LaCie (http://www.lacie.com) has released what it says is the first RAID storage solution to incorporate the new USB 3.0 technology: the LaCie 2big USB 3.0. In addition to the 2big USB 3.0, LaCie also announces the availability of its single-disk professional solution with a USB 3.0 port — the LaCie d2 USB 3.0. Unfortunately, it will only run at USB 2.0 speeds on the Mac since there are no Macs with USB 3.0 support yet.
The LaCie 2big USB 3.0 is available in up to a 4TB capacity; pricing starts at US$349.99. According to Clement Barberis, product manager for LaCie’s Professional Desktop Solutions department. you can transfer a 50GB Blu-ray disk in less than five minutes, which is six times faster than USB 2.0. The 2big USB 3.0 is backward compatible with USB 2.0.
The 2big USB 3.0 includes two 7200 rpm hot-swappable hard disks and features three RAID modes. You can choose the “Fast” mode (RAID 0) to enjoy the full speed and capacity of the 2big USB 3.0, or choose the “Safe” mode (RAID 1) for full data protection against disk failure. A JBOD mode is also available for users willing to mount the two disks separately for scheduled backups using the included LaCie Backup software for Mac or PC.