New Iomega line sexy as hello... What up Netgear???

Integ8d - I think Netgear models itself after HP and Apple who both learned from the Osborne debacle. For those who don't go way back, Osborne made a terrific little portable PC (CP/M based) before Compaq came on the scene. It had a few shortcomings, the screen was smaller than the original Compaq portable and as a result had only 64 characters of text versus the 80 that was normal (GUI was still off in the future world). But, they sold like hotcakes and the owners loved them. Now, you could pack up your computer into one box and lug it with you. The were working on the new Osborne which had a lot of new features. So, they announced to the public what they were working on and how great it would be.

The result, the Osborne stopped selling as everyone was waiting for the new one. The cash flow from sales stopped. The company, already in a cash pinch, collapsed into Bankruptcy - Chapter 7 - liquidation, and the new Osborne never really got off the drawing board. Consequently - hardware manufacturers like HP and Apple never pre announce hardware products. Apple likes to make a big glitzy bash to announce their new products - but only when they are on the shipping dock. HP just ships the new product quietly. We as Netgear users will know about the new products when they are announced, most likely when they are on the shipping dock.

Both MS and Apple do pre announce their OS software products. But there is a big difference. No one is going to put off the purchase of a major hardware purchase because of the new OS coming out, they know they can get the upgrade for a nominal price if not for free after a certain announced date.

For all of its size and strength within the industry, the NAS is still a niche product. Those of us with home networks are the exception, and within that group are those of us who a network attached storage. Many small businesses still make do with sharing a drive on one PC across their small network. Most Harry Homemakers have a modem only to connect his laptop wirelessly to the internet. Of all my friends, only two have an NAS. One who is the IT manager for a major company, has a two drive Buffalo in his home. The other is a hobbyist and a good friend to whom I gave my old NV+ as it needed a home.

While I agree that the desktop ReadyNAS line will probably not win a design of the year contest, neither will any of it's competitors. They all look like small computers (which is what they are) with slab sides and squared corners. A few have rounded the edges, and some of the weirder ones have overhanging display panels. There is only so much you can do with a box that holds hard drives for a living. In one respect, the ReadyNAS line is the best design because there is very little wasted space unlike some of the others. I remember the original 2 drive Netgear NAS I saw, it looked like a 1950's two slice toaster with bulging sides, top and front. It was not successful and they bought the ReadyNAS line from Infrant. (Actually they bought the whole company).

Besides if you really don't like looking at it, you can run the ethernet connection into a large closet where you won't have to look at it. My all black boxy NVX looks just fine next to the all black boxy JBOD box by Sans-Digital and below it is the all black boxy computer case by Antec containing my custom built PC. Desktop computing devices are like appliances. Every once in a while they will spin off in a wild burst of attempted design fervor (remember the olive and almond colored appliances), but they eventually come back to their senses and return to utility. They are not objects of art, they are appliances and are to be used and as unobtrusive as possible, The only ReadyNAS hardware I find fault with are the two bay models because they do not offer the LED/LCD display, but then that would require a larger case. There is a lot to be said for the minimalist aspect of the ReadyNAS line. Probably as a result of their background developing the enterprise level rack mount units.

The logical reason for two hardware platforms is to offer a low cost entry level platform to replace the aging NV+/Duo which was Sparc based. So, actually at one point there were three platforms although no further development is being done on the Sparc platform.