Initial hardware setup is simple. Plug it into power, plug an Ethernet cable into it, and it turns on. Promise, and AppleInsider recommend hanging it directly off the router, which for most setups may be the only network switch available, but that's more for traffic localization and management. It's then synchronized to the iOS app for setup using an account creation and QR code scan — and that's it. After that, it's ready to go on iOS, allowing for full Files integration with stored data on the device, as well as camera roll backup to it through the iOS app.
For the tech savvy, it also has an easy mirroring procedure to another Apollo across the internet, perhaps allowing for some easy backup solutions for people you get sucked into supporting, without turning to a subscription service like Backblaze. Write speeds were similar, with the array writing 92 megabytes per second with the large files, and 74 megabytes per second with the small files.
Access on the Mac isn't initially quite as simple as logging into the device from the Finder, at least at first. We might be under-selling the integration with the iOS Files app a bit, and it is as good as we thought it was after we took it out of the box. The array doesn't seem to have any kind of SMB at all. So, in short, Windows access is doable, but not as slick as it is on the Mac. The Android app is just as good as it is on iOS.
We've seen too many network attached storage devices poorly configured by users, with a big pile of data shared amongst everybody. The Apollo Cloud 2 Duo software has support for up to 40 discrete users both on the LAN and across the internet as a whole, each with their own file repository and Time Machine backups. Don't be that person with a data pile.
Take the one minute it takes on the Apollo Cloud 2 Duo, or the two it takes on any other NAS or on a server to gives users their own account. You won't be sorry. For lack of a better phrase, the array has a "slurp" feature, that allows you to plug in a USB drive, and the drive automatically sucks up the data.
Once again, the feature is tailored for Mac users, allowing for HFS drives to be transferred with no difficulty. FAT32, which many flash drives are pre-formatted, does not seem to be supported at all. After getting activated through either the iOS or Mac app, data is ingested through the USB port at about about 92 megabytes per second, about the same as adding to it with a wired Gigabit Ethernet connection.
Network attached storage isn't new, and obviously, nor are network-accessible Time Capsule drives. However, there remains a barrier to entry to setup and configuration for most of the products that will provide that for users. Promise's Apollo Cloud 2 Duo has very few hurdles to jump given the guided iPhone setup.
It is intended as an appliance after you set it up, set and forget, and isn't really intended to be a multi-purpose device with lots of options, like some of the mid- and high-end Synology products. As a network attached storage device that integrates very well with Apple devices, the Apollo Cloud 2 Duo does what it says on the box with a bit of style.
It's what we wanted the Time Capsule to evolve into, minus the whole router part. What it is not, is a highly-configurable full network attached storage device. There is no "app store" to add features like iTunes streaming or a Bittorrent client. But, it's not as simple as that. If you have a PC, with the present state of software, take off a full star. This may improve in the future, and if it does, we'll let you know. 50. B&H Photo is also tacking on free expedited shipping to the contiguous U.S.
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