As a RapidSpar tester, I can assure you this is nothing like your docking station.
I know, its a data recovery device. I failed to say that our cloning station also does data recovery with hotswappable bays. It appears that this $2k unit will not function without internet connectivity so will it or wont it?. While I am sure there are companies that will shell out the hefty price tag for it, smaller shops just cannot or will not afford it. I know I cannot, which is why I have my cloning station. But data recovery is a mere 1% of sales (maybe 1 recovery per month), so the cost to me, in MY opinion is not justified.
Docking stations will use a chipset like a ASMedia or JMicron of their own to pass the ATA commands to the respective bus architecture. They don't handle 'truly' failing drives well, or at all. They, like Windows, expect a working drive - otherwise, they often go into limbo, unmount or even start trying their own error correction routines (Not good). Yes, this unit functions without internet. Internet (seems to be) is only required for the retrieval of drive-specific settings/algorithms and possibly firmware quirk resolution/update using RapidNebula.
No, this device would not be 'worth it' if you are only doing 1 recovery per month. For the rest of us, it may be a tool worth looking into. With any amount of volume of HDD recoveries this device will pay for itself shortly.
Honestly, it looks like a large external USB HDD enclosure with a LCD screen and a Raspberry Pi thrown in with proprietary software. Again, that's my opinion. I know its not, but thats what it looks like to me. I mean without the proprietary software, I'm seeing $100 in materials, $200 at the most with all the connections and cables, which "looks" to be overkill. Tell me why its worth $2,000. Really, I would like to know.
Not to be a tart here, but I think you are missing a lot of the "business" side of this. Few things:
1. R&D - somebody spent a lot of time and money to put this project together, so you have to factor the last year (or however long) it took paying a team of people to develop this. I would suspect 10's, if not 100's of thousands of dollars 'in the hole' before the product even leaves the gate. I'm sure this product isn't going to sell huge amounts, either. I bet somewhere in the 1000's of units due to it's specific use and target audience.
2. Continued support/Backend - Being semi-cloud based, someone has to be the monkey behind that service and support. Support and program updates for the next 5-10 years - gotta factor that in too.
3. Cost barrier to DR - What good would it be to "us" if every Tom, Dick and Jane could get one of these for $100-$200? Think about that for a minute and how that would negatively affect the DR business as a whole, from software to our own TN's DDR300 $300 data recovery.
4. Deepspar is not a charity, they are a business. Businesses make money, they do not sell at-cost. Pretty sure most of us here mark up our products that we sell.
5. This product could easily make $10,000's of dollars or more over a year or two for your business if you position yourself correctly. Seems a small price to pay for success.
For $2000, you're not paying for the "device" and cables - you're paying for a practical solution and function to facilitate the money-making action of data recovery.
Let's get in perspective here: If the world operated at-cost, automobiles would be more than half-off the sticker price. Houses would be the cost of building materials and labor with no interest or title fees. Those (fees, interest) have no direct value to you, yet you still pony up. It just isn't the world we live in.
