There’s also an included security tool that lets users secure the drive with a password. On the drive itself is a DMG that when installed gives users a tool that handles drive diagnostics, sleep timer, drive erase and WD registration. Like most other WD drives the My Passport Edge for Mac includes a suite of management software.

Large-block random transfers measured 48.8MB/s write and 49.3MB/s read. Using IOMeter, we measured sequential transfer speeds of 113.1MB/s read and 113.2MB/s write. While this version of the My Passport Edge is aimed squarely at Mac users, since our Mac Mini platform used for testing only offers USB 2.0 connectivity, we used our current PC consumer testing platform. The back of the drive contains the USB 3.0 port, along with a white pinhole light that indicates drive access and power. The bottom also holds four rubber feet to help the drive grip nicely on a desk, along with four screws that hold the enclosure together. The top piece has the WD badging, the underneath contains all of the regulatory info, along with a black sticker that has the serial number. The enclosure comes apart in two, with the black top inlayed over the 'Apple silver' lower half.

The enclosure has no give at all, making the modest price increase over the Edge’s plastic-bodied PC-targeted version seem like a no-brainer, regardless of host operating system. Like the My Studio for Mac externals, the Edge for Mac features an elegant yet sturdy CNC-machined aluminum case.

Formatted for Mac OS (can be reformatted for Windows).

Physical Dimensions – HeightĐ.40 Inches x DepthĔ.41 Inches x Widthē.37 Inches.

The My Passport Edge for Mac comes with a three-year warranty and carries an MSRP of $119.99. The Edge also comes in a single capacity point, at just 500GB for simplified build, marketing and support.

For slimness, the Edge forgoes the FireWire ports found on the My Studio drives, opting for a single BUS-powered USB 3.0 interface.

The My Passport Edge for mac picks up a few other changes from its larger capacity My Studio cousins. The 1TB Studio and the slightly more rotund 2TB My Passport Studio have lead the way, now complimented by the My Passport Edge for Mac, which brings the polished ID to a strikingly slim 500GB USB 3.0 portable. The 500GB WD My Passport Edge portable hard drive for Mac users picks up on Western Digital’s revised design for their portable drives. Over the last year Western Digital has been busy redefining the design of their entire external portable hard drive line, none more evident than the sleek new metal bodies given to their My Passport Studio drives designed for Mac users.

Wd my passport for mac 500gb reviews