14 DAY TRIAL // Japanese memory, SSD and computer accessories company Buffalo has just announced the new MiniStation external HDD with USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt connectivity, on its official website. This is a 2.5” HDD inside a plastic housing that features dual-interface connectivity.
We have been wondering for a while now why so many peripheral manufacturers made Thunderbolt accessories that lacked USB 3.0 connectivity.
There is a strong chance that people would prefer such dual-interface devices just because while Thunderbolt is not that popular these days, USB 3.0 is, and the buyer may desire to acquire a device that is future-proof.
Thunderbolt implementation is much more expensive than USB 3.0.
Once a user pays for Thunderbolt and also has the money to buy a system that features the same connectivity, there is no reason to deprive them of USB compatibility to save 3% or 4% of the final price, as he is clearly not a budget-user.
Buffalo’s new external drive achieves practical read and write speeds of over 100 MB/s over both interfaces, and it is compatible with Apple’s Time Machine.
Pricing stands at a rather high $200 for the 500 GB version, and $230 for the 1 TB model.
That’s about €160 for the smaller capacity model and €183 for the larger version, when European potential buyers are concerned.
The company is presently shipping the devices in the United States, the European Union and Japan.
Buffalo’s MiniStation external HDD with USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt connectivity comes with both the appropriate connection cables and is already available on sale.