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LaCie Announces First USB-C External Hard Drive Supporting New MacBook

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Apr 12, 2001
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LaCie on Tuesday announced the Porsche Design Mobile Drive as the world's first external hard drive with a built-in USB-C port. The LaCie Mobile Drive features a reversible cable that supports Apple's latest MacBook with USB-C technology, delivering data transfer speeds up to 100 MB/s for quickly transferring photos, videos and other files or backing up with Time Machine.
"The LaCie(TM) Mobile Drive features a USB-C port -- the user-friendly connector of the future. This new technology makes the LaCie Mobile Drive incredibly easy to connect, since both ends of the cable are identical and the connector is reversible. As a result, there is no need to worry about which end goes to which device or about plugging it in upside down."
Click to expand...
The LaCie Porsche Design Mobile Drive is made with a 3 mm-thick solid aluminum enclosure designed to match the look of Apple's latest MacBook and other anodized aluminum products. The external hard drive will be available next quarter in 500GB, 1TB and 2TB capacities, and also includes an adapter with standard USB 3.0 (Type-A) or USB 2.0 ports for backwards compatibility with older Macs or USB-equipped devices.

Pricing information was not disclosed.

Article Link: LaCie Announces First USB-C External Hard Drive Supporting New MacBook
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2015/03/10/lacie-usb-c-hard-drive-macbook/
Can it also charge the Macbook? Otherwise this is totally useless as a nightly backup / charging solution.
 
Can't we just buy a new cable for our existing hard drives? I thought all USB cables are easily adaptable.

It's funny how this thing seems like a mashup between Lightning connector and Thunderbolt: reversible, can carry data, power and video.
 
We are going to some hard years going from normal USB to type C but I love it. Many people are going to hate it but its the way to go. Without some adapter time we would be stuck with the bigger, not rotatable plug forever.

I hope everyone just puts type C connectors everywhere and kill the USB-A fast, sell some small adapters for the while in 2 years everyone is happy again when all the printers which are still connected via usb are dead and all the stuff that survives gets a type C to type B cable or an adapter.
 
I love the new MacBook in terms of looks but when LaCie make a drive with no USB-C pass through I do despair.

Let's take the Mac off charge to backup or transfer data....
 
Mac is portable and wireless. Disconect from power for ten hours. Use at will.
 
oneMadRssn said:
Can it also charge the Macbook? Otherwise this is totally useless as a nightly backup / charging solution.
Click to expand...


Look at the new USB-C video adapters from Apple. They actually include three ports including a regular USB port and a USB-C power pass-through.

So, you could backup nightly using USB 2, while still powering, with an adapter. You would have the alternative of using the drive in USB-C mode during the day.
 
Gasu E. said:
Look at the new USB-C video adapters from Apple. They actually include three ports including a regular USB port and a USB-C power pass-through.

So, you could backup nightly using USB 2, while still powering, with an adapter. You would have the alternative of using the drive in USB-C mode during the day.
Click to expand...

got any links? i don't see any usb-c vids in the Macbook section of apple.com or youtube, and the store only lists 1:1 adapters..
edit: i spoke too soon, the store shows the 3-input adapter. it just looks so similar to the old ones.
 
Gasu E. said:
Look at the new USB-C video adapters from Apple. They actually include three ports including a regular USB port and a USB-C power pass-through.

So, you could backup nightly using USB 2, while still powering, with an adapter. You would have the alternative of using the drive in USB-C mode during the day.
Click to expand...

Even with the Apple usb-c adapter, I can't use this drive at charge at the same time. The adapter still only has one usb-c port. Indeed, if I get the adapter, why bother with this drive anyway, when the adapter has a regular USB plug on it.
 
oneMadRssn said:
Even with the Apple usb-c adapter, I can't use this drive at charge at the same time. The adapter still only has one usb-c port. Indeed, if I get the adapter, why bother with this drive anyway, when the adapter has a regular USB plug on it.
Click to expand...

i'd like to know which of you is correct. why would a drive and the charger connect to the adapter at the same time if they couldn't function together? am i missing something about your setup?

edit: good god, i'm thick this morning. THIS particular drive (the subject of the article).. i've been in too many other threads with misinformed complaints about the single port.

i suppose then this is pretty inconvenient. maybe the answer is many many adapters
 
Last edited:
teslo said:
i'd like to know which of you is correct. why would a drive and the charger connect to the adapter at the same time if they couldn't function together? am i missing something about your setup?
Click to expand...

This drive in this article has a USB-C connector. The rMB is charged via its USB-C port. The adapter adds one USB (old style) plug, one HDMI plug, and passes through USB-C (it does not add another USB-C). So, with or without the adapter, there is only one USB-C port to use, and two things that logically make sense to use at the same time: external storage and charging.

Put another way, here is my attempt at a diagram:

Code: 
Without an adapter:

[rMB USB-C]---[Charger]
or 
[rMB USB-C]---[LaCie USB-C drive]

can't connect both.

With an adapter:
                      |---[USB-A]
[rMB USB-C]---[Adapter]---[HDMI]
                      |---[USB-C]---[Charger]
or
                      |---[USB-A]
[rMB USB-C]---[Adapter]---[HDMI]
                      |---[USB-C]---[LaCie USB-C drive]

can't connect both.
 
Thank you oh mighty sir

MacRumors said:
[... with standard USB 3.0 (Type-A) or USB 2.0 ports for backwards compatibility with older Macs or USB-equipped devices...
Click to expand...

So usb 3 (from day one compatible with usb 2) fits into the "backwards compatibility" category??

Thank you LaCie for allowing us peasants with 2 month old Macs to use your products. :rolleyes:

This is why other people hate Apple users. Because we get this fed to us and we think: "I see nothing wrong here."
 
I know nothing about USB-C. My question is:

Are or will USB cables be available that are USB-C one end and USB-A the other? Or does USB-C mean both ends must be USB-C?
 
Someone needs to (and almost certainly will) introduce a USB-C hub at a reasonable price.

On the right side, a USB-C plug (if that's the right word) that connects directly to your MacBook. No cable, hub sits flush to the MacBook.

On the left side, 2 or more (preferably at least four) USB-C ports. You plug your power supply into one, a USB Hard Drive into another (with an adaptor for an existing one). A USB-C -> HDMI cable, a USB-C -> Displayport cable, a USB-C -> Ethernet, etc., etc.

Look for the announcement within a couple of weeks.
 
Attonine said:
I know nothing about USB-C. My question is:

Are or will USB cables be available that are USB-C one end and USB-A the other? Or does USB-C mean both ends must be USB-C?
Click to expand...

In a word, yes.

In addition to Apple providing a USB-C to A female, for connecting legacy USB cables and devices, the USB standard also has provisions for a Type A Male to Type-C Male cable. This would permit plugging a drive like this LaCie into any other Mac or PC. Nothing magic, just a new type of connector.

The main advantage of this new Type-C connector is it is reversible, smaller, durable, and designed to handle different protocols.

The downside of this new connector:
- when implemented on various new devices, there is no guarantee of the port's capabilities. No way to determine if the connector supports USB 2.0, USB 3.0, or USB 3.1; no guarantee of the power available (500ma, 900ma, or 3A); no guarantee if the high power PD (Power Delivery) spec is supported for charging and at what power level; no guarantee that DP (DisplayPort) is supported.

So...

If you find a future device that has a Type-C connector, better have a good idea of what you are plugging in - brings future debugging and support scenarios into another round of confusion. Just because the connector and cable fits, doesn't mean that it will "just work".
 
Any Mac-specific USB-C peripheral that does NOT have at least pass through, if not other 'standard' USB ports/hub functionality, is useless to me as it removes all possible other use of the single port when using the peripheral.
 
i wonder if they'll keep the MBA dimensions for a MBP with various extra USB-C ports (i'd assume no older ones) and at least one thunderbolt? i could get behind a pro the size of 2014 Airs..! then these Lacie drives and adapters will make more sense (and be pretty badass, imo). maybe they're just killing the Airs entirely atm, and shifting that competent functionality over to the pros. which would leave one laptop for consumption and one for work. i wonder if this would be another indication they're making an iPad 'pro' for work, leaving one iPad for mostly consumption - killing the Air moniker in the process.

it's exciting to think they may have gotten to the point where "it's goddam thin enough" and let the focus shift to shrinking components in a chassis that doesn't also keep shrinking.
 
oneMadRssn said:
This drive in this article has a USB-C connector. The rMB is charged via its USB-C port. The adapter adds one USB (old style) plug, one HDMI plug, and passes through USB-C (it does not add another USB-C). So, with or without the adapter, there is only one USB-C port to use, and two things that logically make sense to use at the same time: external storage and charging.

Put another way, here is my attempt at a diagram:
Click to expand...

I think the answer is to buy an adapter that meets your needs. I'm sure there will be other adapters that have more ports available:

Code: 
                      |---[USB-A]
[rMB USB-C]---[Adapter]---[HDMI]
                      |---[USB-C]---[LaCie USB-C drive]
                      |---[USB-C]---[Charger]
                      |---[USB-C]
                      |---[USB-C]
 
l00pback said:
I think the answer is to buy an adapter that meets your needs. I'm sure there will be other adapters that have more ports available:

Code: 
                      |---[USB-A]
[rMB USB-C]---[Adapter]---[HDMI]
                      |---[USB-C]---[LaCie USB-C drive]
                      |---[USB-C]---[Charger]
                      |---[USB-C]
                      |---[USB-C]
Click to expand...
Reminds me of Dell USB Dock/Stand
23_332-0446nruq4.jpg

47879188_1_img2uqupj.jpg


might as well get an MBP at this point.
 
Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't LaCie usually advertise max theoretical bandwidth?

Shouldn't a USB-C enclosure be capable of a theoretical 1,250 MBps?

USB-C is based around 3.1 not 3.0, is I guess what I'm trying to boil this down to.
 
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