Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!nrl-cmf!cmcl2!phri!cooper!dasys1!alexis
From: alexis@dasys1.UUCP (Alexis Rosen)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Summary of responses to request for info. on back up devices
Keywords: tapes, cartridges, archives, backup, WORM
Message-ID: <6179@dasys1.UUCP>
Date: 31 Aug 88 09:12:42 GMT
References: <1563@pembina.UUCP>
Reply-To: alexis@dasys1.UUCP (Alexis Rosen)
Lines: 35

In article <1563@pembina.UUCP> simon@alberta.UUCP (Simon Tortike) writes:
> [lots of stuff about tape backup units]

I am astonished that the only mention of TEAC units is by Fabian Ramirez of
SuperMac (which makes a competing product).

The Apple Tape Drive is a dog. Probably the worst piece of hardware Apple
has ever released (except maybe the LCD screen :-).  Part of that has to
do with the software. The other half of it is that the cartridge drive
(while possibly the wave of the future) is today a distinct second-best
compared to TEAC cassette units. These drives are two to four times as
fast as the 3Ms (four in Apple's case) and can store 50-150 MB of data.

I recommend the CMS tape drive: 60 MB for $700 mail-order. It's top-quality
all around, and the Nuvo Labs software that comes with it is excellent.
Well, comparatively excellent. It's good no matter how you look at it-
it offers multiple backup sets on one tape, multi-tape backups, saved file
sets, image/file-by-file, and lots of little goodies.

MicroNet sells an almost identical unit. It looks nicer, costs a little
more. It's pretty much identical. The nice thing is they also have a 150 MB
Teac for only a few hundred more. Good stuff.

Aside from the very dubious merit of being Apple-compatible, can anyone
give a good reason to get a 3M tape instead of a Teac?

BTW, an unconfirmed rumor has it that the Apple tape is not long for this
world and will be replaced soon. Anyone know anything about that?

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