It wasn’t all that long ago when a 1 TB external drive was the top end for storage devices.
Western Digital (WD) (NYSE:WDC) is now unveiling their new top-end consumer storage platform. The My Book Studio Edition II provides up to 6 Terabytes (TB) of storage to users. WD has set the MSRP for the device at $549.99.
“For the consumer, this is the largest,” a WD spokesperson told InternetNews.com. “There are larger capacity drives with more drive slots, but a 3 TB drive is the largest internal drive to date, thus this two drive system is the largest in its category.”
The My Book Studio Edition II is a dual drive system with two 3 TB drives from WD, providing the 6 TB of total capacity. Additionally RAID 1 is supported on the My Book Studio Edition II, to provide data mirroring across the two drives.
The new storage platform also includes WD GreenPower Technology that is intended to reduce power consumption. According to WD, with GreenPower the My Book Studio Edition II consumes approximately one-third less power than standard dual-drive external storage systems.
The new platform is being targeted at creative professionals using Apple Mac and supports Apple’s Time Machine backup system. The WD spokesperson noted that WD works with Apple to ensure compatibility for their platforms. PC users can also benefit from the My Book Studio Edition II as well. The spokesperson commented that the My Book Studio II can be formatted for the PC.
For the interfaces, WD is providing users with four options: USB 2.0, eSATA, Firewire 400 and Firewire 800. Apple’s new Thunderbolt technology which can deliver up to 10 Gbps of throughput isn’t yet supported by WD, though it could be in the future.
“WD is currently planning future storage products with Thunderbolt technology,” the WD spokesperson said. “We do not announce products before they are available so I am not able to give you a firm answer on a date at this time.”
