
Paid cloud services can readily fill this gap, such as Backblaze (a TidBITS sponsor), but you can also now roll your own cloud service at a reasonable price by combining Haystack Software’s Arq backup app for macOS with Backblaze’s B2 on-demand, usage-based cloud storage service. It’s a bizarre omission because Apple has every other piece in place to make it an offering. Despite Apple’s commitment to iCloud and the availability of up to 2 terabytes of storage, the company offers no set-and-forget backup option for the Mac. And it doesn’t help that Apple just killed the Time Capsule (see “ RIP: Apple AirPort, 1999–2018,” 27 April 2018). Time Machine requires a separate external drive or partition, making it feel long in the tooth.

It’s surprising Apple still doesn’t offer iCloud backups for macOS. #1620: OS updates, AssistiveTouch for iOS shortcut palette, Photos album sharing bug.
#BACKBLAZE SPEED TEST FREE#

#1622: OS feature survey results, Continuity Camera webcam preview, OWC miniStack STX.
#BACKBLAZE SPEED TEST HOW TO#

As you know I’m a huge supporter of Backblaze (having written a very popular post on the topic “Cloud Backup Backblaze in the Real World” last year), so seeing anything negative about a service I rely on is sure to get my hackles up! It’s about a disturbing statement I read on the Haystack website, which I immediately challenged Backblaze on. Backup Bouncer TestĪnyway, this article isn’t about Arq or Glacier. Granted, you can buy a 3TB USB 3 hard drive today for just $130 and ship that to a friend on the other side of the country for safe keeping, but by now I think we all know the advantages of automated, offsite backup. There are initial upload and then retrieval charges to consider as well, but the peace of mind of online/cloud backup is hard to put a price on. Since Glacier is only $.01 per GB per month (about $10 per TB), it’s a pretty good deal.

This is a $29 app that gives you a clean interface to Amazon’s S3 or Glacier servers, allowing you to use Amazon as a backup service. Recently I was introduced to a backup application called Arq, by Haystack Software.
