AppleInsider Staff
New MacBook owners who need removable storage but don't want to carry around a USB adapter now have a new native USB-C option in California-based Patriot Memory's just-announced convertible flash drive.
Patriot's new drive sports a reversible metal design, with a traditional USB-A plug at one end and a USB-C plug on the other. It will connect via the USB 3.0 protocol, and buyers will be able to choose from 32- or 64-gigabyte capacities.
"As many MacBook users rely heavily on external storage options, we wanted to be at the forefront with a product that will cater to these consumers," Patriot executive Meng J. Choo said in a release. "As a leading manufacturer of USB and flash memory, we want to offer solutions for our customers that are easy-to-use and provide seamless experiences across all their devices."
Pricing has not yet been announced, but the drives are slated to ship in June of this year.
Apple's decision to offer just a single USB-C port on the all-new MacBook has polarized both consumers and technology journalists alike. During AppleInsider's own MacBook review, we found the choice to be perhaps a bit too forward-looking, though ultimately not a deal-breaker for those considering the MacBook.
Amber Neely
Malcolm Owen
Christine McKee
Chip Loder
Marko Zivkovic
Wesley Hilliard
24 Comments
Yep, this is about what I expected to see. They need to make a USBa - Mini DIN 8 version though, I need to put some files on my Quadra and those haters at Apple abandoned me. :rolleyes:
...and while not announced, safe to say the price/GB for memory sticks has just re-bumped up for a spell at least....
The price of progress...
SanDisk already sells one of these. 32GB for $50 at Amazon (higher on their web site).
but...but... that will mean one less thing the Macbook haters will whine about!
What a surprise... not.
When I was trying to use the SSD Envoy Pro hard drive from OWC with my new MacBook I got the follow pop-up message: "USB Devices Disabled, Unplug device using too much power to re-enable USB devices." Another USB 2.5 inch hard drive device worked. The convertible flash drives also work on the new MacBook. So what does this mean? Some USB hard drives may not work with the new MacBook. The MacBook only uses about 5W and may not have enough juice to drive another pug-in USB hard drive.