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Original URL: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/09/06/wd_pitches_slimline_external_hdds_for_mac_and_windows/

WD touts slimline external HDDs

Shaves 2mm off the Mac version, adds £8 to the price

By Tony Smith

Posted in Hardware, 6th September 2012 15:23 GMT

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"Skinny external hard drives for all!" shouted Western Digital today while launching an 11mm-thick USB 3 unit.

WD My Passport Edge

The WD My Passport Edge, available in separate NTFS format for Windows boxes and Journaled HFS+ for Mac OS X - the latter has an aluminium edge for extra fanboy appeal - offers 500GB of svelte storage, courtesy no doubt of WD's own 6.8mm-thick single-platter Scorpio Blue HDD [1].

Since either drive can be easily reformatted for use on alternative platforms, Windows buffs might want to consider the Mac model [2] since it's 1.8mm thinner than the 12.8mm-thick NTFS drive. You'll have to work without WD's back-up software bundle though, missing from the Mac disk.

WD My Passport Edge for Mac

Got a computer like this? Then WD will charge you more

But when WD charges more for the Mac drive - £94 to £86 - perhaps Mac fans, let alone Windows users, should actually opt for the slightly thicker PC version [3]. ®