On the one hand this is disappointing for future models.
On the other hand, it more or less validates the current practice many of us have to use “unofficial” drives in our Synology NAS.
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Not the first consumer-hostile move from Synology (recent removals of software video encoders and the abrupt discontinuation of Video Station, which was an integral part of what they were advertising to consumers, come to mind). After more than a decade and several Synology devices in my life, I’ll certainly be looking elsewhere when I’m due for an upgrade.
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My next “NAS” will be my Mac mini with external SSDs attached to it - acting as a server also for my PC, which is working just fine. To be more precise, this is how I already have changed my “setup” a few weeks ago. I am very happy with it. My Synology only is acting as a backup. I have “moved” my cloud backup from Synology C2 to Backblaze.
This is not because of Synology’s recent decisions (this latest one is only one of many), but just because how I have been using my NAS in recent months: it has become just a storage for data, I do not rely on any app or container running on the NAS any more (part of the reason behind this is that Synology has cancelled some apps). So, why bother running a NAS anyway. This is the question I have been asking myself recently.
Still, it is sad how Synology keeps changing for the worse.
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A Mac mini makes a great NAS and can also be used to run any Mac software. I’ve been doing this since 2009. Here was my latest upgrade: https://talk.macpowerusers.com/t/updating-my-mac-mini-server-setup/33210/1
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I went the Mac Mini route with a big JBOD enclosure. Been working great and I only have to support one OS. I can also backup the entire array to Backblaze for a single computer charge, not per GB as you have to do with a Synology.
For years, I worked with VAXes and other larger multi-users systems becoming accustomed to manufacturers wanting only their branded or approved devices connected to the boxes so Synology following this model isn’t a problem for me — especially as I took delivery of one of their smaller NAS devices only a few hours ago.
Fundamentally it is a support issue.
Fundamentally, it is a money grab issue.
These are simply rebranded Toshiba drives. There is no special “Synology Sauce” that justifies the higher price or the lock-in.
Imagine fi a car manufacturer only allowed their branded tires or a printer manufacturer only allowed their branded ink cartridges. Oh wait, that second one already happens. And is why Synology, like HP, is on my no-buy list.
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IMO, that depends on what they will charge for the drives. If they are 10% higher that might be reasonable. If they are 50% higher that would sound like a money grab to me.
Apple Superdrives were just off the shelf DVD drives, with Apple firmware, marked up an additional $100. When mine failed, shortly after the warranty ran out, I purchased a standard drive from the same manufacturer and flashed it with open source firmware. Then used it until Apple dropped support for the G5 PowerMac.
Really good conversation about this on this week’s ATP…recommend a listen. Some good perspectives to maybe tamp down some of the angst around this decision.
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It’s not that hard to find out.
https://www.reddit.com/r/synology/comments/1k2sgkp/synology_branded_prices/
So in facts and not opinions, Synology is charging twice what a third-party equivalent would cost in some cases.
It’s a straight up money grab.
And your story about the Apple Superdrive missed the point by quite a wide margin. You could use something other than an Apple branded device. As of this moment, that is not the case with Synology’s 2025 Plus series. There are no third-party drives that are officially supported.
If Synology wanted to sell their own branded drives at a premium, that would be one thing. Selling them at a premium and requiring them, kinda the definition of user hostile.
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Then we are in agreement. It looks like a money grab.
Actually, I couldn’t. My Mac wouldn’t recognize a standard drive. Without the software that someone had created I would have been forced to purchase Apple’s overpriced drive.
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This further validates my choice my choice to switch from Synology to a PC NAS appliance few years ago. I went with a PC, a 16 drive HBA controller, a 10GB NIC, and 14 HDDs. All managed by TrueNAS v25 (recent release). It also runs about 15 apps in docker containers.
There was definitely a learning curve but once I got past that it has been smooth sailing.
I initially switched so that I could get replacement and upgrade parts from my local Microcenter. It was also so that I could use a large number of drives for storage.
I agree that weird third-party drives could create potential support issues. But then you make it a support issue, not a “you can’t use the drives at all” issue.
I had a really bad experience with my one and only Synology drive purchase, admittedly their cheapest NAS option at the time but still - even just loading their web interface was agonizingly slow. I eventually transitioned to Unraid on an old PC and it has been phenomenal. I have only two uses for it: Plex server and file storage. Fortunately, I got in on the lifetime $59 deal for it. I believe they now have transitioned to a different pricing model, so may not be worth it to many. But if you’re looking for a NAS solution then I think it’s a phenomenal solution.
I also went down the Mac mini route, but running Debian instead of MacOS. That thing is such a workhorse.