Drobo Announces New 4-Bay Gen3 with USB 3.0, Enhanced Time Machine Support - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Drobo Announces New 4-Bay Gen3 with USB 3.0, Enhanced Time Machine Support

by

Connected Data today announced the Drobo Gen3, the next generation of its popular 4-bay storage array. The Gen3 is faster and cheaper than previous Drobo models. It also features enhanced support for Apple's Time Machine backups.

drobo-gen3

This third generation Drobo is more affordable, three times faster than the previous release and includes new features such as USB 3.0, significantly faster rebuild times and enhanced support for Apple’s Time Machine®.

Mac owners will be interested in the improved Time Machine support now available in the Drobo Gen3. Instead of using an entire drive for Time Machine, users can maximize their data storage space by allocating a fixed amount of capacity for their Time Machine-derived backups.

Drobo is accepting pre-orders for the Drobo Gen3, which is priced at $349 for the base model without pre-installed hard drives. Through June 9th, select existing Drobo customers are eligible for a $50 discount on the Gen3 when they purchase the new Drobo through the company's online store. Shipments of the Gen3 are expected to begin in late April.

Top Rated Comments

HackerJL Avatar
162 months ago
Omg

OMG someone didnt like theirs, so lets poo on the company.

I own 2, ordered a 5D on Monday. Never had an issue. I have 3 friends that have them, and never an issue either.

Lets all hang them...
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ugahairydawgs Avatar
162 months ago
Drobo's are a joke. Don't buy from this ridiculous, proprietary company.
Complaining about a company being proprietary on an Apple forum.

Classic.

FWIW....I've been using a Drobo as my media storage solution for a few years now. Works just fine for me running over FW800. Mixing and matching drives is a nice feature.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
162 months ago
Whoah, the hard drive file format is proprietary? No thanks!

http://scottkelby.com/2012/im-done-with-drobo/
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
avanpelt Avatar
162 months ago
Don't know much about Drobo, but I've been very happy with my Synology NAS.

Agreed. My DS213 has given me zero issues for the year and a half I've owned it. I'm glad Drobo must be feeling the pricing pressure from Synology and others. The Drobo hardware seemed to me to be ridiculously overpriced for what it offered a year and a half ago. That's why I went with Synology. Today, Drobo has an App Store similar to Synology which I don't believe existed a year and a half ago.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
162 months ago
Don't know much about Drobo, but I've been very happy with my Synology NAS.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RoastingPig Avatar
162 months ago
Drobos are slow. Pegasus 2 line is what you want
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 18 Pro Rumored Colors

What's Coming in September: New iPhones, Apple Watches and More

Thursday August 13, 2026 4:20 pm PDT by
Apple will introduce at least five new devices at its iPhone-centric event next month, and it's also possible we'll get devices waiting on Siri AI like the Apple TV. iPhone 18 Pro The iPhone 18 Pro is going to look like the iPhone 17 Pro, but with a smaller Dynamic Island. It's getting some internal updates, including a new Wide camera with a variable aperture for more control over lighting ...
iPhone 17 One Year Later Thumb 1

Should You Buy an iPhone 17 Now or Wait for iPhone 18?

Friday August 14, 2026 12:15 pm PDT by
For the first time since Apple started selling standard and "Pro" iPhones, we're not going to get an entry-level iPhone model this fall. Apple doesn't plan to release an iPhone 18 in September, and will only launch the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and foldable iPhone Ultra. The lower-cost iPhone 18 won't come out until spring 2027. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more ...
Everything New Your iPhone Can Do on iOS 27 Feature 1

30 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 27

Friday August 14, 2026 6:24 am PDT by
Apple will release iOS 27 in September, and despite the company's focus this year on refining its flagship operating system and nixing bugs, there are still many additional features on the way, not least of which is Apple's new context-aware Siri, re-tooled for the generative AI era. This year's major iPhone software update isn't all about AI, though, as the following feature list...