choice to RAID it or not..

I feel it's giving people a false sence of security!

[Marco @ Mar 1st 2008 2:10PM]

For Martin:

I'm sorry, but are you telling me that the average Joe that buys that thing to backup 5 movies, 30 mp3s and 2-3 word documents will need to RAID 1 his BACKUP DRIVE ?!? you have to be kidding. IT IS the backup for crying out loud... you're supposed to have a copy on your main computer if that drive fails.

I don't think Apple EVER wanted this to be an enterprise grade backup server. I think they just wanted to provide an easy way to backup stuff since people still don't do it even with Time Machine.

[cromas @ Mar 1st 2008 6:22PM]

This is just begging for a class-action false-advertising lawsuit...

[richard @ Mar 2nd 2008 4:13AM]

@Marco

Exactly, it's a backup device not a storage device. That's not to say people won't use it as a storage device, I know I will be, but I know it'll be at my own risk.

The fact remains Apple are billing the drive inside it as "server-grade", yes server-grade drives fail but they're tested to higher tolerances and have a higher MTBF.

[alexvoda @ Mar 1st 2008 8:30AM]

Does it have the same specs as the AEBS?
http://www.vonwentzel.net/ABS/Dissection-Extreme-n/index.html

[bob sakamano @ Mar 1st 2008 8:36AM]

i just found it weird yesterday walking into an Apple store and asking them "Do you guys the time machine?"

[LesbianHam @ Mar 1st 2008 8:50AM]

Yea that is weird. Going into a shop and asking someone if they a time machine.

[bob sakamano @ Mar 1st 2008 9:04AM]

do you guys have* a time machine

sorry sometimes my fingers type without consulting my brain

[Andrew @ Mar 1st 2008 9:17AM]

Isn't it Time Capsule? Or is Time Machine being sold separately now?

[a ham sandwich @ Mar 1st 2008 12:00PM]

@ bob. its ok. i do that ALL the time!

[az1324 @ Mar 1st 2008 1:41PM]

"Isn't it Time Capsule? Or is Time Machine being sold separately now?"

It's on preorder.

[Beau @ Mar 1st 2008 8:39AM]

Too bad I can't afford one of these.

but the title & description did make me laugh. :-)

[looseinthedeuce @ Mar 4th 2008 10:56AM]

Agreed. That has to be the most cleverly written title I've ever seen on Engadget.

[Steven Ryland @ Mar 16th 2008 8:34PM]

yea i definately have to agree. that title was the best...

[Tim @ Mar 1st 2008 8:39AM]

So, is there any reason you wouldn't be able to upgrade the hard drive in the TC if your needs were to change?

[ijyt @ Mar 1st 2008 8:40AM]

Wow...

[asphixiated @ Mar 1st 2008 8:40AM]

that doesn't look like it has good thermals.

I mean, sure the mini fan will blow air across the back of the main circuit board, but i would think the hard drive would be the warmest component in that machine (in my computer, the hard drives are usually at about 38C at load, and thats with a fan blowing across them). Does the hard drive have any sort of active cooling? or is it just passive (and you would think they would include a heatsink with the harddrive)

[w00t @ Mar 1st 2008 9:48AM]

It's got very thin vents at the top and bottom to allow air to pass though like the Airport Extreme, except this time obviously it's active airflow thanks to the fan.

[frozo @ Mar 1st 2008 9:53AM]

I'm pretty sure the fan blows the hot air OUT of the the unit, not cooler air into the unit.

[bobartig @ Mar 1st 2008 1:22PM]

The fan is a blower, meaning it pulls air across the unit, then vents it out the corner. If designed properly (and Apple's designers generally are not idiots), it allows for a good amount of air circulation without needing as much clearance as a fan would.

[alexvoda @ Mar 1st 2008 8:46AM]

Here is an idea:

Poke a hole in its case and rewire it so you can use an external sata hdd!
It would have been better if it was eSata but you will just have to put the 2 devices next to eachother!

Anyone up for this hack?

[aaronbareford @ Mar 1st 2008 8:55AM]

Can't long before somebody whacks a bigger hard drive in there :)

[fg @ Mar 1st 2008 8:59AM]

Bigger than 1TB? wtf, where do you shop for HDs?!

[computer.dude.28 @ Mar 1st 2008 9:59AM]

Thanks for the morning laugh, fg :D

[Mobius_1 @ Mar 1st 2008 11:08AM]

He probably shops for HDDs from the future, then

[tamoghno @ Mar 1st 2008 12:56PM]

after all its TimeCapsule ! future is so obvious !

[macserv @ Mar 1st 2008 2:21PM]

If Aaron shops from the future, it's probably only a couple months ahead... Come on, you guys honestly think it's going to be long before there's a 3.5" HD larger than 1 TB?

He's right. It won't be long before someone puts a larger HD in there.

[fg @ Mar 1st 2008 8:59AM]

Can you partition the drive, or set quotas on what TimeMachine can access? That stupid very weakly customizable program will backup until your drive is full. I don't need hourly backups.
RIght now I just plug in a USB drive that I've dedicated 80gb to once a week and let it do it's thing.

[Randy @ Mar 1st 2008 9:02AM]

It's a single drive. This means that a drive failure will result in data loss. Now I'm not so sure I want this thing unless there's a way I can get the data off of it.

[Andrew @ Mar 1st 2008 9:15AM]

>>It's a single drive. This means that a drive failure will result in data loss.
Welcome to the world of external hard drives, my friend.

[dramamoose @ Mar 1st 2008 10:29AM]

*Cough* External RAID Array *Cough*

[Derek @ Mar 1st 2008 11:16AM]

Your computer has one HDD, more than likely, and if it fails, you will be hoping you backed up ;)

[Randy @ Mar 1st 2008 11:56AM]

@Derek

Actually My machine has two. Please don't make snarky assumptions. And yes, I'm well aware of the fallacy that RAID is not a substitute for backups.

My concern stems from the fact that if this device develops a problem that results in taking it back to apple for repair or replacement what happens to my data? While I understand it is a primarily backup device and it can be argued that my data really exists in two places (PC & Time Capsule.) I'm SOL if decide to use this as a NAS to host files that I don't need/want on my PC and the drive goes south.

[SteveM @ Mar 1st 2008 3:39PM]

It's nice that it has NAS functionality, but that's clearly not the design goal behind it. For me, it's perfect - a single device that provides me with a high-speed wireless router and automatic, wireless backup for my MBP. Simple, basic, elegant - exactly why I switched to a Mac.

[snitch @ Mar 1st 2008 6:14PM]

why people got to bitch about everything???? dam. Who gives a shi*t if it has a fan or not, the freaking thing has a 1 year warranty anyway

[mattclarkie @ Mar 1st 2008 9:16AM]

As far as I am concerned there is no point having a fan if there are no vents, you are just blowing hot air around, unless you blow the hot air out of a vent it wont cool anything more than passive cooling would.

I get the impression that this thing has no vents.

[Luke @ Mar 2nd 2008 4:47PM]

It's got REALLY thin vents lining the top rim and bottom rim, not dissimilar to AirPort Extreme.

Probably large enough to let in/out a ring of singular molecules!

[Chris @ Mar 1st 2008 3:07PM]

Did you fail to even look at the pictures? See the holes in back right beside where the fan would be?

[Boss @ Mar 1st 2008 9:21AM]

Single drive back up units are the worst type of system you could have. Aint the whole point of having 2 drives is so that if one fails in that back-up drive then one still has the data on it???? Kind of stupid idea.

[greg Sciulli @ Mar 1st 2008 6:41PM]

This is for home users. What are the odds the HD in their Mac AND the HD in the Time Capsule will fail both at the same time?

[w00t @ Mar 1st 2008 9:42AM]

Isn't this backup device the second drive you speak of anyway?

You still have the original copy if this breaks, or this copy if the original breaks. That's a whole lot better than most people's back up solution (I really should but can't be arsed!)

[Demas @ Mar 1st 2008 9:48AM]

Durr, no, *no* backup drives is the worst type of system you could have. Time Capsule gives you exactly the set-up you have stated, i.e. that if one hard disk fails (in your Mac) then the backup drive (Time Capsule) has the data on it. If you want your *backup* to have drive redundancy, then get yourself a RAID system, and of course you'll want one where you can pop a mirrored drive out when necessary without taking the unit apart. Apple supplies the Promise ones starting at $12k, though there are cheaper options such as WiebeTech.

[rob @ Mar 1st 2008 9:38AM]

Why open it now ...

http://timecapsule.yahoo.com/yahootime/overview.php

[Bickity @ Mar 1st 2008 9:39AM]

Of course it is a single drive, do you guys forget that you are backing-up from another drive. WTF? This isn't a server!!!

[Alex @ Mar 1st 2008 9:47AM]

What, theres no mini Delorium or even a flux capacitor inside?!

[Ed @ Mar 1st 2008 11:09AM]

DeLorean. De-Lo-re-an.

[Orlando @ Mar 1st 2008 9:51AM]

Amazon sells the 1TB for $311 $3http://www.amazon.com/Hitachi-HDS721010KLA330-Deskstar-7K1000-3-5-Inch/dp/B000PDK53E

New Egg sells it for $274 (after rebate) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145141

I think the pricing of the 1TB Time Capsule seems to be just right, IMO.