LaCie interview: "Thunderbolt can change the way we work"

Supports reported Thunderbolt can still be counted on the fingers of both hands. Among the few partners of Intel and Apple have shown that products include LaCie. The French manufacturer will launch this summer a hard drive "nomad" has two connectors Thunderbolt, the Little Big Disk. It will be offered in three versions, one with two SSD totaling 240 GB or 500 GB and 1 TB grind this time using standard hard drives at 7,200 rpm. LaCie yet refuses to give a price, but at least for the SSD it may be salted, "the high performance" modestly prefers to say the manufacturer. Which should gradually expand its range of products compatible Thunderbold.

More generally, this new connection could well upset certain habits installed in customers. This is one of the promises made by Erwan Girard, Business Unit Manager at LaCie. it deals with professional products, and as the Thunderbolt.

Birth of a partnership

LaCie's commitment goes back to the beginning of the presentation of Thunderbolt, then called Light Peak "We did a lot of technological monitoring to identify technologies that could make the difference in years to come. We also have a professional clientele who demand large storage capacity and performance. As he has used during his lectures, Intel made some demos of products with technical partners capable of developing an ecosystem around its new technologies. It was in the loop pretty quickly. The connection was interesting for us and in turn Apple was looking for people able to offer hard drives with the launch of their new machines.

Choosing the Little Big Disk

LaCie has a wide enough range of disk drives, but the choice to take the format of the Little Big Disk (already available with eSATA + USB + FireWire) won the light engine provided by Apple to launch Thunderbolt “The vector of this technology for now at Apple's MacBook Pro. It's a mobile solution, extremely powerful, rather for professionals creating content such as video artists and photographers. With 10 Gbp / s we thought we could do video editing on the move, transfer video at high speed. "

LBD-Thunderbolt_key

The differential speed promised by Thunderbolt is compared to existing solutions such as LaCie comes to rely on a few changes in clients' "We must realize that the Thunderbolt is faster than Fibre Channel is an optical technology used mainly in racks . We will find for example in many production companies to ensure a very high rate between a mounting station and a storage array. It was a bit ultimate technology to three weeks ago ... "

John Gruber - Daring Fireball and Jason Snell - Macworld

As noted in the test of Gruber, a test more focused on graphics performance. He used a custom application designed by one of the authors of Tap Revenge. It displays hundreds if not thousands of sprites on the screen, moving being influenced by the effects of gravity and trying to keep up to three contacts on the screen.

With iPad 1 and 200 sprites, we get 45 frames per second. On the iPad 2, with double, 400 sprites you climb to 65 fps On the iPad 1 it must descend to 100 sprites to 60 fps while the two must put 750 sprites on the screen to fall below 60 fps All this without changing the software code, which bodes well for future applications when they have been optimized.

Macworld has also conducted some performance tests with unequivocal results on the capabilities of the new JavaScript engine "Nitro" But recovered Safari (tested each time with IOS 4.3), time to start and complete display of the page host a site.

Reading other tests TechCrunch, PC Mag to name a few, led to similar conclusions. The iPad 2 is a strong evolution of the first model. Not necessarily able to generate alternative vocations, but the product has something to attract the greatest number.

Its cameras are judged by all pretty disappointing (by Apple promotes luck rather the use of video), GarageBand amazes even those who have a musical background, then iMovie seems more a scaled down version of its cousin on the Mac. PC Mag has also echoed these crashes with two applications (soon sold € 3.99 each on the App Store). Critical acclaim as the Protection Cover Smart, very smart in how it binds almost alone on the iPad, and no problems with either the HDMI adapter.

Joshua Topolsky - Engadget

Engadget for the message is clear, the iPad 2, with changes in design and new performance, is already ahead of the competition, but is it that this model is worth it for those who have already an iPad, and can he win newcomers to the shelves?

The endowment in memory (512 MB where competitors are going to put 1 GB) left on his hunger Topolsky, provided it did not identify any problems using the fact that quantity. Same comment on the definition unchanged from the screen, it does not serve the iPad but with e-books would have improved the comfort of reading (especially when one has got used to the iPhone 4, ndr).

The new speaker and the new location produce a cleaner sound, but nothing inherently better than the previous model.

"The performance of this processor and graphics tablet is impressive. The iPad 2 gave excellent results, whatever we do with the games and applications drawing on the graphics seem to display more frames per second, even when using software that instructed the processor as GarageBand, it has rarely (if ever) gave the impression of being at the sentence. "

The battery life is excellent, according to the site. Their iPad was not plugged in for almost five days while he was solicited on 3G, Wi-Fi, GarageBand, mail, video, photos, etc.. And when the reload, it still showed 30% of reserves. On the video playback, Engadget has found roughly the same score as the Wall Street Journal, with 10:26, two hours longer than the Xoom.

The Emphasize

Finding also identical on both cameras "Let it all clearly: both cameras are really bad. They are not useless, but it is clear that the sensors used are by no means the highest level." Apple appears to have regained component of the iPod touch (which left no good memories) and on this point the advantage it gives to the Xoom. For FaceTime's going again, but nothing more. And even if a tablet is not intended to be a camera, the iPad 2 is clearly disappointing in this respect.

More details to emphasize, GarageBand has packed the author (who comes from the world of music production), iMovie was less impressed, but in both cases these two applications were planted at various times, showing that they were still refine level stability.

The conclusion is clear and unambiguous "It will perhaps frustrate the competition to hear that, but it must be said: the iPad is not only the best tablet on the market, it seems that the only tablet on the market. " It is not without flaws Topolsky adds, citing a definition screen stamped 2010, bad cameras and notable gaps in the OS in particular notification system, given the price and what GarageBand suggests as possibilities software, there is little material to be difficult.

For owners of an iPad an update is not absolutely essential unless you want a camera. By cons, those who have not yet tablet iPad 2 is an invitation to dive.

Walt Mossberg - Wall Street Journal

"Although this is an evolution rather than revolutions as the first model, the changes made by Apple are generally pleasant and positive, the device worked well. For most average users not techies, I recommend against many competing tablets I have tested so far, especially with entry-level price remains attractive. "

"Placed on a table between the old and the iPad, Motorola XOOM, the iPad 2 gives them an air puffy. Its surface is not even at the height of the side buttons of the first model. And although the weight difference is not huge (601 g against 680 g on the model Wi-Fi, ndr), Mossberg has still found a significant improvement when taking in hand the iPad 2.

Same comment as regards the speed of operation, no major differences, but clearly discernible gain, applications will launch a little faster and the whole is very reactive "It has never crashed during my tests, contrary all tablets Android that I tested. Given other tests, Mossberg was probably not too forced on the new iMovie and GarageBand, more prone to crashes.

Some items are subject to criticism, and are found in most reviews. "His camera takes mediocre pictures" If the video quality is considered "decent" Mossberg that Apple offers regrets cameras "disappointing" when it includes new applications and photo opts for quality.

On autonomy, it has not found the score of the previous model. A little over 10 hours cons iPad 11.30 with a continuous play of video, with Wi-Fi and 3G active and screen brightness at 75% Consolation Xoom on the same test takes less than iPad 2. But he could hold his office for 48 iPad using various applications (Mail, books, FaceTime, Twitter, Safari, etc.).

Also a critique on the new design, flatter and more rounded edges that make it a little trickier connecting accessory. Nevertheless it is to his taste for the best tablet on the market for the average user.