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Hardware Seagate Launches World's Thinnest Portable HDD
Shane McGlaun (Blog) - April 5, 2011 10:13 AM

34 comment(s) - last by Calin.. on Apr 8 at 9:10 AM

Drive is only 9mm thick

Seagate has announced a new product today that it claims is the world's slimmest portable external HDD. The product is called the GoFlex Slim USB 3.0 Drive.

The drive sells for $99.99 and is only 9mm thick, which makes it 38% thinner than the current crop of GoFlex portable HDDs. To put the 9mm number in perspective, that is about the thickness of a pencil. The GoFlex Slim is thin enough to be carried in a pocket or purse without adding much bulk. Inside the thin portable HDD is a 7200rpm 320GB HDD.

“The continued growth of personal digital media stores, our increasingly mobile lifestyles and the continued proliferation of mobile devices are driving the demand for slimmer, more portable storage solutions,” said Patrick Connolly, vice president and general manager of Retail at Seagate. “Netbooks and slim laptops are great for consuming media, but are limited when it comes to creating and storing high-definition films and photos. With the benefit of using Seagate’s Momentus® Thin drive, the 9mm GoFlex® Slim ultra-portable hard drive breaks through these boundaries—delivering a beautiful, ultra-slim, lightweight storage solution to complement existing mobile computing devices so they can enjoy even more of the content they love, anywhere they want.”

The Slim portable HDD is offered in a version formatted for Windows computers and can be had in a version that is formatted and ready to go for Mac computers as well. The Mac version of the HDD is compatible with Time Machine and it will also sell for $99 and land in May. The Windows version is available now and users could always reformat the Windows version for Mac use.

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...really?

By Motoman on 4/5/2011 10:37:03 AM , Rating: 5

...because, you know, you just couldn't *possibly* live with a drive that was, say, 13mm thick - but was twice the capacity for less money.

Apple effect.

RE: ...really?

By DJ Brandon on 4/5/2011 10:50:49 AM , Rating: 2

LOL!

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RE: ...really?

By GuinnessKMF on 4/5/2011 11:37:32 AM , Rating: 5

No kidding, progress is THE WORST, I don't know why we bother.

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RE: ...really?

By Motoman on 4/5/2011 1:18:27 PM , Rating: 4

Progress is great.

Buying one of these things because it's almost imperceptibly thinner than other devices that have 56% more storage capacity and cost 25% less to boot would be moronic.

Apple effect.

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RE: ...really?

By someguy123 on 4/5/2011 2:46:12 PM , Rating: 2

Eh, advancements like this always come at a premium. There are plenty of things that come at high premiums yet don't scale in cost benefit for the consumer, so why point fingers at this one?

Someones gotta foot the bill, may as well be better off folks who don't want bulky.

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RE: ...really?

By Motoman on 4/5/2011 2:59:38 PM , Rating: 2

...12.5mm is bulky?

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RE: ...really?

By corduroygt on 4/5/2011 3:10:47 PM , Rating: 2

Especially for something that's designed to be an external plug-in device, the extra 4mm doesn't make a difference. Here's a smarter idea: remove the dvd from your laptop and put in a 2.5" HDD. That's what I did, so I don't have to carry an external drive with my laptop anymore.

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RE: ...really?

By Warwulf on 4/6/2011 11:01:27 AM , Rating: 2

Or just get a bigger laptop hard drive. It's not like the added 320 GB is a tremendous amount of storage to add.

Or two 256 GB USB flash drives... thet're even smaller! ZOMG!

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RE: ...really?

By corduroygt on 4/6/2011 11:27:08 AM , Rating: 2

When you have a SSD as your main drive, it's quite expensive to get a larger capacity version. Better to get a second, mechanical hard drive for much larger capacity for cheaper. My music and pr0n don't need to be on a SSD.

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RE: ...really?

By corduroygt on 4/5/2011 3:11:09 PM , Rating: 1

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RE: ...really?

By Senju on 4/6/2011 8:10:35 PM , Rating: 2

I have even a better idea.
Why don't you register for all the free Cloud services like Amazon "Cloud Drive", Google Docs, MS SkyDrive, MobileMe iDrive and Dropbox. Put music on your cloud drive, put docs in google docs, put personal made movies on MobileMe, put pictures on any of the online services and finally put movies in dropbox and some in skydrive. Then create shortcuts on your desktops and laptops and you do not need any external harddrive.

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RE: ...really?

By someguy123 on 4/5/2011 5:46:55 PM , Rating: 2

Anything larger than something else is bulkier, so yes. Anyway, my point was that these things come gradually, and this is a smaller, slimmer option, and used as a method of recouping some R&D. No one is going to spend millions making a 5mm product without shipping some 6~12.5mm products in the process to recoup costs.

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RE: ...really?

By Motoman on 4/5/2011 5:55:23 PM , Rating: 2

Even if it was 5mm - my point is that it's sheer vanity in the extreme to select such a product over a 12.5mm product that is greatly more useful (i.e. 56% more storage space) and greatly less expensive (i.e. 25% less costly).

From a consumers' standpoint it just simply makes no sense...however, people will buy it because of the fact that ZOMG it's 3.5mm thinner!!11!!!one. Despite the fact that said difference will in fact make no difference in their lives, or their use of the product.

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RE: ...really?

By someguy123 on 4/5/2011 6:00:20 PM , Rating: 2

My point is the 12.5mm product would've never existed if it wasn't for people buying the incremental advancements. You can call it vanity but at the same time these smaller cramped drives likely make use of technology which allow more storage per MM, meaning they'll be able to shove more into their 12.5mm thanks to technology created developing these "vanity" drive.

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RE: ...really?

By Motoman on 4/5/2011 6:26:04 PM , Rating: 2

And my point is that the fools who pay more for a less functional product at any point in the cycle for the sake of vanity are fools.

When the product becomes as functional, and as cheap, as the product it's supposed to be replacing, then knock yourself out.

Otherwise, stop pretending that the 3mm makes any f%#^ing difference. Because it doesn't.

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RE: ...really?

By snakeInTheGrass on 4/6/2011 12:16:31 AM , Rating: 2

What kind of f%#^ing retard buys a 2.5" drive when you can get a faster 3TB 3.5" external drive for less? Why did Seagate even bother? Seriously, you can't handle an extra pound?

Finding a larger device with higher performance / lower cost doesn't exactly take a genius, but sometime people aren't looking for the extra performance as much as convenience. It sounds like it comes as something of a surprise to you, but when looking for portable electronics, the actual portability may factor in to what some people are looking for.

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RE: ...really?

By corduroygt on 4/6/2011 11:25:52 AM , Rating: 2

2.5" hard drives can be powered over usb and they are considerably smaller and lighter than 3.5" hard drives. So no, you don't have to be a retard to choose 2.5" hard drives over 3.5".

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RE: ...really?

By snakeInTheGrass on 4/6/2011 12:12:18 PM , Rating: 2

Sorry, it was a joke on my part. I know exactly why people would get a 2.5" over a 3.5" and why some would think that 9mm is better than 12.5mm, I just found the argument that only fools would buy a newer tech if the specs don't meet those of another (larger) device on the market to be really shallow. You can always find a larger/faster/cheaper version (or almost always).

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RE: ...really?

By GuinnessKMF on 4/6/2011 11:37:29 AM , Rating: 2

And when computers took up whole rooms and someone reduced the size of the machine by 6" someone said that it was worthless, what's the point, it's taking up a whole room still, the 6" doesn't make a difference. ... you've got to start somewhere. I agree that 3mm for the majority of people won't make a difference, especially one worth the cost, but eventually the price on this will come into line and it will be worth it for the average consumer.

Certainly they're leveraging the weak bond between a fool and their money, but that's business.

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RE: ...really?

By Calin on 4/8/2011 9:10:57 AM , Rating: 2

I've seen a 20MB hard drive that was a bit larger than a standard desktop DVD drive is now, and during use was becoming so hot (it was kept on a table, not in a case) that you couldn't keep your hand on it.
As for its weight, I'd say triple the weight of the above mentioned DVD drive. Incremental improvements all the way.

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RE: ...really?

By someguy123 on 4/5/2011 5:50:58 PM , Rating: 2

Also, where do you think the 12.5mm drives came from? I'm sure when the 12.5mm drives arrived you could find larger portable drives for cheaper and at better storage sizes. Nowadays that probably isn't the case.

You gotta start somewhere.

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RE: ...really?

By Pirks on 4/5/2011 3:42:35 PM , Rating: 2

This effect is also visible when people buy beautiful and very sexy looking MB and BMW and Lexus cars, that also have 56% less storage capacity and cost 250% more than your average Ford station wagon. Horrible eh? ;) You always wonder why people pay so much for beauty and you'll never understand it. Don't even try Moto.

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RE: ...really?

By nikon133 on 4/5/2011 5:01:16 PM , Rating: 2

Cars make much more sense.

Luxury car will not only look better (in fact, looks might be the most questionable part of equation) but will perform better, handle better, will be built with higher quality materials, will have more - and better quality equipment, status symbol etc. etc.

Hard drives are the same brand, so this is like paying more money for Nissan Micra than for, say, Nissan Qashqai, just because Micra is smaller and (arguably) prettier.

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RE: ...really?

By someguy123 on 4/5/2011 5:55:37 PM , Rating: 2

But that isn't true at all. The only reason to buy a luxury car of a specific brand is because of brand association and aesthetics. If you're talking about performance and build quality, well, Mercedes is probably on the top of the list of required maintenance, and I doubt they're at the top of handling and performance, yet it's still considered one of the top brands.

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RE: ...really?

By GulWestfale on 4/5/2011 3:46:01 PM , Rating: 2

quote:
I don't know why we bother.

i didn't know you did, major.

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RE: ...really?

By Pirks on 4/5/2011 11:08:09 AM , Rating: 1

*looking at all your today's rants*

Feel cranky today Moto? ;)

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RE: ...really?

By Samus on 4/5/2011 11:53:50 AM , Rating: 2

Moto was rightfully cranky when trashing Intel's IGP's in the Llano article ;)

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RE: ...really?

By Pirks on 4/5/2011 2:14:39 PM , Rating: 1

Don't you feel that trashing Apple in a Seagate article is even more cranky than that eh? ;)))

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RE: ...really?

By Kurz on 4/5/2011 11:12:06 AM , Rating: 2

Well... there might be a form factor that will take advantage of the thinner drive. (unlikely)

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RE: ...really?

By micksh on 4/5/2011 11:15:46 AM , Rating: 2

Yes. Previous "world thinnest HDD" (10mm thick) was designed exclusively for Mac
http://www.techpowerup.com/138185/Freecom-Launches...

Besides, the "World Thinnest" claim is only valid for 2.5" drives. 1.8" drives as thin as 5mm existed since long time ago.
http://news.consumerreports.org/electronics/2008/0...

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RE: ...really?

By Reclaimer77 on 4/5/2011 11:52:00 AM , Rating: 2

Lol

"They'll forget that they could have gotten an SSD when they see how sleek and thin and pretty it is!!!"

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RE: ...really?

By bah12 on 4/5/2011 12:21:48 PM , Rating: 2

It would only be the "apple effect" if it was grossly overpriced. Honestly a quick newegg search shows only 1 product that is USB 3.0, 2.5" 7200 rpm below $100. It is 500GB at $79, so yah this one is a bit less capacity for a better form factor, but you usually have to sacrifice something for a more portable device. Hardly worth getting all twisted about this early in the week moto.

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RE: ...really?

By Motoman on 4/5/2011 12:42:17 PM , Rating: 2

...uh, that's 56% more capacity for 25% less price.

Not exactly rounding errors.

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RE: ...really?

By thelostjs on 4/5/2011 10:00:31 PM , Rating: 2

+1 for less power from ur laptop when it spins up..
i'm supriaed they arent maRKETING IT AS a green drive

-1 for being less efficient than ssd

-1 for picture of a cgi milf with no face dropping this drive in her purse

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