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Tag: Backblaze

Adam Engst 16 comments

Backblaze Raises Prices, Makes Extended Version History Standard

Online backup company Backblaze has announced that it will be raising prices on 3 October 2023 for new purchases and renewals, but everyone will be able to get the $2-per-month 1-year extended version history for free.

Adam Engst 63 comments

The 46 Mac Apps I Actually Use and Why

What third-party apps would you install on a clean Mac to restore your preferred working environment? Adam Engst recently had the opportunity to learn just what apps he really uses—here’s the list.

Adam Engst 15 comments

Backblaze’s 2022 Drive Stats Reveal Manufacturer and Model Reliability Trends

If you're trying to decide which large hard drive model to buy, check out Backblaze's drive stats for 2022, which show the reliability of each drive model the company uses in its data centers.

Backblaze 8.5 Agen Schmitz No comments

Backblaze 8.5

Updates the backup software's user interface and enhances its Safety Freeze feature. (Free with Backblaze subscription, 32.5 MB, macOS 10.9+)

Adam Engst 87 comments

Helping Senior Citizens Reveals Past Apple Lapses and Recent Improvements

After spending several days helping some elderly friends with their Macs, Adam Engst came away with a new appreciation for how difficult some aspects of Mac use are for older people. Some Apple efforts are a step in the right direction but may not be available to today’s users. And there’s plenty of room to improve.

Adam Engst 7 comments

Backblaze Raises Prices to Address Changing Industry Conditions

Online backup service Backblaze is raising its prices to $70 per year to accommodate larger backups and higher component costs. But you can lock the previous $60-per-year price in for another year by prepaying now.

Backblaze 8.0 Agen Schmitz 4 comments

Backblaze 8.0

Major new release brings a performance boost to the backup software. (Free, 23.7 MB, macOS 10.9+)

Adam Engst 111 comments

The Role of Bootable Duplicates in a Modern Backup Strategy

macOS 11 Big Sur has thrown a cryptographically signed monkey wrench into the inner workings of backup apps that make bootable duplicates. There are now workarounds, and Apple promises to fix the necessary underlying tool, but Adam Engst suggests that we need to rethink the role bootable duplicates play in a modern backup strategy.

Josh Centers 2 comments

Backblaze’s 2020 Hard Drive Reliability Statistics

Backblaze has again released annual hard drive statistics that report on the company’s hard drive reliability stats for 2020. In spite of everything else that happened last year, hard drives became more reliable.

Adam Engst 44 comments

Moving to a New Mac: What’s Left to Do After Migration?

When you buy a new Mac and migrate your old Mac’s files to it during setup, Setup Assistant moves over numerous settings and configurations. But don’t assume you’ll just be able to pick up exactly where you left off, since there are quite a few apps and services that require additional post-migration attention.

Adam Engst 2 comments

Poll Shows Backup Frequency Increasing, Results Still Depressing

Backblaze’s annual poll asking how often people back up their data shows small improvements across the board. But the percentage of people who either don’t back up at all or back up once a year or less is still far too high.

Josh Centers No comments

Backblaze’s 2019 Hard Drive Reliability Statistics

Cloud backup service Backblaze has released its hard drive reliability statistics for 2019, factoring in data for over 100,000 drives.

Adam Engst 1 comment

The Life and Times of a Backblaze Hard Drive

Backblaze has published a description of what it’s like to be a hard drive in the company’s data center, writing it from the perspective of a hard drive called Zach. Wonderfully silly, for sure, but it’s an engaging approach complete with interesting technical bits.

Adam Engst 20 comments

Backblaze 7.0 Extends Version History, Supports Catalina

Perturbed that the online backup service Backblaze retains old versions of files and deleted files for only 30 days? You can now pay extra to maintain such files in your online backup for either 1 year or forever.

Adam Engst No comments

Behind the Scenes of the Backblaze Price Hike

It’s unusual for customers to get insight into why companies raise prices and how those price hikes work out, but online backup service Backblaze is being highly transparent about the reasoning behind and results of its February price increase.