SSD Toolbox coming to Mac?

[idata]

Are there any plans for the SSD toolbox to come to Macs? Or at least a way to update the firmware without using Windows (Yuck!)? I mean c'mon, Macs are the future! Get with it Intel!

[idata · Accepted solution]

I do not believe Apple ships any of their products with Intel SSDs. If they did, I would think Intel would be more inclined to port the SSD Toolbox.

Also, note that OSX does not support TRIM.... However, I'm not sure if HFS+ fragments pages as much as NTFS.

Firmware update does not require Windows. You download an disk image (.iso), burn it to a disk, and boot off this disk.

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=18363 http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=18363

[idata]

The rumor is that Light Peak will first be appearing in Macs sometime next year. When that happens will there be a new generation of Intel SSD's that support a Light Peak interface?

I haven't been following Light Peak that much but there certainly seems to be a lot of excitement about it. How come Mac's get it first

[idata]

redux wrote:

The rumor is that Light Peak will first be appearing in Macs sometime next year. When that happens will there be a new generation of Intel SSD's that support a Light Peak interface?

I haven't been following Light Peak that much but there certainly seems to be a lot of excitement about it. How come Mac's get it first

LightPeak is more of a wrapper interconnect (for now). It will be able to tunnel different protocols like USB, SATA, PCIe, etc. I am not sure if Intel plans to use it for a direct disk interconnect just yet. Including a LightPeak controller on every SSD when 100% of the consumer market uses SATA currently seem expensive.

If the rumors are true.... Apple is probably looking for a Firewire replacement. Also, using a large OEM with a relatively closed ecosystem is a good way to launch a new "standard". This will ensure LightPeak equiped devices will find a use in systems wtih LightPeak controllers.

[idata]

Thanks for the replies, they are very helpful. But I feel like Intel should offer universal support for all their SSD's. It's an aftermarket item as well. I purchased the Intel because it doesn't exhibit any of the problems plagued by Sandforce based SSD's when installed in Macs. I guess I won't get my hopes up but I will keep my fingers crossed. AND throw a couple pennies in the jar so if this one gets slow I can purchase another one ASAP. I can't go back to HDD speeds now!