Western Digital News

From Western Digital:

Ultra-Transportable 4-Bay G-Technology G-SPEED Shuttle with Thunderbolt 3 and ev Series Bay Adapters Provides the Speed and Capacity Content Creators Need On-Location and In-Studio

SAN JOSE, CA – Jan. 16, 2018 – Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ: WDC) today introduced two new ultra-transportable solutions in its high-powered G-Technology G-SPEED Shuttle product family. The new solutions are designed to meet the demands of professional content creators who need lightning-fast transfer speed and high-capacity storage solution that can easily be moved from the studio to wherever your project takes you, and back.

The rise of streaming video on demand (SVoD) services are providing many new opportunities for studios, production houses and independent film makers. To capitalize on these opportunities, the right tools are crucial. When working in-the-field, production teams need a fast solution that can handle demanding workflows of 4K and 8K content with the ability to collect that precious footage and quickly move the content from location to location.

The new 4-bay G-SPEED Shuttle solution seamlessly integrates into the Thunderbolt 3 ecosystem* and delivers the capacity and performance needed for professionals to thrive in creative media and entertainment workflow environments, yet is designed with transportability in mind to quickly and safely get the data in the hands of the post-production teams. For example, with the G-SPEED Shuttle, a professional can transfer one hour of 4K footage at 30 frames per second (fps) in just minutes at up to 1,000 MB/s.

"The value of captured video content is immeasurable as it can’t be easily reshot or recovered if lost. One of the biggest pain points facing film makers is not having the ability to move the massive amounts of footage quickly and reliably to the next stage of the workflow – both physically and virtually. If you’re looking for a fast, high-capacity solution that’s also easily transportable, your options are limited. With the power of Thunderbolt 3, the flexibility to integrate with our ev Series, and a design optimized for mobility, the G-SPEED Shuttle is the perfect solution for any on-the-go project team," said Scott Vouri, vice president strategy and business development, G-Technology, Western Digital.

G-SPEED Shuttle Features and Availability

• G-SPEED Shuttle with Thunderbolt 3: Able to handle demanding multi-stream workflows of 4K and beyond, both on location and in the studio, the G-SPEED Shuttle solution with dual Thunderbolt 3 ports offers content creators up to 48TB and hardware RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10 in a 4-bay transportable design. Equipped with transfer rates up to 1000MB/s** and removable 7200RPM enterprise class drives, creative professionals have the ultimate storage solution for demanding video and photography workflows and high-capacity storage. The G-SPEED Shuttle with Thunderbolt 3 is available in the U.S. now in 16TB ($1,799.95), 24TB ($2,299.95), 32TB ($2,799.95) and 48TB ($3,799.95).
• G-SPEED Shuttle with ev Series Bay Adapters: While similar in features with the G-SPEED Shuttle with Thunderbolt 3, this model’s integrated ev Series bay adapters improve workflow options and productivity by enabling cross-functionality with all ev Series drives and readers. Users can experience enhanced reliability coupled with fast transfer rates up to 500MB/s and up to 24TB. The G-SPEED Shuttle solution with ev Series bay adapters is available in the U.S. now in 20TB ($1,999.95) and 24TB ($2,299.95).

The above G-Technology solutions use the HGST-branded Ultrastar enterprise-class drives and are backed by an industry-leading 5-year limited warranty. G-Technology brand storage solutions come pre-formatted for Mac computers and can be easily reformatted for Windows computers with the G-Technology Windows Format Wizard.

B&H has the G-Technology 4-Bay G-SPEED Shuttle Arrays in stock with free expedited shipping.

From Western Digital:

Irvine, CA - October 11, 2016 – Western Digital Corporation (“Western Digital”) (NASDAQ: WDC), today introduced modern and innovative redesigns of its My Passport, My Passport for Mac, and My Book hard drive lines, which have been highly recognized leading sellers for more than a decade. In partnership with fuseproject, an award-winning industrial design and branding firm, the reimagined products were built with the customer in mind. Developed to help make a connection between the device and user, the new drives also include password protection and hardware encryption so customers will love their hard drive as much as they cherish the content stored on it.

“As the storage landscape continues to rapidly evolve, and the bars for design and user-experience have increased, the team focused on the design and user experience to catapult My Passport and My Book to the next level,” said Jim Welsh, senior vice president, Content Solutions Business Unit, Western Digital. “Through the reimagined design language, we want to engage consumers in a conversation about how storage is core to their lives and how they feel more empowered by the real benefits of capturing, protecting and enjoying life’s precious memories.”

“The way we use data is changing; it’s becoming much more of a personal commodity, something we value,” says Yves Béhar, founder and Principal Designer at fuseproject. “Western Digital lies at the intersection of our physical life and the digital world, and we wanted to create a quality aesthetic that symbolizes this intersection.”

As part of the reimagined design, the My Passport drives will come in six vivid colors – Black, Yellow, Red, White, Orange and Blue – while still providing reliable portable storage that perfectly complements an on-the-go lifestyle. The My Passport for Mac drive is available in a stylish Black color. The trusted desktop storage device, My Book, combines personal style with a massive amount of storage space, up to 8 TB, so users can keep their photos, videos, music, and documents. Each storage device comes with an automatic backup solution for a seamless, user-friendly process, as well as password protection to keep your precious data safe.

The new WD products include:

My Passport portable hard drives – trusted and loved portable storage, in a reimagined design, that fits in the palm of your hand

• New attractive design with textured bottom
• Password protection with 256-bit AES hardware encryption
• Automatic backup with included WD Backup software
• Up to 4TB capacity

My Passport for Mac drives – your MacBook computer’s best friend

• New attractive design with textured bottom
• Password protection with 256-bit AES hardware encryption
• Formatted for Mac OS X and Time Machine ready for easy backup
• Up to 4TB capacity

My Book desktop hard drive – trusted, high capacity backup for PC and Mac

• Password protection with hardware encryption
• Automatic backup with included WD Backup software
• Up to 8TB capacity

Pricing and Availability
My Passport and My Passport for Mac portable hard drives are protected by a 2-year limited warranty and are available from wd.com and at select retailers and distributors around the world. My Passport drives have a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) starting at $79.99 USD and the My Passport for Mac drive has a starting MSRP of $79.99 USD.

My Book desktop hard drives are protected by a 2-year limited warranty and are available from the WD store at wd.com and at select retailers and distributors. My Book drives have a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) starting at $129.99 USD.

B&H carries WD My Passport and My Book drives.

From Western Digital:

PHOTOKINA, COLOGNE, GERMANY, Sept. 20, 2016 – Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ: WDC), a global storage technology and solutions leader, today unveiled its SanDisk 1TB terabyte (TB) SDXC card prototype at the world's leading trade fair for photo and video professionals. With increasing demand for high resolution content, such as 4K and 8K, the company continues to push the boundaries of technology with solutions that support the exponential growth of data-intensive production demands.

“Showcasing the most advanced imaging technologies is truly exciting for us,” said Dinesh Bahal, vice president, product management, Content Solutions Business Unit, Western Digital. “Sixteen years ago we introduced the first SanDisk 64MB SD card and today we are enabling capacities of 1TB. Over the years our goal has remained the same; continue to innovate and set the pace for the imaging industry. The SanDisk 1TB SD card prototype represents another significant achievement as growth of high-resolution content and capacity-intensive applications such as virtual reality, video surveillance and 360 video, are progressing at astounding rates.” Since the introduction of the record-breaking 512GB SanDisk Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-I Memory Card at Photokina 2014, Western Digital has proven it can nearly double the capacity in the same SD card form factor using proprietary technology. Higher capacity cards expand the possibilities for professional videographers and photographers, giving them even greater ability to create more of the highest quality content, without the interruption of changing cards.

“Just a few short years ago the idea of a 1TB capacity point in an SD card seemed so futuristic – it’s amazing that we’re now at the point where it’s becoming a reality. With the growing demand for applications like VR, we can certainly use 1TB when we’re out shooting continuous high-quality video. High-capacity cards allow us to capture more without interruption, streamlining our workflow, and eliminating the worry that we may miss a moment because we have to stop to swap out cards,” said Sam Nicholson, CEO of Stargate Studios and member of the American Society of Cinematographers.

Western Digital will be demonstrating the SanDisk 1TB SDXC card prototype and showcasing its newest offerings at Photokina, Hall 02.1 Stand A014.

B&H carries SanDisk memory cards.

In late February of this year, SanDisk proclaimed they had the "World's Fastest Transfer Speed" in their newly announced Extreme Pro 128GB microSD memory card. It now seems the transfer technology has migrated up the card capacity ladder.

From WD/SanDisk:

MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS SHANGHAI, China – June 29, 2016 – Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ: WDC), a global storage technology and solutions leader, today introduced a new suite of 256 gigabyte (GB) microSD cards, which includes the new 256GB SanDisk Extreme microSDXC UHS-I card – the fastest microSD card in its class. The new suite of cards also includes 256GB SanDisk Ultra microSDXC UHS-I card, Premium Edition, the first 256GB card optimized for mainstream consumers. The new additions deliver leading speed and capacity in a fingernail-sized card, giving smartphone, drone and action camera users the performance and capacity they need to capture professional-grade videos and photos without worrying about running out of space on their device.

“Our microSD cards are now at the center of many consumer devices, and we’re excited to not only raise the bar with the launch of the world’s fastest microSD card, but to also offer a family of 256GB microSD cards that give consumers the flexibility they need to capture life at its fullest,” said Dinesh Bahal, vice president of SanDisk product marketing, Western Digital. “As a leading global storage provider with one of the most trusted flash brands, we take pride in transforming the way consumers capture, store and share their content.”

Whether taking pictures, shooting 4K UHD or Full HD video, or storing high-fidelity music, the new 256GB cards give consumers the freedom to capture and carry a massive amount of content on their devices without concern about storage limitations.

“At DJI we focus on creating easy-to-use drone technology for consumers to capture everyday exploration and photography, and our customers need quick and reliable access to their high quality aerial footage,” said Eli Morgan Harris, strategic partnerships, DJI. “With the new 256GB SanDisk microSD UHS-I cards, they now have greater flexibility to capture their content on high-performance storage and the peace of mind knowing they can continue shooting when it matters most.”

The Ultimate Combination of Capacity and Performance

The 256GB SanDisk Extreme microSDXC UHS-I card delivers unmatched transfer speeds of up to 100MB/s**, allowing users to save time transferring large files, as well as write speeds of up to 90MB/s** for rapid capture of photos. Users can record an estimated 14 hours of 4K UHD video1 on the 256GB card, making it ideal for high-performance drones, action cameras, and 4K-capable smartphones, among other devices.

The 256GB SanDisk Ultra microSDXC UHS-I card, Premium Edition, is ideal for Android-based smartphone and tablet users who don’t want to worry about running out of space on their devices. The new card is capable of storing more than 24 hours of Full HD video1, and also features premium transfer speeds of up to 95MB/s**. At this speed people can move files quickly – up to 1,200 photos in just one minute2.

Built to perform in harsh conditions, the new cards3 are also waterproof, temperature-proof, shock proof, and X-ray proof. Additionally, the SanDisk microSD card line up is compatible with the SanDisk Memory Zone app for Android, giving users an easy way to manage and back up content on their device. The app is available for free through the Google Play Store4.

Heritage of Memory Card Innovation

The new suite of cards is the latest breakthrough offering to join the cutting-edge SanDisk portfolio of mobile memory solutions. The first to introduce 128GB and 200GB microSDXC, and 512GB SDXC high-capacity cards, SanDisk continues to pioneer technology that keeps up with consumers’ evolving storage needs.

Pricing and Availability

The 256GB SanDisk Ultra microSDXC UHS-I card, Premium Edition, will be available worldwide in August 2016 with a U.S. MSRP of $149.99. The 256GB SanDisk Extreme microSDXC UHS-I card will be available worldwide in calendar Q4 2016 with a U.S. MSRP of $199.99.

The complete line of SanDisk microSD cards can be purchased at more than 300,000 retailers worldwide.

B&H carries SanDisk microSD memory cards.

From Western Digital:

IRVINE, Calif., June 28, 2016 – Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ: WDC) today announced the launch of its My Passport Ultra, and upcoming My Passport for Mac and My Passport Ultra Metal portable hard drives, with up to 4TB capacity, filling the need for people to physically carry massive personal collections of videos, photos and other content with them, in a device roughly the size of a smartphone. The perfect blend of style and functionality, these My Passport portable hard drives meet the needs of today’s consumers with features people love like easy-to-use backup software, password protection and portable style in multiple colors, coupled with USB 3.0 connectivity.

Perfect for students, business people and general consumers on-the-go who prefer to carry their device with them, these My Passport portable hard drives are dependable, with easy-to-use WD Backup automatic backup software1 with cloud-ready Dropbox integration and 256-bit AES hardware encryption with password protection to help safeguard against unauthorized drive access. With these My Passport drives, it's now easier than ever to have a content protection plan that fits everyone’s busy life.

“The increasingly mobile lifestyle has consumers capturing their lives with smartphones and high-resolution cameras, growing their personal content collections and creating demand for even more storage capacity,” says Sven Rathjen, vice president of marketing, content solutions, Western Digital. “At WD, we’re committed to providing our consumers with space to take their digital lives with them through high-capacity and high-quality devices.”

Pricing and Availability

My Passport Ultra 4TB portable hard drives have a 3-year limited warranty and are available now at select retailers and distributors. The My Passport Ultra 4TB hard drive has a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price of $159.99. The My Passport for Mac and My Passport Ultra Metal 4TB hard drives will be available next quarter.

B&H carries the My Passport Ultra 4TB hard drives.

IRVINE, Calif. – June 21, 2016 – Western Digital Corporation ("Western Digital") (NASDAQ: WDC), a global storage technology and solutions leader, today introduces the WD Pro Series: My Passport Wireless Pro Wi-Fi mobile storage.

My Passport Wireless Pro

My Passport Wireless Pro Wi-Fi mobile storage lets creative professionals and enthusiasts leave the laptop behind when on a shoot. Using the direct Wi-Fi connection, creators can automatically backup files from compatible cameras, as well as save, edit and transfer work seamlessly from up to eight other devices connected to the drive. Tethered connections are also available for faster transfers and include a built-in SD card reader as well as a USB 2.0 port.

Available in capacities up to 3TB, the My Passport Wireless Pro device also features up to 10 hours of battery life* and a built-in battery pack that can even be used to charge phones and other devices like digital or video cameras.

To ensure creative professionals can continue to work while in the field, My Passport Wireless Pro devices include compatibility with Adobe's Creative Cloud for mobile photo and video editing, as well as compatibility with Plex Media Server, which is capable of playing up to four streams of content while on-the-go.

B&H carries the WD My Passport Wireless Pro External HDs.

Note: The product image originally posted was not correct. The correct product image is now displayed.

From SanDisk:

MILPITAS, Calif. - May 10, 2016 - SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK) today announced that the Ministry of Commerce of China (“MOFCOM”) has approved the acquisition of SanDisk by Western Digital Technologies, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ: WDC).

All necessary regulatory approvals for the acquisition have now been received and the transaction is expected to close on Thursday, May 12, 2016. SanDisk stockholders previously voted to approve the transaction at a special meeting of stockholders held on March 15, 2016.

“We are pleased that the final regulatory approval has been received and we can now proceed with the planned combination with Western Digital,” said Sanjay Mehrotra, president and chief executive officer, SanDisk. “We thank our stakeholders for their support of this transaction and look forward to contributing to the success of Western Digital as it transforms into the leading storage solutions company.”

From Western Digital:

New Color Designated Line Features up to 8TB Capacity with Optimal Performance, High Capacity and Enhanced Reliability for Datacenter Applications

IRVINE, Calif. – Apr. 19, 2016 – Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ: WDC), a world leader in storage solutions, today announced the expansion of its award-winning color portfolio with a new line; WD Gold datacenter hard drives. WD Gold datacenter hard drives are designed for a broad range of applications – including small- to medium-scale enterprise servers and storage, and rack-mount datacenter servers and storage enclosures. WD Gold drives are currently available at select U.S. distributors, resellers and through the WD Store.

With purpose-driven designs for the datacenter, WD Gold datacenter hard drives are launching with a new, high-capacity configuration of up to 8TB that offers HelioSeal helium-technology for performance, ideal capacity per square foot, power efficiency and low power consumption for datacenter environments. WD Gold datacenter hard drives feature an optimized design with an 8TB option that helps reduce the TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) of servers and storage systems, benefiting IT administrators challenged with growing storage capacity needs on limited budgets. WD Gold hard drives will also include a premium dedicated support line for customers worldwide.

"Western Digital has a proven history of providing award-winning purpose-driven products for unique requirements of each application environment, like WD Red, WD Purple and WD Blue drives," said Brendan Collins vice president of product marketing, Western Digital Corporation. "WD Gold is a pinnacle part of the color portfolio strategy and another step in creating optimized drives for the markets we serve. Our continued goal is to deliver the most competitive and reliable solutions on the market."

WD Gold datacenter hard drives include:

• Improved power efficiency – New electronics enhance power efficiency up to 15 percent. HelioSeal technology enables up to 26 percent lower power consumption
• Better performance – Up to 18 percent sequential performance improvement over previous generation WD Re 4TB datacenter drives, and up to 30 percent improvement in random write performance over previous generation WD Re 6TB datacenter drives through media-based cache, and up to 3x improvement over competitive offerings
• High reliability – WD Gold incorporates best-of-breed design, manufacturing and test processes to achieve one of the highest reliability ratings in the industry – 2.5 million hours MTBF (8TB offering)
• Dedicated Premium Support Line and WD Gold Model Numbers – Western Digital offers a 24/7 premium support line for WD Gold customers and can be reached at U.S.: (855) 559-3733; International: +80055593733. WD Gold model numbers:
• 8TB: WD8002FRYZ
• 6TB: WD6002FRYZ
• 4TB: WD4002FYYZ

B&H has the WD Gold Series Hard Drives available for preorder.

From Western Digital:

• New platform creates greater scale and ability to deliver extensive portfolio of innovative products and technology
• Combined business well-positioned to capture growth and opportunities created by rapidly evolving storage industry
• JV with Toshiba provides stable NAND supply at scale through a time-tested business model and extends across NVM technologies such as 3D NAND

IRVINE, Calif. and MILPITAS, Calif. — Oct. 21, 2015 — Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ: WDC) and SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK) today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Western Digital will acquire all of the outstanding shares of SanDisk for a combination of cash and stock. The offer values SanDisk common stock at $86.50 per share or a total equity value of approximately $19 billion, using a five-day volume weighted average price ending on October 20, 2015 of $79.60 per share of Western Digital common stock. If the previously announced investment in Western Digital by Unisplendour Corporation Limited closes prior to this acquisition, Western Digital will pay $85.10 per share in cash and 0.0176 shares of Western Digital common stock per share of SanDisk common stock; and if the Unisplendour transaction has not closed or has been terminated, $67.50 in cash and 0.2387 shares of Western Digital common stock per share of SanDisk common stock. The transaction has been approved by the boards of directors of both companies.

The combination is the next step in the transformation of Western Digital into a storage solutions company with global scale, extensive product and technology assets, and deep expertise in non-volatile memory (NVM). With this transaction, Western Digital will double its addressable market and expand its participation in higher-growth segments. SanDisk brings a 27-year history of innovation and expertise in NVM, systems solutions and manufacturing. The combination also enables Western Digital to vertically integrate into NAND, securing long-term access to solid state technology at lower cost.

The proposed combination creates significant value for both SanDisk and Western Digital shareholders. Western Digital brings a successful track record of M&A with a number of acquisitions over the last several years helping to fuel innovation, create value and strongly position the company to capture higher-growth opportunities. In addition, Western Digital's operational excellence, coupled with the recently announced decision by China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) allowing Western Digital to integrate substantial portions of its WD and HGST businesses, is expected to generate additional cost synergies.

"This transformational acquisition aligns with our long-term strategy to be an innovative leader in the storage industry by providing compelling, high-quality products with leading technology," said Steve Milligan, chief executive officer, Western Digital. "The combined company will be ideally positioned to capture the growth opportunities created by the rapidly evolving storage industry. I'm excited to welcome the SanDisk team as we look to create additional value for all of our stakeholders, including our customers, shareholders and employees."

"Western Digital is globally recognized as a leading provider of storage solutions and has a 45-year legacy of developing and manufacturing cutting-edge solutions, making the company the ideal strategic partner for SanDisk," said Sanjay Mehrotra, president and chief executive officer, SanDisk. "Importantly, this combination also creates an even stronger partner for our customers. Joining forces with Western Digital will enable the combined company to offer the broadest portfolio of industry-leading, innovative storage solutions to customers across a wide range of markets and applications."

Western Digital and SanDisk's complementary product lines, including hard disk drives ("HDDs"), solid-state drives ("SSDs"), cloud datacenter storage solutions and flash storage solutions, will provide the foundation for a broader set of products and technologies from consumer to datacenter. Both companies have strong R&D and engineering capabilities and a rich base of fundamental technologies with over 15,000 combined patents issued or pending worldwide.

Toshiba has been a long-term strategic partner to SanDisk for 15 years. The joint venture (JV) with Toshiba will be ongoing, enabling vertical integration through a technology partnership driven by deep collaboration across design and process capabilities. The JV provides stable NAND supply at scale through a time-tested business model and extends across NVM technologies such as 3D NAND.

Steve Milligan will continue to serve as chief executive officer of the combined company, and the company will remain headquartered in Irvine, California. Upon closing, Sanjay Mehrotra is expected to join the Western Digital Board of Directors.

Led by a seasoned management team, Western Digital has a strong track record of integrating acquisitions to create value. The company expects to achieve full annual run-rate synergies of $500 million within 18 months post-closing. The transaction is expected to be EPS accretive on a non-GAAP basis within 12 months of the transaction close. Pending the closing of the transaction, Western Digital expects to continue paying its quarterly dividend and plans to suspend its share buyback program.

The transaction will be financed by a mix of cash, new debt financing and Western Digital stock. In connection with the transaction, Western Digital expects to enter into new debt facilities totaling $18.4 billion, including a $1.0 billion revolving credit facility. The proceeds from the new debt facilities are expected to be used to pay part of the purchase price, refinance existing debt of Western Digital and SanDisk and pay transaction related fees and expenses. If SanDisk's cash balance falls below certain thresholds at the time of transaction close, the merger agreement provides for an adjustment to the mix of cash and stock consideration.

The transaction is subject to approval by SanDisk shareholders and, in the event that the Unisplendor transaction does not close, Western Digital shareholders, receipt of regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. The transaction is expected to close in the third calendar quarter of 2016.

BofA Merrill Lynch and J.P. Morgan are acting as lead financial advisors to Western Digital and will provide committed financing for the transaction. Also, Credit Suisse is acting as a financial advisor and providing committed financing, and RBC Capital Markets is providing committed financing. Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP and Baker & McKenzie are acting as legal advisors to Western Digital.

Goldman Sachs is acting as the exclusive financial advisor to SanDisk. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP is acting as the exclusive legal advisor to SanDisk.

B&H carries Sandisk memory cards.

From WD:

New My Passport Drives Now Feature Up to 3 TB Capacity, Easier Backup Software and Personalization Options

IRVINE, Calif. – May 27, 2015 – WD, a Western Digital (NASDAQ:WDC) company, and world leader in storage solutions, today introduced the new, redesigned My Passport Ultra portable hard drives and My Passport for Mac drives. With the My Passport line now in its 7th generation, the My Passport Ultra and My Passport for Mac portable hard drives are now available in capacities up to 3 TB1 and in four stylish colors2 - Classic Black, Brilliant White, Wild Berry and Noble Blue. WD is also introducing a new optional accessory – WD Grip Pack – a soft band, available in a variety of colors, which encircles the drive, offering consumers an easy way to personalize their My Passport drives.

“With more photos being taken than ever before, it’s critical to have a high capacity, reliable external storage solution that you can carry everywhere,” said Tony Tate, general manager and vice president of Content Storage Solutions at WD. “The latest generation My Passport drives deliver an easier automatic back-up experience, hardware-based encryption for security and higher capacities than ever before. Consumers can keep all their content in their pockets, while expressing their personal styles with the colors and WD Grip Pack.”

My Passport Ultra portable drives come in 3 TB, 2 TB, 1 TB and 500 GB capacities and feature 256-bit AES hardware encryption3 – delivering a high level of security with no impact to write-speed or CPU activity. If your My Passport Ultra falls into the wrong hands, the 256-bit AES hardware encryption protects users’ files, folders, photos, videos and music with a password known only to them. USB 3.0 compatibility provides fast data transfer rates of up to 5 gigabits per second, while being backwardly compatible with USB 2.0. My Passport for Mac portable drives are available in capacities of 3 TB, 2 TB, 1 TB and also feature 256-bit AES hardware encryption with USB 3.0 connectivity.

Sold separately, the WD Grip Pack accessory for My Passport Ultra is available in five colors (smoke, slate, grape, sky and fuchsia) and, when wrapped around one of the four colors of My Passport Ultra drives, enables consumers to create a total of twenty possible color combinations. The WD Grip Pack comes with a color-matched 18-inch flat USB 3.0 cable, creating a stylish complete solution.

My Passport Ultra’s built-in WD Backup software is a simple-to-use application with focus on reducing frustration when setting up a backup plan to preserve data. Since 31% of devices have had malware at some point, having your data safely backed up onto a secondary device like a My Passport drive is critical to preserving precious data.

Pricing and Availability

My Passport Ultra and My Passport for Mac portable drives are available today at select retailers, including Amazon (My Passport Ultra) and distributors. My Passport Ultra and My Passport for Mac have a Manufacturer’s Suggest Retail Price (MSRP) ranging from $79.99 up to $199.99 depending on capacity (3 TB capacity available next month). Both the My Passport Ultra and My Passport for Mac will offer a 3-year limited warranty. Terms and conditions of WD’s limited warranty may be found at support.wdc.com/warranty. WD Grip Pack accessories will be available in June and will have an MSRP of $12.99.

B&H carries the new WD My Passport Ultra drives.

From Western Digital:

My Passport Wireless External Hard Drive Expands Storage for all Devices With No Need for Wires or Internet

RVINE, Calif. – Sept. 3, 2014 – WD, a Western Digital (NASDAQ: WDC) company and a world leader in connected storage solutions, today unveiled My Passport Wireless, an easy to use Wi-Fi enabled storage drive that allows consumers to save, access and share stored content wirelessly with any smartphone, tablet, computer or other device. For the frequent business traveler to the family on a road trip or creative professional working in the field, the My Passport Wireless drive is a simple way to connect all computing and mobile devices to content without any wires or Internet connection. Additionally, when users need to transfer large amounts of data, the My Passport Wireless drive provides the option of using a high speed USB 3.0 connection.

"As we celebrate its 10th anniversary, the success of WD's My Passport line of portable hard drives is unprecedented," explains Jim Welsh, executive vice president, WD Content Solutions Business and worldwide sales. "Our new My Passport Wireless drive continues the evolution, resolving a common problem for today's mobile consumer; too many devices with limited storage and no way to offload their content and free up space on-the-go. Now, consumers will have one drive to easily store content from all their devices and enjoy that content anywhere they go."

The My Passport Wireless drive broadcasts its own wireless network that allows up to eight devices to connect at the same time and access any content stored on the drive. Available in 500GB, 1TB or 2TB models, users now have the ability to store and access up to hundreds of hours of movies and music, as well photos and other digital files, from their smartphones and tablets that are typically limited by minimal storage capacity.

The portable wireless drive features Wireless N with MIMO technology for enhanced wireless performance so that users can access and transfer files quickly, as well as stream up to four HD videos simultaneously. The built-in rechargeable battery provides up to six hours of continuous streaming and up to 20 hours of standby power making the drive a perfect travel companion.

With the My Passport Wireless drive users have anywhere, anytime access to their favorite digital content by using WD's award winning WD My Cloud mobile app for iOS or Android mobile devices. The WD My Cloud mobile app easily connects to a My Passport Wireless drive for simple product setup, and once setup the mobile app provides intuitive navigation, sharing and playback of the drive's content. The WD My Cloud app also helps unify all of a users' content under a single app and user interface, by allowing access to content on the My Passport Wireless drive, the WD My Cloud family of personal cloud storage, and on major public cloud services such as Dropbox, OneDrive and Google Drive from just one app.

In additional to mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, the portable wireless storage drive is an ideal companion for cameras with its integrated SD card slot. Whether shooting large commercial photography and video production or just taking photos and videos of the family while on vacation, the My Passport Wireless drive will never let you miss a moment because your memory cards are full. The built-in SD card slot lets users copy their content from the SD card to the My Passport Wireless drive to make room for more memorable moments. Additionally, with integrated FTP, the drive connects to compatible wireless cameras so that users can automatically transfer photos from their cameras to the drive as they are taking them.

Price and Availability
The My Passport Wireless drive is currently available for advance order online at the wdstore.com and will be available at select U.S. retailers later in September. MSRP is $129.99 USD for 500GB, $179.99 USD for 1 TB and $219.99 for 2 TB. The WD My Cloud mobile app currently is available for download for free from the App Store and Google Play.

B&H has the WD My Passport Wireless External Hard Drives available for preorder.

From Western Digital:

IRVINE, Calif. – Aug. 19, 2014 – To commemorate the 10th anniversary of its My Passport line of portable external hard drives, WD, a Western Digital (NASDAQ: WDC) company, is introducing a sleek new design for the world’s most popular external hard drive lines. More than 60 million My Passport drives have been sold in the past 10 years, providing approximately 42,000 petabytes of content protection for consumers worldwide. The My Passport Ultra - Metal Edition drive and My Passport Ultra - Anniversary Edition drive represent a decade of refinement for WD’s enduring portable drive line. They feature elegant metal exteriors, up to 2 TB capacities in smaller enclosures, content protection, including backup, and cloud integration for anywhere access to personal content.

The My Passport Ultra – Metal Edition and Anniversary Edition drives incorporate a unique and innovative radial-spin-design aluminum enclosure, which provides attractive styling and extra protection against the everyday knocks experienced in the hands of today’s mobile consumer. In addition, the drive offers users hardware encryption and password protection to prevent unauthorized use of the drive in the event of loss or theft. For additional content protection and remote sharing, the My Passport Ultra - Metal Edition drive includes WD SmartWare Pro software with Dropbox integration, allowing users to back up content from their computer to the drive and from the drive to the cloud, and retrieve content from their Dropbox account to the My Passport drive. These features make the My Passport drive an ideal choice for backing up, protecting, storing and enjoying digital content on the go.

“Ten years is a milestone by any consumer technology standard, and having the opportunity to consistently reinvent a product line like My Passport to suit the changing needs of consumers and creative professionals is something we are especially proud of,” said Tony Tate, vice president and general manager of WD’s Content Solutions unit. “We thank all of our customers for their ongoing feedback over the years, which has helped make My Passport the most popular external hard drives ever.”

Pricing and Availability
My Passport Ultra - Metal Edition drive is available from the WD store at select retailers and distributors. My Passport Ultra - Anniversary Edition drive is anticipated to be available in limited quantities beginning early September 2014. My Passport Ultra - Metal Edition 1 TB drive has a Manufacturer’s Suggest Retail Price (MSRP) of $89.00 and 2 TB has an MSRP of $139.00. Both drives will offer a regional 3-year limited warranty.

B&H has the WD My Passport Ultra - Limited Anniversary Edition and Metal Edition drives available for preorder.

From Western Digital:

Innovative 2.5-inch Drive Pairs 120 GB SSD with 1 TB Hard Drive to Deliver Maximum Performance, Data Control in Ultimate Upgrade for Notebook, AIO, Single-Drive Bay Systems

IRVINE, Calif. – Nov. 25, 2013 – WD, a Western Digital (NASDAQ: WDC) company and storage industry leader, today announced the release of the WD Black2 dual drive, a unique storage innovation that fuses a 2.5-inch 120 GB solid state drive (SSD) with a 1 TB hard disk drive (HDD) to offer a powerful dual drive solution. Perfect for consumers and service providers looking to upgrade notebooks, small form factor desktops, and single-slot and all-in-one (AIO) systems with both SSD level performance and HDD capacity, the WD Black2 dual drive connects through a single cable and fits into a conventional 9.5 mm slot.

“Our customers told us they like our Solid State Hybrid Drive technology, but our tech savvy users asked for more control of where they store their data,” said Matt Rutledge, senior vice president of WD’s Storage Technology business unit. “The WD Black2 dual drives empower our customers to enjoy SSD performance and access high capacity storage in a no-compromise package. The WD Black2 dual drive is a direct result of our interaction with our customer base through WD Labs initiatives. WD devised its beta labs program to provide an exclusive testing arena for key customers and technology influencers of existing and emerging WD storage products."

2-in-1
Designed for enthusiasts, creative professionals, gamers and PC builders, the WD Black2 dual drive provides improved overall drive capacity, performance, and reliability, while offering the flexibility to choose how and where their data is stored. Utilizing the benefits of both flash and magnetic disks, WD Black2 dual drives offload data usage from the SSD to the HDD, which increases endurance and life of the SSD. Users maintain greater data control, which can eliminate the need and expense of cloud-based storage.

WD Black2 is free of caching algorithms and benefits from SATA 6 Gb/second interface speed. It is neatly packaged in a standard 9.5 mm, 2.5-inch form factor with legacy SATA connector, making the WD Black2 dual drive compatible with popular PC operating systems ranging from Windows XP to Windows 8.1.

Price and Availability
Available through authorized retailers, WD Black2 dual drives are covered by a five-year limited warranty. MSRP for the 2.5-inch 120 GB SSD + 1 TB HDD WD Black2 dual drive, model #: (WD1001X06XDTL) is $299.00 USD.

Adorama is an authorized retailer of Western Digital products.

From Western Digital:

With New My Cloud Consumers Can Easily Save, Access and Share all of their Photos, Videos and Files from Any Device, Anytime – without Sacrificing Privacy

IRVINE, Calif. – Oct. 2, 2013 – WD, a Western Digital (NASDAQ: WDC) company and a world leader in storage solutions for the connected life, today introduced its new My Cloud family of personal cloud solutions. WD’s My Cloud is a complete solution for users to organize, centralize and secure the digital content from all of their computers and mobile devices and access those files from any device, from anywhere in the world. By simply connecting a My Cloud personal cloud drive to the Internet, consumers get the anywhere, any-device access they can get from the public cloud, without having to pay monthly fees or giving up control of their personal data.

“We believe that there’s no place like home for the cloud,” said Jim Welsh, executive vice president and general manager of WD's branded products and consumer electronics groups. “Everyone is inundated with thousands of digital files scattered across multiple computers and mobile devices, and controlling that chaos is a challenge. WD’s personal cloud is the easiest, most secure and most affordable way for customers to control that chaos, with access to all of their files anywhere, anytime.”

Research firm Gartner estimates that the average household will own approximately 3.3 terabytes (TB) of digital content by 2016. In line with this growth of digital content is the explosive growth of Internet-connected devices, with the current U.S. household owning 5.7 connected devices, according to The NPD Group. The convergence of rapid content and device growth requires a new storage paradigm that gives consumers complete control over their digital lives. Personal cloud storage is the new standard, allowing users to keep media and files safe at home on their own physical drive and then access them over the Internet with any PC or Mac computer or on tablets and smartphones through mobile apps. Using the My Cloud drive, users can share files, stream media and access content anywhere with no monthly fees and feel secure in the knowledge that their cloud resides in their own home under their exclusive control.

“Families are connecting, sharing, syncing, and backing-up numerous mobile devices and computers in their household, with the amount of digital data being created on these devices growing dramatically,” said Liz Conner, Senior Research Analyst, Storage Systems, IDC. “Personal cloud is an ideal solution to simplify the complex issue of organizing digital files across various devices so that users can enjoy their digital videos, photos and music on all of their devices.”

Streamlined Setup and Backup

Customers can get their personal cloud up and running in minutes with WD’s rich web-based user interface for seamless web-guided setup. WD's software auto-detects the drive to make setup simple for novice users. Once the My Cloud drive is setup, customers can easily connect their computers and mobile devices with WD's free desktop and mobile apps. With a Gigabit Ethernet connection and Dual-Core processor, transferring files is blazing fast, allowing customers to quickly centralize all of the digital content scattered across various devices onto My Cloud. With direct file uploads from mobile devices, important files and videos can be safely moved to My Cloud, freeing up valuable space on users’ tablets and smartphones.

Customers can also use their My Cloud to back up their computers and digital files. For PC users, WD SmartWare Pro software offers options for how, when and where to back up files. Mac users can utilize all the features of Apple Time Machine backup software to protect their data.

Complete Control

My Cloud users can store and organize their families’ photos, videos, music and important documents in one secure place on the home network. With the new My Cloud desktop app, navigating, controlling and sharing these files from anywhere in the world is simple and intuitive. My Cloud is available in 2 TB, 3 TB, and 4 TB capacities, providing bountiful storage capacity with no monthly payment required. Customers can also attach a compatible USB 3.0 hard drive directly to the USB expansion port on the My Cloud drive and instantly expand their storage capacity.

Additionally, My Cloud serves as a home’s digital entertainment hub, storing terabytes of movies and music that can then be streamed to any DLNA-certified multimedia device such as a WD TV Live media player, as well as smart TVs and gaming consoles.

Accessing the Personal Cloud

Available for iOS and Android devices, the new WD My Cloud mobile app allows users to view photos, stream video and access their files from anywhere on their smartphones or tablets. The mobile app also makes file sharing and collaborating simple and secure, allowing customers to easily email files, share files as a link, and print and open files with third party apps.

Additionally, the My Cloud mobile app integrates major public cloud services so that customers can easily transfer files between their Dropbox, SkyDrive and Google Drive public cloud accounts.

Price and Availability

The 2 TB and 3 TB My Cloud is currently available at select U.S. retailers. The 4 TB My Cloud is expected to be available in November. MSRP is $149.99 USD for 2 TB, $179.99 USD for 3 TB and $249.99 USD for 4 TB. The My Cloud mobile app currently is available for download from the App Store and Google Play. A two drive and four drive My Cloud configuration will be available in the future.

Adorama carries Western Digital products.

From Western Digital:

Exclusive WD SmartWare Pro Data Protection with Local and Cloud Storage Backup via Dropbox Provides 'Ultimate Mobile Storage Solution'

IRVINE, Calif. – Sept. 5, 2013 – WD®, a Western Digital (NASDAQ: WDC) company, today announced the availability of its My Passport Slim line of portable hard drives, the first thin drives to offer up to 2 TB capacity, a metal enclosure, and 256-bit hardware-based encryption. The included WD SmartWare Pro data protection software allows users to back up their data to their My Passport Slim and keep an extra copy in their Dropbox account for peace-of-mind. The software also lets users back up their Dropbox1 account to the My Passport Slim. These features make the My Passport Slim an ideal choice for protecting, storing, and enjoying digital content on the go.

Available in 1 TB and 2 TB capacities, the My Passport Slim measures a scant 4.33 x 3.14 x 0.48-inches*, giving mobile consumers an easy and convenient way to transport their favorite music, movies, photos and documents.

The My Passport Slim also incorporates super-fast USB 3.0 connectivity for quick transfer speeds of high resolution digital files.

“WD's My Passport Slim drives are setting a new industry standard for portability, capacity, and file protection,” explained Scott Steffens, general manager of WD's consumer storage solutions group. “Its beautiful metal exterior, combined with up to 2 TB of storage, hardware encryption, and WD SmartWare Pro backup protection make it the only storage device today's mobile consumers will ever need to bring with them.”

Pricing and Availability
My Passport Slim portable hard drives are protected by a 3-year limited warranty and will be available from the WD store at wdstore.com as well as select retailers and distributors. My Passport Slim 1 TB has a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $99.99 USD, and the My Passport Slim 2 TB2 is $149.99.

*Measurement for 1TB. 2TB measures 4.33 x 3.14 x 0.7-inches

Adorama carries Western Digital portable hard drives.

T-D-P.com Note: Hard drive failure isn't just a possibility – given enough time, it's inevitable. Be sure to keep backups of everything that's important you. We use several Western Digital My Passport drives for backup purposes. The drives are small, convenient and quite reliable.

From WD:

WD® Ships First 2 TB Portable Hard Drive With Next-Gen My Passport®

World's Top-Selling External Storage Solution Gets Capacity Boost, Premium New Design, Improved Signature Features of Security and Automatic Backup

IRVINE, Calif., March 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Western Digital® (NYSE: WDC) today announced the next generation of its top-selling My Passport® line of portable hard drives, offering consumers a fresh new enclosure design and the first-ever 2 TB capacity in a portable drive. Now available in five popular colors: white, black, silver, blue, and red, with a range of capacities beginning from 500 GB, the new sleeker My Passport portable drives offer digital consumers an appealing array of storage options that reflect their personal style. Additionally, the new My Passport drives offer WD SmartWare™ automatic backup software and WD Security™ for password protection and hardware encryption.

With the addition of premium finishes, specially-engineered to make the outer shell more resistant to scratches and fingerprints, the new My Passport external drives feature ultra-fast USB 3.0 connectivity; USB 2.0 compatibility; continuous, automatic backup software; and password protection with hardware encryption. The included software offers the flexibility to customize the drive to a user's storage preferences: installing all features, just the components needed, or using the drive without the software. The new 2 TB model offers massive capacity in an amazing pocket-sized enclosure, affording plenty of secure storage for all of one's photos, video, music and other important files.

Given the small form factor and easy portability of My Passport drives, the built-in security features of password protection and hardware encryption help protect files from unauthorized use, making the drives safe data repositories for data while offering peace of mind to busy consumers on the go.

"More than money, jewelry and other valuables, the item most missed if ever lost or stolen is one's computer – and everything on it – so our goal in launching the next-generation of the popular My Passport drives is to encourage more consumers to protect their data before something happens," said Jim Welsh, executive vice president and general manager of WD's branded products and consumer electronics groups. "The new My Passport makes backing up and preserving one's digital life easier, reliable and more secure than ever – it's the perfect blend of monstrous capacity, reliability and user-friendly technology in a sleek form factor, now in five colors."

Pricing and Availability

My Passport drives come with a 2-year limited warranty and are available online at the WD store at www.wdstore.com and at select retailers and distributors. MSRP is $129.99 USD for 500 GB, $149.99 USD for 750 GB, $179.99 USD for 1 TB, $199.99 for 1.5 TB and $249.99 USD for the new 2 TB edition. Additional information on the My Passport family of hard drives can be found at http://www.wdc.com/en/products/external/portable/.

Western Digital has announced that it is now shipping a new 1TB hard drive sized to fit mainstream notebook computers (press release).

B&H has the Western Digital 1TB Scorpio Blue SATA 2.5" Hard Drive in stock.

Western Digital has today announced the Nomad Rugged Case for Passport Drives (press release).

I have over a dozen of these drives and use them constantly - the new case looks very useful.