Western Digital today launched a new USB 3.2 Gen 2 My Passport SSD under its WD brand, with the new device equipped with NVMe technology that supports read speeds of up to 1050MB/s and write speeds of up to 1000MB/s.
The new My Passport SSD is available in capacities up to 2TB, and like most SSDs, it's small enough to fit in the palm of a hand. It features a metal casing with rounded corners and waved ridges, and it comes in gray, blue, red, and gold.
The My Passport SSD's casing offers shock and vibration resistance, and it is drop resistant up to 6.5 feet. It ships with a USB-C cable and a USB-A adapter, and works with both Mac and PC out of the box.
According to Western Digital, the new My Passport SSD can transfer content twice as fast as the previous version of the drive, and it features password-enabled 256-bit AES hardware encryption.
The My Passport SSD can be purchased from select retailers like Amazon and Best Buy starting today. The 500GB model is priced at $120, while the 1TB model is priced at $190. Other capacities will be available later in the year.
Saturday February 7, 2026 9:26 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today shared an ad that shows how the upgraded Center Stage front camera on the latest iPhones improves the process of taking a group selfie.
"Watch how the new front facing camera on iPhone 17 Pro takes group selfies that automatically expand and rotate as more people come into frame," says Apple. While the ad is focused on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the regular iPhone...
Monday February 9, 2026 6:24 am PST by Joe Rossignol
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, and then use it to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps.
The feature is currently available in 13 U.S. states and Puerto Rico, and it is expected to launch in at least seven more in the future.
To set up the...
New MacBook Pro models with the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips could arrive as soon as Monday, March 2, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
In today's "Power On" newsletter, Gurman said that the release of new MacBook Pro models is tied to the release of macOS Tahoe 26.3. The launch is said to be slated for as early as the week of March 2. He added that the M4 Pro and M4 Max models on sale today...
Tuesday February 10, 2026 6:33 am PST by Joe Rossignol
It has been a slow start to 2026 for Apple product launches, with only a new AirTag and a special Apple Watch band released so far. We are still waiting for MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, the iPhone 17e, a lower-cost MacBook with an iPhone chip, long-rumored updates to the Apple TV and HomePod mini, and much more.
Apple is expected to release/update the following products...
Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld.
The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld.
Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
If I'm paying that kind of money I want thunderbolt 3 speeds. Picked up a 2TB OWC thunderbolt 3 drive for $418. I fusioned it with my internal 512gb ssd on my iMac and now I'm flying. 2700 MB/s Read, 2100 MB/s Write. Boot, account switching, apps are all much, much faster. Love me some T3!
Is WD still a good buy for storage? I remember seeing a chart a few years ago with disk failure rates and they were up there, along with seagate which had the highest rate of failure.
All of my USB-powered external drives have been WD for a few years now. I have 1TB, 2TB and one 4TB external HDD and no issues with any of them. Two are used with laptops and one is used with an Xbone.
Every single Maxtor I’ve bought has given me troubles so that’s the one brand I currently avoid like the plague.
If I'm paying that kind of money I want thunderbolt 3 speeds. Picked up a 2TB OWC thunderbolt 3 drive for $418. I fusioned it with my internal 512gb ssd on my iMac and now I'm flying. 2700 MB/s Read, 2100 MB/s Write. Boot, account switching, apps are all much, much faster. Love me some T3!
Fusion-drive'ing an external + internal sounds dangerous.
Is it OK to cover your hard drive in a brown paper bag when you're using in in public, or will it run too hot?
"We want something youthful that says this product is FAST and FUN!" said the committee of 60 year-olds. "Fine, here" said the designer and threw up in his mouth.
I mean... those are hideous beyond measure. Been using WD for 15+ years as my go-to for storage. Never considered the possibility of having to look into other brands because WD would suddenly get too ugly to look at, but the latest gen MyBook designs with the diagonal lines look like puke, and now they ruined the portables with... what are those even... wings?
