WD, a leader in external storage solutions, has rolled out the new My Book 3.0 desktop external drives that are among the first devices certified with the SuperSpeed USB 3 interface.

With an interface that’s up to 10 times faster than the previous-generation USB 2 interface, the high-performance My Book 3 drive significantly reduces the time it takes to open and save large files, said a company statement.

Offered standalone, or in a kit that includes a USB 3 PCIe (gen2) adapter card, the 1 TB My Book 3.0 drive is available now at select retailers and shopwd.com. The 2 TB model is expected later this week.

The SuperSpeed USB 3 interface on My Book 3 drives provides transfer rates of up to 5 gigabits-per-second, allowing users to open and save files up to 4.7 times faster than USB 2.

The new My Book 3 drive is compliant with the USB-IF SuperSpeed USB 3.0 standard to provide compatibility with other USB 3 and USB 2 products. SuperSpeed USB 3 is backwards compatible with USB 2 and USB 1.1, the statement added.

“Consumers no longer have to wait for technology to keep up with their ideas. With the new super speed My Book 3.0 drives, consumers have the speed they need for resource-intensive video editing, animation, and graphic design applications,” said Saif Khwaja sales director, Western Digital, Middle East & Africa.

Market research firm In-Stat said it expected the worldwide market for SuperSpeed USB 3 to reach over 1 billion units in 2013, representing over 25 per cent of the market by 2013.

The new My Book 3 drives have 1 TB capacity and a two-year limited warranty and are priced at $179.99, said WD.-TradeArabia News Service