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July 30, 2009 8:10 AM PDT

Apple releases 2TB Time Capsule for $499

by David Carnoy
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(Credit: Apple)

For those of you looking for more capacity in Apple's combo 802.11n router/NAS drive, the company has boosted its top-end Time Capsule to 2TB and slapped a $499 price tag on it.

More significantly, Apple also dropped the price of the 1TB model--which just Wednesday cost $499--to $299. Aside from the higher capacity, nothing else appears to have changed.

Previously, Apple also offered a 500GB Time Capsule, but that model has been discontinued and can only be found in the refurbished aisle, where it's going for $199.

All I can say is that if Apple was able to shave off $200 on the 1TB model, it must have had one hell of a nice margin.

Comments?

(Via: Engadget)

The following product mentioned is available.

On Sale Now: $264.95 - $272.17
View the latest prices for Apple Time Capsule (1TB, Winter 2009)

Hunkered down in New York City, Executive Editor David Carnoy covers the gamut of gadgets and writes his Fully Equipped column, which carries the tag line "The electronics you lust for." He's also the author of "Knife Music," a novel. E-mail David. Follow David on Twitter.
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Add a Comment (Log in or register) Showing 1 of 2 pages (63 Comments)
by rushlvr July 30, 2009 8:31 AM PDT
I bought the 500 GB 5 weeks ago for the $299 price. The price always drops right after I have to buy something. I always feel cheated some how.
Reply to this comment
by Mr. Dee July 30, 2009 9:26 AM PDT
Its Apple, what do you expect.
by ckh1272 July 30, 2009 9:33 AM PDT
@Mr. Dee--Please do tell us what to expect. I'm sure as an unbiased poster, you could provide some wonderful insight. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to reality. Shill!
by kamalramx July 30, 2009 10:28 AM PDT
Apple's price cuts on old models are really deep once it releases a new model, and so whats wrong with Mr. Dee's comment ? Look at the price cuts for the earlier model IPhone...
by digiguy23 July 30, 2009 10:49 AM PDT
Get out of your cave. Like no other company drops prices?
by blueshore July 30, 2009 10:49 AM PDT
One recommendation: Did you check the Return Policy? May worth a try.
In any case, just to to cheer you up (I'm also suffer for that Murphy's Law section), You can get an external USB Drive and increase your storage/backup capacity. If you 500GB drive dies, you loose 500GB of data (I lost 1TB of data, but I got a backup).
by mrwater July 30, 2009 11:00 AM PDT
That's pretty neat. Let me know next time you buy, and maybe I can send you a little part of my savings.
by viper396 July 30, 2009 4:27 PM PDT
@digiguy "Get out of your cave. Like no other company drops prices? "

Yes, every company does it. Except when other companies drop prices they are accused of trying to rip off or cheat their existing customer base. When Apple does it it's okay per the hypocrisy of numerous Apple supporters.
by marconiusrex24 July 30, 2009 5:59 PM PDT
Sometimes...that's the way the cookie crumbles.
by SlimGem July 30, 2009 6:34 PM PDT
@ rushlvr,

Don't feel cheated. The same thing usually happens to me. I have one of the first versions of the 500 GB model and it's worked great. But I would still suggest having a separate bootable backup too. Try 'Super Duper' software, it's cheap and easy. Or 'Carbon Copy Cloner' which is free.
by mclaurin10 August 1, 2009 2:30 PM PDT
same here, bought my 500GB model 4 days ago, but I just called and I got a $50 refund or whatever for just calling, its not much but its something, and I'm okay with it.
by myles taylor July 30, 2009 8:39 AM PDT
"All I can say is that if Apple was able to shave off $200 on the 1TB model, it must have had one hell of a nice margin."

They have a nice margin, yes, but probably they were able to get HDs at a lower cost which is why they were able to drop the price. I doubt they sacrificed much margin to drop the price.
Reply to this comment
by monkeyfun14 July 30, 2009 8:50 AM PDT
Nice margin is an understatement these things are probably built for $80 - $100 and sold off for $500
Reply to this comment
by anilsudh July 30, 2009 11:10 AM PDT
Yeah. So why don't you build one and try selling it.
by ckh1272 July 31, 2009 9:03 AM PDT
Well monkey, why don't try to look that up instead of just making blind assumptions. BTW, the cheapest 2TB SATA internal hard drive is $200 and that was on clearance The wireless N routers w/usb (not usb adapters) are in the $125 to $200 range. Shall I continue or would you just prefer to live life with blinders on because of a bias against one company?? Time Capsule may be higher than the other brands but it is not as far off as people like you think.
by DMAN3k July 30, 2009 9:04 AM PDT
Boycott Apple products!
Reply to this comment
by The_happy_switcher July 30, 2009 9:09 AM PDT
Boycott stupid pointless posts.
by JudoCow July 30, 2009 9:21 AM PDT
Amen.
by BogusBasin July 30, 2009 9:55 AM PDT
Somebody stole my Amen!

Amen
by Button Boy July 30, 2009 9:15 AM PDT
Storage is not a business I would want to be in. Look at the value we get just by waiting...
Reply to this comment
by merlefisher July 31, 2009 6:16 AM PDT
Wait forever and do without...
by tipoo_ July 30, 2009 9:17 AM PDT
Wow, thats expensive. Couldnt you just get a (much) cheaper hard drive of similar capacity, attach it to a wireless router that supports external storage, and have the same functionality? Or is Time Machine locked to the TIme Capsule?
Reply to this comment
by ckh1272 July 30, 2009 9:35 AM PDT
No, it is not. You can get an Apple wireless base station and hook up any USB hard drive (or printer) you can find.
by tipoo_ July 30, 2009 10:13 AM PDT
There you go then, the price of this thing is simply not justified. Normal 1TB hard drives are what, 16 cents per gigabyte?
by pellets007 July 30, 2009 5:58 PM PDT
Does a hard drive have a built in router? No. Can it back up wirelessly? No. Can you attach a wired printer to make it wireless no? Sure you can buy a router, but is it simultaneous dual band? I was only aware of the Linksys 610N which runs $180. D-Link also sells one that runs $200.

Not looking all that expensive anymore.
by streamline35 July 30, 2009 7:33 PM PDT
Pellets, did you even read anything? You can back up with time machine to any drive, including one hooked into a router. You can make a printer wireless by hooking up to a router with USB (there are many).

Those two you mentioned are perfect examples actually. The Linksys wrt610N can be had for $140 shipped online. The Dlink Xtreme N Dual Band can be had online for $130 shipped. Both also have USB ports on the back for network storage or printing. Hell, even the belkin N router I got a year ago for $100 currently has an extra flash drive stuck in the back for network storage.

So yes, add in the cost of a nice external drive, and it still looks ridiculously overpriced, like most apple products. Maybe you should do some fact checking (pricegrabber is your friend) before you start spouting off about things you are completely wrong about.
by ckh1272 July 31, 2009 9:07 AM PDT
"by tipoo_ July 30, 2009 10:13 AM PDT
There you go then, the price of this thing is simply not justified. Normal 1TB hard drives are what, 16 cents per gigabyte?"

By your math, that makes a 1TB drive $160, which is a bit on the high side. On average, it is more like 10 cents per gigabyte. You also have to factor in the built in router with a USB port for printers or additional hard drives, in regards to time capsule.
by sanjayb July 31, 2009 1:21 PM PDT
Plus u only have to plug in one device and not 2 if u go with a wireless router and an external hard disk.
by BulletProofChen July 30, 2009 9:25 AM PDT
Why is it surprising that Apple is making huge margins on its products? They're all overpriced for what they do. A 1.5TB drive can be had for around $100 these days, add a gigabit router for another $100 and you've got something close to what Apple has, but for 40% of the price. Apple products have never been a good value. But hey, they look pretty!
Reply to this comment
by ckh1272 July 30, 2009 9:38 AM PDT
Yes they are pretty. Oh, and my Airport base station (with an external HD and printer) works flawlessly, unlike the two gigabit routers I had before it (had to reset those other two routers at least once a week).
by dlr6042 July 30, 2009 10:29 AM PDT
I also have an Airport Extreme base station with an external drive that I share between my Mac and my Vista laptop and it has worked flawlessy for 1.5 years. The Lynksis I had before was horrible. The only problem I have with the Airport is keeping the dust off it.
by anilsudh July 30, 2009 11:12 AM PDT
So why don't you try making one that has all the functions of the Apple product and sell it for less.
by Paul_Christie July 30, 2009 1:37 PM PDT
@anilsudh

What are you, a twelve-year-old?
This is second time I have read your pointless comback posts.
Stop asking people who have formed very good opinions to make something.
Find better material. Sheesh.
by creative36 July 30, 2009 10:11 AM PDT
You must be some broke people to complaining about $500 for 2tb. If you don't have the cash and bash the product you are pathetic.

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Reply to this comment
by monkeyfun14 July 30, 2009 10:17 AM PDT
This is the epicenter of idiocy.

People don't stay wealthy by blowing obscene amounts of cash.

Especially when they can essentially get the same set up for cheaper.
by BogusBasin July 30, 2009 11:05 AM PDT
That's right. Cheaper is ALWAYS better. Right? Right?

Amen
by streamline35 July 30, 2009 11:44 AM PDT
$200 vs $500 for the same functionality? In that case, yes, cheaper is better. Some people don't feel like paying and extra $200-$300 for a little apple logo at the top.
by Paul_Christie July 30, 2009 1:39 PM PDT
@creative36
What a hypocrite comment. You must be pathetic.
by viper396 July 30, 2009 4:58 PM PDT
@BogusBasin. There is NOTHING about this that justifies the higher price tag. There are products that have the exact same functionality and quality for much less.

This is about using that gray matter between your ears and objectively thinking about the product before you buy it. Buying something simply because it is more expensive is stupid. Likewise, so is buying something simply because it's cheaper. If you are simply buying this product and justify it's higher expense because of the Apple logo then you are stupid.
by ckh1272 July 31, 2009 9:11 AM PDT
"by monkeyfun14 July 30, 2009 10:17 AM PDT
This is the epicenter of idiocy.

People don't stay wealthy by blowing obscene amounts of cash.

Especially when they can essentially get the same set up for cheaper."

@monkeyfun14--The guy may be off, but he has a point. Don't believe me? See how many wealthy people drive Kias compared to BMW or Mercedes Benz. You're statement, like his, only comes out half right.
by D-Nak July 30, 2009 10:25 AM PDT
I think many of you aren't considering that the total cost of a product doesn't only include the parts required to make it, but also R&D, design (to make them look pretty), and support. I agree that one can build something for cheaper, but many who buy Apple products buy them because they just want to plug them in and have them work.
Reply to this comment
by streamline35 July 30, 2009 10:59 AM PDT
And if they want to spend $500 instead of $200 to do this, it's their right, but it still doesn't make it anything even resembling a good deal.
by sciontcya July 30, 2009 10:35 AM PDT
I feel bad for all you sad MS stockholders here.
Really, but I'd dump it now and get some AAPL before it's too late.
MS + Yahoo! = even less money for you.
Step up while you can.
Reply to this comment
by Paul_Christie July 30, 2009 1:43 PM PDT
@sciontcya
Agreed. Let's take advantage of AAPL. Now.
Taking "rich" people's money (one share at a time) for bigger profit can't get any easier.
by monkeyfun14 July 30, 2009 2:05 PM PDT
Yes lets all support a company whos business model is ripping off the naive.
by merlefisher July 31, 2009 6:29 AM PDT
@monkeyfun14

Indeed it is nothing more than a harddrive built into a wireless N router. But its essentially TWO routers at the same time, simultaneously allowing 802.11n and 802.11b/g devices to run at their native speed using the Time Capsules dual band feature. Oh and did I mention, with all that unmatched wireless functionality, Apple throws in a 2TB harddrive to seal the deal. Not to mention USB expansion capabilities.
Some people like to pay the premium dollar for a premium product... if you don't think its worth your money, than do without and stop whining. You making it look like you REALLY want the premium product too, but you're too much of a miser to get it.
by SystemsJunky July 30, 2009 10:57 AM PDT
Why would anyone buy this when you can get the same capacity NAS with almost the same functionality for the $250..I guesss Ballmer was correct about the Premium fr the Logo..

NAS=250
Apple Logo=Priceless
Reply to this comment
by anilsudh July 30, 2009 11:16 AM PDT
Looks like you graduated from the Ballmer school of management last night. As usual always wrong about everything.

Why don't you provide a link to the product that does all the functions of the Apple product for $250. Spec for spec, feature for feature it should match everything the Time Capsule does.
by Paul_Christie July 30, 2009 1:47 PM PDT
@anilsudh
Apple must not pay you enough or at all for these baseless comments.
You scratch Apple's back, and they don't scratch yours.
by monkeyfun14 July 30, 2009 2:06 PM PDT
@anilsudh

All it is a harddrive wired into a Wireless N router nothing special here.
by renGek July 30, 2009 11:41 AM PDT
wow, I bought a brand new 1tb drive yesterday from western digital for $90 (after $20 instant rebate). The 1.5 tb cost $149. Why is this so expensive?
Reply to this comment
by abcd9009 July 30, 2009 11:58 AM PDT
does time capsule work only on Mac or can it work on Windows as well?
Reply to this comment
by cyclonica1980 July 30, 2009 12:49 PM PDT
Nothing personal against PCs (I have a gaming rigg) but all my Macs drastically outlive my PCs by years. My ibook G4 just died and the thing was almost 6 years old, in the same time ive gone through 3 PC desktops. I just replaced the ibook G4 with the newest Macbook Pro 13" last week. Neatless to same im stunned by the progress Apple has made. There is a reason you pay more. Its like they say, you get what you pay for.
Reply to this comment
by streamline35 July 30, 2009 2:09 PM PDT
When I was growing up, both our gateway desktops lasted 7+ years. Our first 233mhz pentium 2 lasted for 7 years. Then our next gateway desktop (pentium 4, 2.8 ghz) we got 7 years ago, and it is still chugging away just fine (I'm no longer at home, but when I come back to visit, my parents are still using it and it runs great). Neither of them ever had problems in their life that required contacting gateway.
My mom's dell work laptop she got (don't remember exactly when, but it was a 1.3ghz pentium 3) was finally just retired from use, purely because of its age, which must have been 7 or 8. The outer plastic was falling apart after it suffered a nasty fall a couple years ago, but it still ran fine. I think early in its life it had one problem that required fixing by dell.

Now off at college for three years - my dell laptop I got right when I left three years ago (core duo, 1.87 ghz) is still chugging away just fine with no problems in its lifetime. I built myself a gaming desktop a year ago, and it has had no hardware problems at all. The only software problems it has had have been caused directly by me experimenting (with stuff I wasn't experienced with), installing lots of OS's, and such.
However, off at college, I've never seen a mac laptop last more than 3 years. I can count 2 dead right now (1 macbook, one macbook pro), and one near death macbook that is about 3 years old. Both macbooks suffered CD drive failures before death, as well as dead batteries within a year or two of use.
Needless to say, I haven't seen a mac laptop yet that has lasted more than a year without series problems (usually CD drives and batteries), and I haven't seen one actually survive more than three. So you'll have to excuse me if I don't agree with you - my personal experience starting at about age 7 and onward for the past 14 years has suggested otherwise.
by streamline35 July 30, 2009 4:35 PM PDT
And here, since we only have anecdotal evidence, here are some actual statistics. These are the reliability ratings for laptops from consumer reports. They surveyed 63,000 people in the past 4 years for anyone who had a major problem or had to send their computer in for a repair.

Sony, Lenovo, Compaq, and Toshiba have repair rates of 18%
Dell, Apple, and Gateway have reapir rates of 20%
HP has a repair rate of 21%

They note that being within 3% points is not significant. So there you have it, apple is no more or no less reliable than any other brand. Now get over it.
by viper396 July 30, 2009 4:41 PM PDT
cyclonica1980 "you get what you pay for. "

Internally you're paying for the exact same stuff as any Dell or HP PC. Most of which rolls off of the exact same factory floors in China. You only paid more for the name and fashion statement.

You'll often hear all these Mac owners brag about how long they keep their Mac then claim that PC owners don't keep them as long or are somehow forced to keep upgrading. They of course conveniently ignore 1) All the PC owners that DO NOT upgrade their PC's as often and 2) Ignore the MAC owners who DO upgrade often.

Apple is just like any other company; they are in the business to sell computers. They couldn't care less how long you keep your old systems around.
by djjemela July 30, 2009 9:14 PM PDT
We bought a linksys dual band router last year. It was a disappointing high priced piece of junk at $179. Our Timecapsule was $120 more than the linksys router but included the 500 gb hard drive--- and it rocks.
Reply to this comment
by AnthonyL88 July 30, 2009 9:41 PM PDT
Fudge..... I bought the 500GB less than 2 weeks ago, can you return an open box for credit?
Reply to this comment
by sanjayb July 31, 2009 1:28 PM PDT
I would like to get one of these but from my understanding is that you can't partition the drive. The whole drive is dedicated to the Time Machine backup. I would love to be able to make a FAT partition so I could use it for both Mac and Windows. Until they allow us to do this I will have to pass on the Time capsule.
Reply to this comment
by lazycat202 July 31, 2009 6:42 PM PDT
The below is just basic networking stuffs. I don't want to pint point the best stuffs in the market.

D-link 655 Xtreme N Gigabit: $100 (far better and faster than Time Capsule)
4 out of 5 stars (based on 826 feedbacks)

Western Digital WDH2NC20000N 2TB: $300
3 1/2 stars (out of 5)

TOTAL: $400 with no taxes
======
Time capsule: 3 stars.
cost: $499
If hard drive is dead, you've to buy the spend another $499. No RAID, no NTFS, web based administration?? sorry! I'll pass.
Reply to this comment
by AnthonyL88 August 1, 2009 9:22 AM PDT
I bought the 500GB Time Capsule on July 19, 2009. The 500GB Time Capsule was already opened and I packed up everything and went back to the Apple Store today. The Apple sales rep was very nice and just exchange the 500GB Time Capsule for the 1GB version for me. I'm very happy.
Reply to this comment
by coolsabrina August 2, 2009 7:22 PM PDT
I think apple should be the product of this century and time by time they will improve. Have u guys seen the new apple tablet that is going to come out next month. No. Have a look at this http://www.domesticutilities.com/apple.htm
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