Western Digital My Book Premium 500GB USB/FW 400 Ext Hard Drive
Mac users beware!
This review is from the perspective of a Mac user. I am guessing that, for the most part, this is good product for PC users... but I think there are some things that Mac users need to know before they purchase. Things that Western Digital fails to mention in their product descriptions, and even in their user manuals. <br /> <br />Let me begin by saying, this product says it is Mac compatible, but it is obviously designed mainly for PC. Also, the user manual is an obsolute joke. It is only a few pages and fails to go beyond basic install instructions. If, for whatever reason, the automatic install they brag so much about in their product descriptions doesn't work as advertised (it didn't for me!), expect to be on the phone with customer service. <br /> <br />1. First thing I noticed was that on the box (in fine print) it says that the Google software that comes with the drive does not run on Macs. I was unable to locate anywhere where this information is provided pre-order. Okay, that kinda sucks, but it's not really a deal breaker, so I went ahead and opened up the box. <br /> <br />2. Regardless of your OS, the drive won't work properly if it is plugged into a power strip, so your going to have to keep a power outlet open for just this single device. This is just kinda sketchy to begin with, but it also makes plugging it in at your work station that much more difficult. (Not mentioned in user manual) <br /> <br /> <br />3. Nowhere will you be informed that the drive is, in fact, not \\"plug and play\\" for at least some Macs... In fact I believe it specifically goes out of it's way to imply to be \\"plug and play\\" for both operating systems. I thought this was great as I would be able to use the drive to transport my files conveniently from computer to computer (including from my Mac to PCs). This is not true. First of all, on Macs the drive will not be \\"plug and play\\" at all. You will need to reformat the drive with disk utility before it will even appear on the desktop(Even though in the directions it claims it will appear automatically after being plugged in and fails to even mention the possibility this won't happen). Once you have reformatted, you will only be able to use the drive on other Macs. Now maybe some of you are saying, \\"You idiot! Everyone knows that you can't use a hard drive on two different OS!\\" Well, in my opinion, the description of this product ommits an explanation of the true nature of its OS compatibility, at best.... and at worst, it uses intentionally misleading language. <br /> <br />4. Finally, there was no way for me to know any of this if I hadn't opened the box. This is the important part... If you open the box, Western Digital will absolutely refuse to provide even a partial refund.  <br /> <br />Am I saying not to buy this product? No... What I am saying is that Mac users need to be aware that this product is not quite as Mac compatible as Western Digital claims. <br /> <br />Mac users beware...