From the Show Floor - LaCie Shows FireWire 800 Card and Drives, Ethernet Disk

by , 11:00 AM EDT, July 18th, 2003

LaCie, no stranger to the Mac market, briefed us on recently announced products designed to provide Mac users with the latest in connectivity and storage technology. We took a moment to sit down with Rebecca Dietz, PR Specialist, to learn more about some of the company's recent offerings.

First, to allow people to get up to speed with the latest FireWire technology, there is the FireWire 800 PCI card, which provides both Mac and PC users with 3 FireWire 800 ports. Not surprisingly, the card provides data transfer rates of up to 800 Mb/sec. With the appropriate cable, one can also connect legacy FireWire 400 devices. The card has a suggested retail for US$79.

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LaCie d2 FireWire 800 Drive

To complement the FireWire 800 PCI card, LaCie also offers their d2 FireWire 800 series of hard drives. These drives come in a spiffy aluminum enclosure, and match perfectly with the latest PowerBook and G5 machines. The aluminum case offers more than looks, however; it helps dissipate heat, so the drives have no fan. The slotted case design also allows the stacking of drives via an optional desk rack. In addition to 2 FireWire 800 ports, there's also a USB 2.0 port for the PC crowd. There are 200, 250, 400 and 500 GB models available. The 400 and 500 GB models actually contain 2 drives, but appear as a single drive to the user. The suggested pricing is US$419 for 200 GB, US$499 for 250 GB, US$769 for 400 GB and US$969 for 500 GB.

LaCie Ethernet Disk

Another interesting offering is the LaCie Ethernet Disk, a network file sharing system with an XP Embedded operating system. But don't let the spectre of Windows scare you, it can be shared among Mac OS X, Windows XP, UNIX and Linux users. By connecting a printer, the unit can also act as a printer server. The unit has a 1U form factor, and will fit in a standard 19-inch rack. Pricing is US$599 for 80 GB, US$799 for 160 GB, US$999 for 250 GB, and US$1499 for 500 GB.

The Mac Observer Spin:

We're glad to see more FireWire 800 products hit the market, and help keep FireWire the connectivity champ.

LaCie