Storage specialist Western Digital Corp. subsidiary WD announced the release of My Book VelociRaptor Duo dual-drive storage system, supported by the Mac OS X operating system and aimed at creative professionals.
The drive also provides a just a bunch of disks (JBOD) option for users running a Windows operating system on a Mac. The system sports two 1TB 10,000 rpm WD VelociRaptor drives along with two Thunderbolt ports, and comes complete with a Thunderbolt cable in the package.
With speed and performance key factors for graphic design and post-production professionals, WD is playing up the degree to which high-intensity tasks like 3D rendering, video editing and other graphics-intensive projects can be accomplished. A company release claims the My Book VelociRaptor Duo has the ability to transfer 22GB full-length HD movies in less than 65 seconds, 2,000 5MB pictures in less than 33 seconds and more than 500 5MB songs in less than eight seconds.
“The My Book VelociRaptor Duo is the fastest and most reliable high-performance consumer storage device on the market today,” Jody Bradshaw, senior director of WD’s consumer storage solutions group, said in a prepared statement. “Creative professionals now have access to a super-charged storage drive that will keep pace with even the most demanding projects. Daisy-chaining multiple My Book VelociRaptor Duo devices together offers even greater speed, more capacity and flexibility.”
The dual-drive storage system offers RAID 0 for performance or RAID 1 for protection; while RAID 0 maximizes the drive’s speed and capacity, RAID 1 support allows users to create a second copy of their digital content on the drive for added protection and security. The twin Thunderbolt ports offer daisy-chaining multiple My Book VelociRaptor Duo drives and other high-performance peripherals. Additional features include compatibility with Apple Time Machine and HFS + Journaled for Mac computers, and capability for multi-stream workflows.
WD also announced that it has added the USB 3.0 interface to its line of My Passport for Mac portable hard drives and increased capacity for Mac computer users up to 2TB. For those who put safety and security at the top of the list of requirements for portable drives, the My Passport for Mac includes password protection and hardware encryption features to protect content from unauthorized use or access. My Passport for Mac comes with a three-year limited warranty and is available via the WD store online, with prices starting at $99.99 for the 500GB, $129.99 for the 1TB and $199.99 for the 2TB.
“Today’s mobile consumers are looking for fast, safe, compact and reliable ways to access and transport their digital files,” Ralf San Jose, director of product marketing for WD’s consumer storage products group, said in a press statement. “My Passport for Mac with USB 3.0 adds the convenience of a very fast USB connection that includes added security features that mobile consumers need when away from home. Adding all these benefits with an unmatched industry capacity of 2TB provides the perfect solution for the demanding Mac customer.”