Drobo 5D and Drobo Mini Pack Thunderbolt and USB 3.0, Available for Preorder

Drobo is dropping another couple of storage arrays into the market--the Drobo 5D and Drobo Mini, both of which boast one USB 3.0 and two Thunderbolt ports (with free included cables)--and the pair are now available for preorder.

Built for the media-crazed home user, creative pros with heavy media needs, or simply businesses looking for better storage, the Drobo 5D supports up to five 3.5-inch (or smaller) disks plus an mSATA drive and features carrier-less bays and power fail protection with a total capacity of up to 20TB. The smaller Drobo Mini is essentially the same product in a small package (about 7 inches square and 2 inches tall) and can handle as many as four 2.5-inch drives with room for an mSATA drive, too. Both products enjoy Drobo’s two-year warranty.

The little fella starts at $649 with the option of a $49 carrying case, while the Drobo 5D will run you $849.

Drobo Announces that Highly Anticipated Drobo Mini and 5D Pre-Orders Begin Today

Faster, smaller, more flexible Drobos include Thunderbolt, USB 3.0, SSD support, and new extended warranty

SAN JOSE, CA – July 24, 2012 – Drobo, maker of award-winning data storage products for businesses and professionals, today announced that pre-orders will begin for the new Drobo Mini and 5D storage arrays. Pre-orders for the products can now be placed at select Drobo partners including Adorama, Amazon, B&H, CDW, J&R, Jensen IT, NCIX, PC Connection, PC Mall, Tiger Direct, and Virtual Graffiti. The Drobo 5D and Drobo Mini—the world’s smallest and most portable full-featured storage array—are designed to accelerate workflows for creative professionals managing data-intensive files; home media enthusiasts looking to consolidate and accelerate video, photo, and music files; and small businesses that need fast, portable backup to protect large amounts of data.

“The initial demand for these products has been more than twice the level of any other product that we've ever introduced,” said Tom Buiocchi, CEO of Drobo. “Faster Drobos with Thunderbolt, USB 3.0, SSD support, and portability are just what our customers have been asking for.”

Pricing and Availability
Starting at $649 MSRP, the Drobo Mini holds up to four 2.5-inch drives in a package that measures 7 inches square by less than two inches tall. Its unique form factor, coupled with innovative SSD support and Thunderbolt capabilities, sets a new standard for fast, portable storage. Both Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 cables are included in the base price, and an optional carrying case is also offered for $49 MSRP. Starting at $849 MSRP, the Drobo 5D is the higher capacity workhorse of the new product line, with similar speed, Thunderbolt, USB 3.0, and SSD support as the Mini, but holding up to 20TB of storage capacity. Both products are expected to ship to customers by the end of September.

New Warranty Options for Thunderbolt-Enabled Products
The Drobo Mini and 5D both include an enhanced two-year standard warranty along with extended warranty and support options via DroboCare. (See www/drobo.com/support/drobocare-new.php for details.)
For more information on pre-ordering, visit the Drobo blog at blog.drobo.com.