Product Description
The Seagate Backup Plus for Mac with Thunderbolt. Everything needed to transfer, store and backup files using Thunderbolt technology. Thunderbolt technology is a revolutionary interface supporting high-resolution display and high-performance data devices through a single port. At 10 Gbps, Thunderbolt technology is up to 20x faster than USB 2.0 and up to 12x faster than FireWire 800. Transferring high definition movies and other large files now can take seconds versus minutes when compared with older interface technologies. Everything needed to use the Backup Plus for Mac portable drive with Thunderbolt enabled devices is included in the box, even the cable. The included Backup Plus for Mac portable drive can now take full advantage of the blazing-fast Thunderbolt connection on your compatible computer. This portable solution allows you to take it with you everywhere you go, as it is completely bus powered, meaning you do not need an external power supply. Connect it to the end of a daisy chain of Thunderbolt devices, or directly to the Thunderbolt port on your computer. With the help of Thunderbolt technology and compatible peripherals, users can turn their everyday computer into a powerful workstation.
| Price: |
$229.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details |
| as of Fri, 15 Mar 2013 13:03:08 GMT ***Remember, deals price on this item for sale just for limited time*** | |
Product Details
- Size: 1 TB
- Brand: Seagate
- Model: STBW1000401
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 1.09" h x 3.19" w x 5.12" l, .56 pounds
- Hard Disk: 1TB
Features
- High-performance portable hard drive - no external power supply required
- 10 Gbps interface is up to 20x faster than USB 2.0 and up to 12x faster than FireWire 800
- Connect your Backup Plus for Mac with Thunderbolt directly to your compatible computer or at the end of a daisy-chain
From the Manufacturer
Back Up Your Digital Life
The Seagate Backup Plus Thunderbolt portable drive for Mac is compatible with Time Machine backup software straight from the box. This flexible, easy-to-use drive also works seamlessly with your social media accounts, making it simple to back up and share your online photos, movies and more.
Fuel for Your Time Machine
The Backup Plus Thunderbolt portable drive for Mac has been designed to integrate smoothly with OS X for Mac computers, so it's simple to back up and protect your files. It's compatible with Time Machine backup software out of the box, and works interchangeably with Mac and PC computers without the need to reformat.
Save Your Social Life
The Backup Plus Thunderbolt portable drive for Mac includes the Seagate Dashboard. This premium software makes it simple to share or save files associated with online social networks including Flickr, Facebook and YouTube. Automatically download copies of your photos, movies and more from social networking sites to your Backup Plus for Mac drive. Share files by simply clicking on your social icons within the Seagate Dashboard. Easily share multiple files with your social networks at the same time.
Powerfully Flexible
The Backup Plus Thunderbolt portable drive for Mac features a unique adapter system that lets you quickly and cost-effectively upgrade or change the drive's interface. Take advantage of the newest, fastest connections-now and in the future: Choose from Thunderbolt technology (included), USB 2.0, USB 3.0, and Firewire 800.
What's in the Box?
The Backup Plus Thunderbolt portable drive for Mac, preloaded Seagate Dashboard, quick start guide, Thunderbolt adapter with cable.
System Requirements
Compatible operating systems are Mac OS X 10.6 or higher and Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP SP3 (32-bit and 64-bit) (HFS+ driver for PC operability available by download).
There's a Seagate Backup Plus Drive that's Perfect for Every Backup Need
| Backup Plus Desk for Mac | Backup Plus Portable for Mac | Backup Plus Desk Thunderbolt Adapter | Backup Plus Thunderbolt Adapter |
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
153 of 164 people found the following review helpful.
By Tor Slettnes
Remember the "Mac vs. PC" ads? In one of them, "Mac vs. Fat PC", the latter is complaining about all the extra trial software that comes preinstalled from the manufacturer, slowing him down and creating compatibility issues all over. Mac, in contrast, is lean, mean, and simply pristine.
Yeah that was then, this is now. The era of manufacturer bloatware has arrived for the Mac too. I gather, when all the industry buzz is about trusting your digital life to "the Cloud", hard drive manufacturers might feel like they need to do _something_ to stay in business. So they "join them".
In this case, Seagate is apparently trying to sell you the idea that you need to back up your data FROM the cloud onto a personal drive. Clearly, it is more secure there than when managed by the cowboys at Amazon or Google.
Maybe there is a market niche for this line of thought. I am not in that niche however, and I think this emphasis makes Seagate lose their focus on what they are good at: Making darn good, robust drives!
And let's face it, just like computers failed to bring about the "paperless society", there is no indication that people's need for personal storage and backup devices will diminish - quite the opposite.
So the first thing I did was to NOT install any of the bundled software. Instead, I just plugged it in, and started using it with Time Machine. For that task, it is an excellent option:
* It plugs in to any USB port on your Mac, even those on your Apple USB keyboard, without the need for external power.
* It is preformatted for HFS+, which means there is no extra setup needed to use with Time Machine
* It is fast and very quiet.
* Even more so if you have one of the newer Macs, given the option of Thunderbolt.
One caveat is that the interface is the older mini-USB standard, not micro-USB as is more common these days. This means that you will likely need to use a dedicated cable (such as the included one) with this drive, rather than sharing with your phone, camera, etc.
The industrial design is otherwise excellent. It looks sleek (slightly moreso than my Western Digital passport drive) and sturdy at the same time. It is otherwise lightweight and quite portable.
Compared to drives from other manufacturers, the price also seems to be right - especially given Seagate's reputation for reliability.
That's really all I want or could ask for in a drive!
69 of 79 people found the following review helpful.
By James Ridgway
This external drive has a nice form factor. Thin, light and simple to use as expected. The USB 3.0 cable is included and that's a nice plus these days.
My primary concern is with the Seagate registration software - it pulls your email address right off your computer with no 'by your leave' or anything. Makes me wonder if I am installing adware by using the software....Seagate claims that you receive a year of cloud storage with the drive. The email received from Seagate states to click on the 'cloud storage icon' to access this feature. The problem is there is no 'cloud storage icon' in the Seagate Dashboard software. I discovered on the support site that the cloud service is NOT compatible with MAC - lovely. They do not tell you that in the product documentation = FAIL.
The Seagate Dashboard software is fairly simple and does not take a great deal of space on the HD. Basic information, drive management and testing are available from the dashboard/backup plus panel. Then we came to let me backup on the drive - NOPE - would not allow any of that. The dashboard software had no protect icon as depicted in the online manual = FAIL
So, what's the end result? You get an external drive - it's 'special' options DO NOT WORK with Mac - even though they claim to. I was unable to review the rest of those functions for that very reason. Greatly disappointed in Seagate for submitting an inferior software product claiming to do things that it is not capable of doing.
The only PRO of this review is that it is a nice, 500GB external HD with a decent form factor and connection. As for utilizing it for a backup - I will have to use time machine.
Testing performed on macbook with OSX Lion installed.
22 of 23 people found the following review helpful.
By Kayla Rigney
Here's what I think about the Seagate Backup Plus Portable External Hard Drive for Mac:
PROS:
1)It's sleek, small and truly portable.
2) It's upgradable to Firewire and Thunderbolt via an adapter (available as an extra purchase.) This is a major PRO!
3) Drive comes with videos for using its social network backup options.
4) It has a limited 2 year warranty. Very cool.
CONS:
1) The Seagate Dashboard software is NOT easily installed. In fact, said install *will* fail if you're running MAC OS 10 and above. You must go to Custom Install and then uncheck the OS 9.5 utility/application; then you'll be able to install the Seagate Dashbord application. (You MUST install Seagate Dashbord in order to use the social media back-up feature.) The installer should be able to delete the OS 9.5 software for machines running OS 10 and higher instead of having an INSTALLATION FAILURE.
2)I share reviewer's James Ridgeway's concerns -- this drive is NOT totally Mac compatible or is it fully functional. The Mac version of Seagate Dashboard doesn't have either the Cloud or the Protect features. From the User Manual: "The Protect feature and Cloud Storage service are only available on the Windows version of Seagate Dashboard. For Mac systems, Seagate recommends that you back up your system using Apple Time Machine." (In other words: go to Time Machine and set it to save to your Backup Plus.) Make no mistake: this is a Windows drive with limited Mac functionality and features.
Keeping the above PROs and CONs in mind, the Seagate Backup Plus is a good basic backup drive for your Mac *if* you're using Time Machine or *if* you choose to backup manually. It's just like my other back-up drives in this respect. I very much like the fact that it's upgradable to Firewire and Thunderbolt; however, because I didn't purchase the necessary adapter, I can't review the functionality of this feature.
Overall, Seagate makes an excellent product. Their drives are dependable -- and I've NEVER had a Seagate product fail in all my years of use. The skinny is that if you're a Mac user and you want a really solid backup drive to use with Time Machine, this is drive is an excellent choice. If you want to automatically backup from your Cloud, it's not.
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