Mac360 Twitter TweetsSponsorship and Advertising on Mac360Forums Member LoginRegister for Mac360 ForumsFrequently Asked QuestionsYouTube Video WatchDashboard Widget WatchPolls & SurveysMac360 Power Search Options
RSS FeedThe Mac360 Article ArchiveThe Cheap MacWhat's New!Mac Tips & TricksMacintosh User ForumsMac360 Reviews

Just Say No To A Home Server. Use A Mac Instead.

Server - JackThe time has come for a home server for media storage and backups for Mac and Windows.

Microsoft’s solution will fail, but even Windows users will buy Apple’s home server system in disguise.

Windows Everywhere is starting to wear very thin these days. In January, Microsofts’ Bill Gates introduced the Windows Home Server.

While no one was paying attention, Apple’s Steve Jobs did the same only better.

The Windows Home Server will sell for as much as $1,000. How many homes will buy one? The biggest part of Apple’s home server solution retails for $179 and works on Macs and Windows PCs.

At Mac360 we’ve written about the need for backups, Mac or Windows, so a home server would appear to be a good solution. Except for a number of problems. The first is cost. $1,000 for a home server?

Windows Home Server runs a version of Windows Server 2003, and requires another PC. Apple’s home server solution is more elegant and requires a Mac or a PC, but the one you have, not another one.

I ready Roughly Drafted’s comparison of Windows Home Server vs. Airport Extreme, and their perspective is about the same as ours. Airport Extreme is part of Apple’s home server strategy.

Of course, some prognosticators love another Microsoft solution. Take Paul Thurrott. Please.

Instead of a complex, expensive, difficult-to-set-up server solution that requires a certified Windows geek to manage, Apple decided that less is more, simple is better, inexpensive will sell more.

How? Add an external USB hard drive to a new Airport Extreme, and you’re ready with a flexible home server backup solution at about one third to one half the price of Microsoft’s Windows Home Server PC option.

Without going into all the complexities Microsoft has thrown into the landfill of Windows Home Server, suffice it to say it’s not something you can install on your PC, it’ll cost you more money for another box and new software to learn, and it’s more complicated than figuring out how much money Bill Gates has left.

Add that extra hard drive to a new Airport Extreme, Mac or Windows PC, and every Mac or PC in your home can be backed up, either via wireless or an ethernet cable.  Even better, Airport Extreme doubles as a router for all your home computers, the wireless base station, and a printer sharing device.

Setup? Sorry, no Microsoft Certification necessary. Apple’s Bojour “just works” on Mac or Windows PC, as either will recognize the extra hard drive attached to Airport Extreme.

Some would argue that Apple’s solution is also overkill. After all, the extra hard drive really isn’t required, it just makes life much easier and provides a better backup system.

Are you ready for a home server backup solution? How does Windows Home Server compare to an Airport Extreme and your Mac (or PC)?

Click Here to see reader comments on this article in the Mac360 Forums.

Classy Mac360 PhotoBy Jack D. Miller | I work for a US technology company in Paris, France and switched from Windows PCs to the Mac 12 years ago. My wife said it would improve our marriage, give us more friends, and reduce stress. It did.

• Email This Article  •  Follow Mac360 on Twitter
• Posted in the Forum Topics Section

Off Topic Note:  Check out more Mac software reviews on Page 2. You can help support Mac360. Order your copy of Mac OS X Snow Leopard from Mac360 through Amazon. Snow Leopard is $29 for the Single User Upgrade, and only $49 for the 5 User Family Pack Upgrade. Elsewhere around Mac360, Kate Mac is back after dumping Windows. Ron has updated the NoodleMac site to include more mini reviews of Mac software, and launched Mac musings on McSolo.

Mac360 posts daily Mac updates on Twitter, too. If you Twitter, give Alexis, Bambi, or Ron a tweet and follow Mac360 on Twitter to get daily Mac tips and tricks.

Chrome
Do Mac users really need another browser that is 1990s ugly?
Tue Nov 10 - Full Article »
xScope
Are you really a graphic professional if you're not using this utility?
Mon Nov 9 - Full Article »
Utility
If you could have only one utility on your Mac, what would it be?
Fri Nov 6 - View Topic »
Flock
Flock is the perfect Mac or PC browser for the social networker.
Thu Nov 5 - Full Article »
Animate
Animation is the domain of experienced graphic professionals, right? Not.
Thu Nov 5 - Full Article »
Diary
Journal or Diary. Your life is worth remembering beyond photographs.
Wed Nov 4 - Full Article »
Snow Leopard
What's in the FORUMS?
Mac360 Link Farm