WD Incorporates USB 2.0, eSATA

LAKE FOREST, Calif. -- As consumers increasingly rely on digital media to secure their important documents and valuable personal content, they often fear that changes in technology may render their data inaccessible. Western Digital Corp. (NYSE:WDC), the leading consumer external storage brand worldwide, today announced that its new My Book Premium ES Edition external hard drive incorporates eSATA (external Serial ATA) and USB 2.0. eSATA is a new technology that transfers data between the external device and the computer at higher rates than ever before and USB 2.0 is today's most common method of connecting external devices to personal computers.

eSATA uses the same new interface technology that is becoming the standard inside PCs. It is designed to connect peripherals such as external hard drives with the same data transfer speed as internal components. Use of eSATA by the computing and consumer electronics industries is increasing with the expectation that its superior performance will drive it to be the next standard interconnect for external devices, offering an obsolescence prevention plan for consumers.

Western Digital Corp.