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Time Capsule - 1 TB
Stop reviewing a product you don't own!
Written by JN from Ilford
Dec 17, 2009
I am rather annoyed that all the people who bought the original TC have come out of the woodwork to moan about the device again, even though it has been greatly improved. The product may have the same name, but that shouldn't mean that it is subject to the same criticism. Had it been called "Time Capsule Plus" then none of these reviews saying "mine died after 18 months" would be here. So here's a few points:
1. I don't own a Time Capsule 1TB. I own the very-recently-demised Time Capsule 512GB. But it is essentially the same product with a smaller drive, so I'm probably better equipped to review this product than most of the people here.
2. Only the first model of Time Capsules have the faulty power supply (please note, NOT the hard disk). The Time Capsule model sold now does not have this problem. Though obviously, some people may have faulty products as with any purchase.
3. Those who bought dodgy Time Capsules which died were usually offered replacements. A friend who bought one of the first ones about two years ago got a replacement machine just two weeks ago, well outside warranty.
4. The drives are also salvageable! Get yourself a hard disk caddy (or plug it internally) and use a disk duplicator like SuperDuper! and you will get your backups back.
5. Finally, my Time Capsule is a fantastic product and works exactly as advertised. I'm not too worried about future problems because I know what to do if it does develop a fault. But at least my review is based on the latest model. I appreciate there are a lot of upset customers out there, but please do not confuse prospective customers by moaning about your old and obsolete products here.
Thank you :-)18 of 19 people found this useful
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Time Capsule - 1 TB
nothing but trouble
Written by PC from CROYDON
Dec 10, 2009
i had to take the first two of these i got back as the first wouldn't even create a network or do a complete back up.The second wouldn't allow wireless printing or complete a back up. The third backed up but has NEVER allowed wireless printing. After 4 months of calls to apple support i gave up on printing and settled for using it as an expensive backup and wireless hub (only as i couldn't get my money back). Now it constantly drops the network and often only runs at speeds slower than my old 14k modem. The only way i've managed to get any speed is to run it with no security. At a loss what to do rather than buy a very expensive airport extreme which my prove just as unreliable.
18 of 24 people found this useful
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Time Capsule - 1 TB
Easy to set-up, easy to use. Then it dies
Written by MR from MILTON KEYNES
Nov 18, 2009
It's a great idea, it looks great and it's blindly simple to set up and use. But this product isn't up to Apple's usual standard.
I got my TC just after release and there's no doubt it was buggy. I had to delete all my back-ups and start all over again - twice. That's not good enough for a device that costs this much and claims to be there to preserve a l'ifetime of memories'. To their credit, Apple released a software update and the TC got down to doing what it should do - quietly, efficiently keeping my stuff safe.
Until today, when it died utterly. And it's not just mine. Friends who've also bought an early TC are reporting theirs are dying as well. There's something wrong with at least the early machines and they're simply not good enough to trust with that 'lifetime of memory'.
I'm disappointed, but I hope others are having a better experience with the TC.140 of 145 people found this useful
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Time Capsule - 1 TB
Don't Risk Buying One
Written by SS from Portishead
Nov 16, 2009
Like at least 950+ other people who bought a time machine c. 18 months ago, mine died in the same way as many other people's time capsules have. I would not risk spending this amount of money on a product that has a replacement/repair cost which is almost the same as buying a new one.
154 of 161 people found this useful
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Time Capsule - 1 TB
Dead after 18 month
Written by JD from Stone
Nov 12, 2009
Sorry Apple but my Time Capsule 1TB Died after 18 months. Like hundreds of others if you read the reviews and take time out to look at the discussion groups this is very poor for such a pricey item.
130 of 138 people found this useful
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Time Capsule - 1 TB
Great product - while it works (but that's not long)
Written by NS from Woking
Nov 11, 2009
The Time capsule is a great idea and really works well - but only for a limited time. Mine died after 15 months as seems to be the median time. So as a back up device it doesn't really work - you'll need another back up device to recover from when the Time Capsule inevitably dies after a year or so. How Apple is so relaxed about this stain on its brand is a bit of a mystery.
70 of 74 people found this useful
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Time Capsule - 1 TB
Poor Design
Written by AF from Leamington Spa
Nov 9, 2009
Time Machine is fine if you just want to back up your computer. It can also make other hard drives available wirelessly by plugging them into it. But for some reason it will not allow you to back up the additional drives on to the time capsule even though they are connected to it. As all our media storage needs outgrow the standard storage on laptops this seems a very strange oversight in the design. Other users on the forums have confirmed that this is not possible!
50 of 56 people found this useful
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Time Capsule - 1 TB
Failed after 18 months
Written by DJ from Hampton
Nov 8, 2009
ditto the other reviews - great until it failed
57 of 60 people found this useful
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Time Capsule - 1 TB
Loved it...then it died
Written by DG from London
Nov 7, 2009
17 months to the day since I bought it, my 1st gen 500GB Time Capsule has died. Same story as everyone else: no power. Tried different plug points, cables etc but no joy. The light doesn't come on, the disc doesn't spin and I'm now looking at another £229 to replace it.
The Time Capsule is a brilliant product. Right up to the moment it died, it's been a great piece of equipment which has saved me on several occasions. But what good is a back-up system that dies after 18 months - or just under in my case? I want to buy another one because I like the concept and it did work great. But I need to know that whatever the design fault on the internal power supply is, Apple have fixed it. I can't afford to spend £229 every 18 months when there are other cheaper options out there. OK, so they're not a elegant in design or operation, but as long as they work, they've got one up on my dead TIme Capsule.63 of 67 people found this useful
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Time Capsule - 1 TB
Very disapionted
Written by SM from Græsted
Nov 6, 2009
The device is surprisingly easy to configure, but I was very disappointed when I found out that it could not run iTunes server. It is in my opinion a serious shortcoming, and it could have made this device the ultimate gadget.
Now it is only a well functioning boring WiFi backup device -
and nothing else...!!!44 of 54 people found this useful
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Time Capsule - 1 TB
Good until it dies
Written by RG from Wayland
Nov 4, 2009
Good product, but like many other posters here, my Time Capsule has died an untimely death, exactly one day short of 19 months of use. I hope I will be able to at least recover the data from it.
63 of 65 people found this useful
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Time Capsule - 1 TB
Breaks after a year
Written by SB from Melton Mowbray
Nov 4, 2009
You heard it. The time capsule just packs up after about a year and you loose all your backed files. I am not surprised my review is the same as so many. Just buy DVD's and store important stuff on there ! no need to waste your money !
57 of 58 people found this useful
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Time Capsule - 1 TB
Died after 18 months
Written by TW from MATLOCK
Nov 4, 2009
Love the concept of the Time Capsule and it does work well.
However it is definitely not server grade. I am not alone in seeing my Time Capsule die after 18 months with a failed power supply.
My hard drive also failed several times and Apple Care would only replace the unit as a whole meaning I would lose the data which is an odd policy for a backup device. In the end I was forced to take the hard drive out myself and run a Diskwarrior on it in my Mac Pro.
Wouldn't recommend50 of 52 people found this useful
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Time Capsule - 1 TB
Dear after 18 months
Written by JD from TELFORD
Nov 1, 2009
I really, really liked my Time Capsule - simplicity of design and function and to quote an Apple slogan - it just works... until today, 18 months after purchase. The unit is completely dead - I suspect, like many have reported, the internal power supply is at fault. I'm asking the question, whats the point of having a server grade hard drive if the rest of the unit is not up to the job.
All my other Apple products seem to last the course but the Time Capsule is more a Time Bomb!172 of 177 people found this useful
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Time Capsule - 1 TB
Great when it works, but...
Written by PB from Knapwell
Oct 30, 2009
I'm on my second Time Capsure (Apple replaced the previous one FOC when it failed), and the new one is displaying exactly the same symptoms.
It would be great if it worked and could be relied upon, but it doesn't and is therefore pointless.50 of 52 people found this useful
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Time Capsule - 1 TB
Great while it worked
Written by AO from Brackley
Oct 30, 2009
Worked well backing up 3 MacBooks but went pop after about 15 months. Fortunately I have been able to salvage the hard drive as I used this for all my photography. Suspect there is a problem with cooling as it always seemed very hot.
44 of 45 people found this useful
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Time Capsule - 1 TB
Early models had problems
Written by GB from Ruislip
Oct 29, 2009
I have had a 1TB model for 18 months and it worked perfectly right up to the moment it died completely! I was a bit upset as you might imagine, but booked a Genius appointment and took the unit in to the store where the Genius agreed to replace it straight away, even though it was 18 months old. The new unit seems to be working fine and hopefully they have fixed whatever caused the first batch to fail so consistently at 18 months old. I use mine as both a backup device and my main wireless router as it gives me access to "Back to my Mac".
39 of 39 people found this useful
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Time Capsule - 1 TB
Great compliance
Written by IG from Virum
Oct 28, 2009
Time Capsule is a true "plug and play" product easy to install and it works great. The ability to "share" one printer for the home network is a great asset and works perfect
24 of 43 people found this useful
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Time Capsule - 1 TB
An incredible step forward for wireless back up
Written by FB from Arundel
Oct 28, 2009
The item in question is easy to set up and quick to get running it has already backed up my iTunes and documents and is running what used to be a slow and unreliable BT home hub network THANK APPLE!
21 of 38 people found this useful
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Time Capsule - 1 TB
Good but short life?
Written by BQ from Knaresborough
Oct 27, 2009
In my experience, Apple kit is usually high quality and long lasting but my Time Capsule has just died after only 19 months. This is unacceptable for what is a relatively expensive item. I have to wonder whether a new one would be any better.
191 of 196 people found this useful
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