appleJAC Users Group

Meeting Agenda-November 2020

OWC Envoy Express: Blazing Speed & Versatility

a review by Tom Piper

In the 1970s and 1980s, solid state drives (SSDs) were implemented in semiconductor memory for early IBM, Amdahl, and Cray supercomputers, and General Instruments then produced an electrically alterable ROM (EAROM), which operated somewhat like the later NAND flash memory. Now, 50 years later, there have been incredible advancements in SSD and Thunderbolt technology which have produced devices of incredible speed, capacity and durability.

OWC Envoy Express is the world’s first Thunderbolt-certified bus-powered add-your-own-drive enclosure history-making DIY pocket-sized storage solution. It uses any 2280 M.2 NVMe SSD available today and in the future. At 0.5” x 1.7” x 4.2” and 3.1 ounces in size, with an integrated 10.2” Thunderbolt™ 3 cable, this unit runs cool and quiet enclosed in a black anodized aluminum case that provides great data protection. In addition, it even includes an adhesive back-of-laptop-screen slide mount which keeps it secure and out of the way.

Being an avid do-it-yourself advocate, I really like the fact that I can get this bus-powered Thunderbolt-certified enclosure and install my own SSD in it with this DIY kit that lets me meet my specific needs. Later, when my needs change and more memory becomes less expensive, I can easily and quickly replace the SSD in only a few minutes. 

I can now use my Envoy Express as a fast boot drive, use an existing SSD replaced during an upgrade for more storage and backup capacity, or a variety of other handy uses. Most importantly, when plugged into my 16” MacBook Pro, data transfer runs over 300% faster than USB 3.0 drives and over 50% faster than other Thunderbolt 3 units. This is a wonderful tool to support my technology needs.

To learn more about this enclosure, go to macsales.com/envoy-express/thunderbolt where it can be purchased for $79.00 with a 2-Year OWC Limited Warranty. This is a powerful solution for storing and transmitting our precious data, video and power from a company with a history of quality and effective digital products.

 

appleJAC Oct. 6 presentations

New OSs & Other Apple Announcements

A video of the entire October 6, 2020, online Virtual Meeting using Zoom about New OSs & Other Apple Announcements, just click on this link: https://youtu.be/0PkaJtF_BLA.

If you would like to download and view Jason Piper's slides from his presentation about "iPadOS 14 & iOS 14", then click on: Download appleJAC-2020-10-iOS.

In order to download and view Alice Kopp's keynote presentation about "watchOS 7 & tvOS 14", just click on: Download Watchos 7 and TVos 14.key.

A copy of Tom Piper's slides from his presentation about "Other Sept. 15 Apple Event announcements" is available for download and viewing by clicking on: Download Apple OTHER pres.