WD preps Mac-oriented external drives
updated 11:25 am EST, Tue January 6, 2009
WD Mac drives at MW09
Western Digital has launched two new external hard drives, oriented specifically at Mac users: the My Passport for Mac and My Book Mac Edition. Though only supporting USB 2.0 and not FireWire, the drives are pre-formatted for Macs and advertised as supporting Time Machine as well as other Mac backup software. The My Passport is a general-purpose portable drive, set inside a shock-resistant enclosure; 320 and 500GB versions are available.
The My Book is similar in design to the My Passport, but is intended only for home or office use, as it does not take power through USB. The drive turns on and off alongside computers, and avoids using a fan for cooling in order to reduce noise. At present, only a 1TB capacity is available, which costs $180. By contrast however, the 320 and 500GB My Passports are $130 and $180. WD is displaying its drives at booth 211 during Macworld.
[My Passport for Mac]
[My Book Mac Edition]
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Joined: Aug 2001
ooooh
Wow! Pre-formatted for the Mac! That is exciting. Otherwise, a user would waste a whole minute by getting prompted to erase the disk on insertion, and then waiting for the erasure.
That more than makes up for the lack of a real high-speed interface!