Tuesday night Seagate said it's now shipping the industry's first 4 TB 3.5-inch HDD via the new GoFlex Desk 4TB external drive. In addition to its massive storage capacity, the HDD also showcases a new look for the GoFlex family, sporting a streamlined, industrial (and less round) design that "better reflects the aesthetic of today’s modern offices" while retaining a smaller footprint than its predecessors. The entire line of GoFlex Desk products will also adopt the new industrial design in the coming weeks, the company said.
"Yet another industry first for Seagate, we have reached a new high-capacity in the 3.5-inch hard drive form factor. At Seagate, we are committed to pushing the limits for our customers and will continue to adapt and innovate our products based on customer needs," said Patrick Connolly, vice president and general manager of Retail products for Seagate. "This latest GoFlex® Desk drive offering, with its new industry-leading capacity point, is a statement of our continued commitment to meet consumer needs."
Available soon online and at brick-and-mortar retailers for a meaty $249.99 USD, the 4 TB external drive will come pre-loaded with backup software (with 192-bit Triple DES encryption), a USB 2.0 or USB 3.0 adapter base with a lighted capacity gauge (seen left, and a 5-foot USB 2.0 or 3.0 cable. The overall size of the unit will be 6.22 x 4.88 x 1.73-inches.
Seagate said that the new 4 TB drive can be used on both the PC and Mac platforms without formatting, but reformatting to HFS+ requires the use of backup software for Mac or Time Machine software. The company also plans to release an additional GoFlex Desk for Mac external drive featuring both FireWire 800 and USB 2.0 by the end of the month, slated specifically for Apple stores.
System requirements include Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP (32–bit & 64–bit) operating system or Mac OS X operating system 10.4.9 or higher, a USB 2.0 or 3.0 port.
