appleJAC Users Group

Agenda--April 2021

OWC Envoy Pro FX: Incredible Speed & Versatility

a review by Tom Piper

Over 40 years ago, as an alternative to tape and spinning hard drives, solid state drives (SSDs) were implemented in semiconductor memory for early supercomputers, until an alterable ROM (EAROM) was produced, which operated somewhat like the later NAND flash memory. Now, there have been incredible advancements in SSD and Thunderbolt technology which have produced devices of incredible speed, capacity and durability.

OWC Envoy Pro FX is a universal Thunderbolt-certified bus-powered small-sized storage solution. Powered by a OWC Aura SSD advanced storage technology with TRIM support, it has extreme speed up to 2800mb/s. At 0.8” x 2.6” x 4.3” and 8.3 ounces in size, with a detachable 27” Thunderbolt 3 cable (plus USB 3.2 Type-A adapter), this unit runs cool and quiet enclosed in a charcoal grey aluminum case (IP67 rated) with deep-grooved fins for a highly effective heat sink that provides great data protection. It is so rugged that my data is protected by MIL-STD810G certified military-level drop toughness, plus being dust and water-proof.

As their website says, this unit provides maximum performance from any interface to which I connect, meaning that I can copy a 1.02GB, 2-hour movie, in less than 2 seconds! The Envoy Pro FX can handle all of my audio, video, photo, graphics, and gaming tasks. It can access and save files from an older machine, backup personal files, or do some in-field large format video editing, this powerful drive is built to deliver.

I can now use my Envoy Pro FX as a fast boot backup drive for my M1 Mac mini, plus a convenient volume for more storage, movies and a variety of other handy uses. It can be used with my past (up to 11 years ago), present and future Macs, iPad Pros, and Chromebooks (plus Windows, Linux PCs, and Surface devices my friends have). 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. 

Obviously, this device is meant to be used for situations where spinning hard drives would quickly fail. Whether its large video files being transferred in extreme conditions, music productions being frequently edited, frequent relay of data from one technology to another, or cloning backups for Apple’s latest M1x computers, the Envoy Pro FX is the best choice for raw speed, functionality and durabliity. This is a wonderful tool to support my technology needs.

To learn more about this enclosure, go to macsales.com/owc-envoy-pro-fx where it can be purchased for $199 - $499 (240GB - 2.0TB) with a 3-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 03/02/21 meeting info

The March 2, 2021, 7:00pm CT, monthly meeting of appleJAC User Group about Siri Shortcuts had 16 people in attendance. The 95-minute video of this meeting can be viewed by clicking on https://youtu.be/1bEKPHXpYLg.

PDF slideshow of this meeting, including Youtube links: aJ Shortcuts pres.

Agenda-March 2021