Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/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 Personal Tech, 6th September 2012 15:23 GMT

"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.

Since either drive can be easily reformatted for use on alternative platforms, Windows buffs might want to consider the Mac model 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. ®