The new MacBook’s most curious feature might be its lack of ports – there are only two on the edges of the machine, one of the left for USB-C power, data and display connectivity, and a 3.5mm stereo headphone jack on the right for use with any standard audio gear. The singular port means accessory makers will be vying for that coveted space, and LaCie wasted no time in outing a hard drive that will work with the innovative new notebook.
The Porsche Design USB-C will work with any USB-C port sporting device, of course, and that will be more and more hardware as the standard gets adopted more widely. Said USB-C connector is reversible, and the drive uses a type-C connector on the drive itself, too, meaning a simple USB-C cable will work with either end plugged in to either device, without you having to worry about which way is up. Transfer speeds operate at the USB 3.0 level, meaning you get up to 100 MB/s data send and receive rates.
LaCie’s lineup is generally aimed at Macs, not necessarily because of I/O tech but because of shared design similarities, and the new USB-C Porsche Design is no exception. It has an aluminum case with a matte finish that matches the new MacBooks (though it only comes in silver), but the case is a full 3 mm thick to prevent damage from accidental drops and spills.
The drive is also backwards compatible with existing USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 ports thanks to an adapter cable included in the box, so that’s handy. There are three sizes available, with either 500GB, 1TB or 2TB platter drive options, and they ship starting “next quarter” without any pricing announced as of yet.
That newfangled USB-C connector might seem a bit novel and weird, but LaCie’s eagerness is just one particularly fresh example of how widely it will eventually be adopted, so anticipate seeing much more of this to come ahead of the notebook’s April 10 release date.