Review on 💾 2TB WD My Passport for Mac Portable External Hard Drive with USB-A Compatibility by Haji Anderson

PCs and Macs. They proved to be reliable and powerful, gradually improving with each new generation. The ONLY difference between the Mac and PC versions is the initial formatting and the preinstalled software package (which can be downloaded from Western Digital). Acquiring the Mac version saves some time for a Mac user. That's all. This 2016 model features a new case design with sharp 90 degree angles and a glossy finish that makes fingerprints and scratches easily visible. In my case, I get these drives for how they work, not what they look like, but I understand that others might think differently. TOTAL (for the impatient): The new model is slightly faster than last year's and includes a 4TB model. 4TB model compared to the previous generation of My Passport Ultra for PC in early 2016, but the Mac version maxes out at 3TB. just noticeable. For just larger files, reading/writing is noticeably faster. I received the 4TB size. This is consistent with my experience with the PC version, which I tested using Crystal DiskMark. This 2016 My Passport for Mac has a new design that replaces rounded corners with pointed ones and gives the case odd (to me) styling. Purely aesthetic change. The glossy surface easily picks up fingerprints and scratches. Aside from looks and the addition of a 4TB model, it's functionally almost identical to the 2015 My Passport Ultra Mac model. Passport Ultra Mac (up to 3TB only), whichever is cheaper. If you want older 4TB, you'll need to download and reformat the PC model. Either way, you'll have an excellent ride. If you need more information, read on. OVERVIEW: My Passport USB 3.0 drives are easy to use and come with smart software tools and backup/sync software. The drive includes software: WD Backup, WD Security, and WD Drive Utilities. According to the manual, they are compatible with Mac OS X Mavericks, Yosemite, El Capitan and Sierra versions. I use Time Machine for backups with this drive and haven't looked at the software that came with it. If they are of interest, be sure to check the WD website for newer versions. Pros: + This drive works great with Mac, Linux or Windows. On Linux or Windows, it works best when reformatted with the native file system for that operating system.+ This generation has 4TB, 3TB, 2TB, and 1TB models. The 500GB sizes in previous versions have been removed. + This drive is faster than the last generation. Up to 10% faster in tests, but noticeable in practical use. + The form factor of the new drive is almost the same as before, except for sharpened corners and an increase in thickness of about 1mm. + Includes hardware encryption feature (I don't use this, but good for people who take their hard drive with them where it can fall into the wrong hands.) USB 3.0 cable: A very good buy for upgrading My Passport drives.- Change them Hard drive case design is not a plus for me. It's not a big minus either, since I didn't pick that drive for it. Sharp corners are worst From a usability perspective, rounded corners are nicer - Warranty reduced from 3 years to 2 years WHAT'S IN THE BOX: My Passport comes in an easy-to-open retail box containing a drive and an annoyingly short USB 3.0 cable. a few slips of paper for a guarantee and a quick start. That's all. The diskette contains software: WD Backup, WD Security and WD Drive Utilities. According to the instructions, they are compatible with Mac OS X Mavericks, Yosemite, El Capitan and Sierra versions. The cable in this model is the same as in previous versions. That might be fine for a lot of people, but I keep a couple of 3 foot (or more) USB 3.0 cables handy for longer runs and less restrictive placement on my desktop. FORM FACTOR vs PREVIOUS GENERATION: I will compare the new generation of My Passport. with my 2015 My Passport Ultra. hx 0.62"x3.21" 1TB: 0.34lb., 4.33"x0.62"x3.21" 2TB-3TB: 0.50lb., 4.33"x 0.83" x 3.21" I ran subjective copy tests on this 11GB drive. I also have a PC version of this drive and ran the CrystalDiskMark test on this drive. In my subjective experience, it's noticeably faster compared to the 2015 My Passport Ultra drive. It's a mixed folder with large and small files including several gigabytes plus ISO image files. When simply copying very large files, the difference in speed is much more noticeable. Maybe reading is 10% faster, but writing large volumes is almost 50% faster. This can save time when writing large files such as backups. I think this new drive might have a bigger drive write cache, or maybe it's just a slightly faster drive. Maybe both. For larger copies, the new My Passport can save you a few seconds here or there, but your latest-generation My Passport Ultra drives are still pretty good in real-world use. CONCLUSIONS. Western Digital's My Passport line of drives has worked very well for me and my customers on Mac, PC and Linux systems. This reliable series with good to excellent performance has a long positive history with me. This WD My Passport Mac is an evolution of the 2015 My Passport Ultra. I'll prefer it over the old model for new Mac-related purchases, but I won't rush replacing old drives. I like the rounded corner of the My Passport Ultra 2015 better, but that's a very small point for me. Overall this is a great successor to its 5 star predecessor and still a very good choice for external storage. To make improvements that compensate for a small oversight in the design of the case and not to ruin something that has worked well for a long time. The My Passport Mac generation deserves 5 stars in my opinion. Hope this helps someone!