Western Digital debuts first SSD-based My Passport drive with USB-C for Macs
Western Digital on Thursday announced the My Passport SSD, not only its first portable SSD but a unit designed with Apple's latest MacBooks in mind, thanks to a built-in USB-C port.
The drive in fact requires a bundled Type-A adapter to work with traditional USB. When connected to either USB-C or USB 3.x, it can hit speeds of up to 515 megabytes per second -- it's not Thunderbolt 3-compatible, however.
For basic file transfers the drive should be ready out of the box. Proprietary backup software is included, and it can also be reformatted for macOS's Time Machine. Through a WD Security app the drive can be locked with 256-bit AES encryption.
Design-wise the drive is said to fit in the palm of the hand, but be engineered to survive drops up to 6.5 feet.
256 gigabyte, 512 gigabyte, and 1 terabyte models are planned, with prices around $100, $200, and $400, respectively. A launch date has yet to be revealed.
USB-C is the only USB format natively supported by current MacBook and MacBook Pro models. Apple has yet to bring the technology to other Macs, though iMacs shipping this year will likely include it, as should future Mac minis, and a redesigned Mac Pro coming in 2018.
The drive in fact requires a bundled Type-A adapter to work with traditional USB. When connected to either USB-C or USB 3.x, it can hit speeds of up to 515 megabytes per second -- it's not Thunderbolt 3-compatible, however.
For basic file transfers the drive should be ready out of the box. Proprietary backup software is included, and it can also be reformatted for macOS's Time Machine. Through a WD Security app the drive can be locked with 256-bit AES encryption.
Design-wise the drive is said to fit in the palm of the hand, but be engineered to survive drops up to 6.5 feet.
256 gigabyte, 512 gigabyte, and 1 terabyte models are planned, with prices around $100, $200, and $400, respectively. A launch date has yet to be revealed.
USB-C is the only USB format natively supported by current MacBook and MacBook Pro models. Apple has yet to bring the technology to other Macs, though iMacs shipping this year will likely include it, as should future Mac minis, and a redesigned Mac Pro coming in 2018.
Comments
I remember when I paid $400 for an external 3.5" 1TB HDD. I think that was about 12 years ago.
Western Digital My Passport SSD is first and foremost made for the PC hence you need to reformat it for a Mac and it doesn't support thunderbolt. This article seems to indicate the drive was made for the Mac and only the Mac, whereas it just supports the new Mac.
Yes, you can buy a Thunderbolt drive, but nobody is forcing anyone...
I was looking at the Samsung T3, since it had received good reviews, but am now there's the WD one. Will be interesting to see how those prices translate. The Samsung is kind of pricy here once exchange rates and taxes are taken into account.
Currently critical files get backed up to an SD card via a script using the "Attic" backup system. This is somewhat like Time Machine in operation but we only backup the documents directory.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Z14U8BQ
And for USB3.0, low-cost off-brand rivals are appearing:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01JKMZ8FA
Absolutely! I delete all that proprietary software on the external drives that I buy.
I really want that 1TB version.
Interestingly, OWC said that Apple's stock SSD would work fine in their external enclosure. But their own SSDs would not! Sounds to me like a lack of ESD protection or something along those lines. Regardless, this true story from my own first-hand experiences proves you can put just any SSD into any external enclosure!