Iomega has recently launched two new network attached storage (NAS) offering that run respectively on Intel (px2) and ARM (ix4) architectures. Both share a similar clean user interface that looks like what we have seen with the StorCenter ix2. The Iomega px2-300d runs on an Intel processor, which basically makes it snappier. It also has hot-swappable drives (6TB max capacity), which is pretty important if customers don’t want any kind of interruptions during maintenance.
On the other hand, the Iomega ix4-300d can receive up to 12TB storage, but it does not have the hot-swappable capability, and it won’t run the anti-virus protection software that the px2 runs. The performance of the Iomega ix4 is not as high as the px2, but this is probably not a problem if it is used for simple shared storage or even for streaming content like video. This is the usual tradeoff between performance, price and capacity.
Both NAS devices have a common “core” of features, and here are those that caught my attention: Data remote access over the Internet, Data replication over USB or the network, Video surveillance API, PC/Mac/Linux support, Apple Time Machine support, built-in DLNA and media streaming support and auto-uploads to social media services.
Both models are sold in a variety of configurations going from “bare” to 6TB or 12TB. From Iomega’s press release:
“The new Iomega® StorCenter™ px2-300d Network Storage is now shipping worldwide. The diskless model is $499.99, the 2TB model is $699.99, the 4TB model is $999.99, and the 6TB model is $1,199.99.
The New Iomega® StorCenter™ ix4-300d Network Storage is also shipping worldwide. The diskless model is now available for $599.99. The following storage capacity versions of the new StorCenter ix4-300d will be available shortly: the 4TB model will be $749.99, the 8TB will be $949.99, and the 12TB model will be $1,299.99. “