Netgear Inc. today announced the GS108, an eight port Gigabit Ethernet switch — an industry first, according to the company. The new switch is aimed at companies or workgroups looking to move large files and multimedia content over the network quickly.
Gigabit Ethernet is standard issue on Apple’s Pro line — it’s features on the Power Mac G4 and the PowerBook G4. It’s also included with Apple’s rack mounted server, the Xserve. The ultra-fast local area networking technology is also an option on older Power Macs in the form of PCI expansion cards made by various third parties.
The GS108 is an unmanaged copper Gigabit Ethernet switch. It sports eight 10/100/1000Mbps ports. Each port is auto-switching, and provides throughput rates of up to 2000Mbps per port. The switch also features Auto Uplink functionality on each port.
The GS108 comes with a three-year warranty and 24/7 tech support. It’ll be available this month and carries a list price of $700.