Shortly after the launch of the My Passport 2TB portable drive, Western Digital has added a 2TB version of the My Passport Studio as well. Like the Passport, the Studio has a slim profile, only slightly larger than the Passport at 1 inch thick, 5 inches long, and 3.3 inches wide. However, in addition to a USB interface, it also includes dual FireWire 800 ports that can be connected to Mac computers. Other than the increased size, this version looks the same as previous Studio drives, with a smooth metal casing that comes in precisely one color: black.
Connecting through FireWire will increase transfer speeds, but the interface has largely been supplanted by USB and Thunderbolt. Western Digital has already released its first Thunderbolt My Book drive, so we can't help but wonder if the My Passport Studio is headed for a redesign at some point. For now, the new drive is available for $299.99, $50 more than the comparable USB-only model.