By Stephen Hackett
July 31, 2018 8:52 PM PT
Spending time on the Apple Online Store
I recently had to help a family member replace the charger for their MacBook Air, and it gave me an idea: what are some of the weirdest things for sale on apple.com, besides the 2013 Mac Pro?
Pegasus3 80 TB RAID. At $7,999, one of the most expensive items in the “Mac Accessories” section of the store is the PROMISE Pegasus3 R8 80TB RAID Storage. For that pile of cash, you get a Thunderbolt 3 enclosure equipped with eight 10 TB hard drives, with up to 40 Gbps connectivity and the ability to connect up to six daisy-chained devices on a single Thunderbolt 3 port.
RED RAVEN Camera Kit. While we’re here on the expensive list, we have to talk about the $14,999.95 RED RAVEN Camera Kit, which comes with Final Cut Pro X in addition to the 4.5K camera and a bunch of other RED parts and accessories. The kit is complete with a Sigma 18-35mm lens, 4.7-inch monitor, batteries, 120 GB media drive and reader, and carrying case. This is an Apple Store exclusive bundle from RED, which is cool, but the inclusion of Final Cut Pro X makes me chuckle. I assume anyone in the market to buy a RED camera already has a pro video editing solution installed on their Mac.
Boxing & Gold Sensor Systems. While it is currently sold out, the $179.95 Everlast and PIQ Boxing Sensor System uses sensors embedded into hand wraps to track boxing workouts, syncing the data back to your iPhone. Data can be tracked over time to review progress, including punch speed, force and retraction time. I think I’ve thrown a total of one punch in my lifetime, but apparently those are things people want to see.
If boxing isn’t your thing, perhaps the Arcos 360 Golf Sensor System is more your speed. The $249.95 kit uses GPS, accelerometers and more to track your swings and location. Simply screw the sensors into the top of your clubs and pair them with the free iPhone app, and you’ll be ready for a slam dunk or whatever happens in golf.
Living That 30-pin Life. Lightning may have been around since the iPhone 5, but some of us still have devices with 30-pin Dock Connectors. Thankfully, Apple still sells new 30-pin to USB cables and its Lightning to 30-pin Adapter
Less than $10. If RED cameras and RAIDs are out of budget, Apple offers three adaptors for a less than $10: its own Lightning to 3.5 mm Adaptor, a Belkin 3.5 mm jack extension cable, and the Magsafe to Magsafe 2 converter.
If you need a Lightning to Micro USB adapter, you’re going to be out $19. Sorry about that.
[Stephen Hackett is the author of 512 Pixels and co-founder of Relay FM.]