Mac Companion Hard Drive Review
It's a Mac world, and this drive is living in it
When your Mac is your constant companion, it's nice to have something made specifically for it. Yes, even an external hard drive. Iomega's Mac Companion Hard Drive is made specifically for Apple products--the USB port on its left side is intended for charging and syncing your iOS device. Fancy, right? Maybe even fancy enough to charge a premium.
The Mac Companion comes in beefy 2TB and 3TB capacities.
The Mac Companion drive ships in 2TB and 3TB configurations that look identical. Place the drive among the current crop of Macs, and it would be hard to pick it out as a non-Apple device--it's a looker. And it does more than just store files. It also charges your iOS device and serves as a two-port USB hub if you plug it into your Mac via a USB cable. But wait, it's not as simple as it sounds.
Obviously, you need to use FireWire 800 to daisy-chain to another FireWire 800 device, and USB to use the USB hub. But when it comes to charging iOS devices things get a little odd. With a USB connection to your Mac, you can easily charge and sync an iPhone or iPod touch with the drive's USB port. You can charge an iPad with a USB connection too...but only if the iPad is in sleep mode. To charge the iPad while using it, you have to use the FireWire connection. But of course, you can't sync the iPad with that connection. That isn't a big deal if you, say, connect your iPad at night when you won't be using it. But it's a bit confusing, and more than a little annoying, because the drive has a power supply.
Blends right in, doesn't it?
With an average transfer rate of 30MBps with USB 2.0, the 7200-rpm Mac Companion is no slouch. At $350 for 2TB and (gulp) $450 for 3TB, it better be fast. (Other World Computing's Mercury Elite Pro is $295 for 3TB.) But you're also getting the two-port USB hub.
The bottom line. We're not sure if the Mac Companion is worth its high price, unless you place a premium value on its speed, USB hub, and striking good looks.
Product:
Mac Companion Hard Drive
Company:
Contact:
Price:
Requirements:
Mac OS 10.5 or later; FireWire 800 or USB 2.0
Positives:
Fast. Integrated USB hub for iOS device charging and syncing.
Negatives:
Weird iPad charging issue. Expensive.
Original Page: http://www.maclife.com/article/reviews/mac_companion_hard_drive_review
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