WD(R) Introduces Its Fastest Ever My Book(R) External Drive

LAKE FOREST, Calif., Jan. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- WD® (NYSE: WDC), the world's leader in external storage solutions, today introduced its fastest My Book® external hard drive ever -- the new My Book 3.0 desktop external drives are among the first devices certified with the SuperSpeed USB 3.0 interface. With an interface that's up to 10 times faster than the previous-generation USB 2.0 interface, the high-performance My Book 3.0 drive significantly reduces the time it takes to open and save large files.

Offered standalone, or in a kit that includes a USB 3.0 PCIe (gen2) adapter card, the 1 TB My Book 3.0 drive is available now at select retailers and shopwd.com. The 2 TB model is expected later this week.

The SuperSpeed USB 3.0 interface on My Book 3.0 drives provides transfer rates(1) of up to 5 gigabits-per-second, allowing users to open and save files up to 4.7 times faster than USB 2.0. The new My Book 3.0 drive is compliant with the USB-IF SuperSpeed USB 3.0 standard to provide compatibility with other USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 products. SuperSpeed USB 3.0 is backwards compatible with USB 2.0 and USB 1.1.

Market research firm In-Stat expects the worldwide market for SuperSpeed USB 3.0 to reach over 1 billion units in 2013, representing over 25 percent of the market by 2013 (Sept. 2009).

"Consumers no longer have to wait for technology to keep up with their ideas. With the new super speed My Book 3.0 drives, consumers have the speed they need for resource-intensive video editing, animation, and graphic design applications," said Dale Pistilli, vice president of marketing for WD's branded products group.

Price and Availability

The new My Book 3.0 drives have 1 TB capacity and a 2-year limited warranty. My Book 3.0 drives are available now at select retailers and online at shopwd.com. MSRP for the My Book 3.0 drive 1 TB is $179.99 USD. MSRP for the My Book 3.0 drive in a kit that includes a USB 3.0 PCIe (gen2) adapter card is $199.99 USD. The 2 TB My Book 3.0 drive is expected later this week.

My Book 3.0

The new My Book 3.0 drives feature:

• SuperSpeed USB 3.0 interface with transfer speeds up to 10 times faster than USB 2.0 to accelerate data transfers with the fastest available interface;
• Ideas accelerated - resource-intensive video editing, animation, graphic design, and large media files can be saved so quickly that you no longer have to wait for the technology to keep up with your ideas;
• Sleek, streamlined design features a premium finish that will look great sitting on your shelf;
• Compatible(2) with USB 2.0 ports - USB 3.0 interface is backward compatible with USB 2.0 with no additional hardware needed;
• WD quality inside and out - designed with the same commitment to quality that has made My Book external hard drives the number one selling drives in the world;
• Planet-friendly, small retail recyclable box made from recycled materials to minimize waste;
• Ready to plug-and-play with Windows® PCs; and,
• Two-year limited warranty.

About WD

WD, one of the storage industry's pioneers and long-time leaders, provides products and services for people and organizations that collect, manage and use digital information. The company designs and produces reliable, high-performance hard drives and solid state drives that keep users' data accessible and secure from loss. Its advanced technologies are configured into applications for client and enterprise computing, embedded systems and consumer electronics, as well as its own consumer storage and media products.

WD was founded in 1970. The company's storage products are marketed to leading OEMs, systems manufacturers, selected resellers and retailers under the Western Digital® and WD brand names. Visit the Investor section of the company's Web site (www.westerndigital.com) to access a variety of financial and investor information.

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements relating to the market for SuperSpeed USB 3.0. These forward-looking statements are based on current management expectations, and actual results may differ materially as a result of several factors, including: challenges faced in new product development, business conditions generally, and other risks and uncertainties listed in WD's recent SEC filings, including its Form 10-Q for the first fiscal quarter of 2010. WD undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect new information or events or for any other reason.

Western Digital, WD, My Book and the WD logo are registered trademarks; My Book 3.0 is a trademark of Western Digital Technologies, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. Other marks may be mentioned herein that belong to other companies. All other brand and product names mentioned herein are the property of their respective companies. As used for storage capacity, one gigabyte (GB) = 1 billion bytes. One terabyte (TB) = one trillion bytes. Total accessible capacity varies depending on operating environment.

(1) Performance may vary based on users' system configuration.

(2) When connected to a USB 2.0 interface data transfers will occur at USB 2.0 speeds.

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SOURCE Western Digital Technologies