The bare GoFlex drive, of whatever generation, is nothing more than a 2.5" or 3.5" SATA hard drive in an enclosure that exposes the power and data ports on the back of the drive. The Seagate GoFlex adapters are self-contained SATA to USB, SATA to FireWire or SATA to Thunderbolt bridges. This is untrue - the variosu GoFlex options are all just direct plug SATA adapters. I realize this is all somewhat off topic, but I had to say something to clarify the statement that " the items listed for the Seagate drive are for that drive only". Because these are larger drives I have in continuous use, I bought the Firewire adapters, and they nearly doubled the transfer speed to these drives.
But Seagate sells an adapter that swaps out the drives' USB 3.0 interface for a Firewire 800 interface. I have a couple of Seagate Backups+ drives that came USB 3.0 enabled. However, if there was an adapter that could allow me to connect all of my USB 3.0-capable drives to my iMac's Firewire 800 port and harness its higher speed (compared to my iMac's USB 2.0 ports), it would be worth spending money on such a device because it would work with every USB 3.0 drive I've bought or will buy.Īs to your last few sentences, I'm not sure what you're saying. I'm using these drives for long-term storage of data, so spending considerably more money to get Firewire drives would not make any sense at all. That wasn't my question.Īnd, yes, I do buy the USB versions because they are cheaper. MichelPM-Of course I know that there are external drives with Firewire 800, and I knew that when I bought my external drives (and all without having to do a bit of research). And they also don’t feel like they have quite the same build quality as the PocketDocks, but they’re adequate for their intended purpose.Radiation Mac-Thank you for the information. Similarly, it’s a little unsettling that they don’t come with any Dock Connector protective covers (like the PocketDocks do).
But the FireWire 400 and USB versions can also be used at home on a desktop computer in place of other cables from Apple or Griffin, which the FireWire 800 version isn’t as well-suited for. Besides the omission of an extension cable, the only bummer about this adapter is the price – it’s just as expensive as the others, though lacking the extra part.Īre the extension cables even really necessary for the other two? The design advantages of these adapers is their travel-friendlines – they’re very small, and easy to carry – and their ability to work in situations where SendStation’s PocketDocks might be inflexible, or longer one-piece cables too long and unwieldy. This adapter is like the other two in all ways except for the material used for its FireWire 800 plug – it’s plastic instead of metal, like all of the FireWire 800 cables we’ve seen. This turns out to be fine – a redunancy in the design of the FireWire cable more than an omission in the USB cable.įinally, there’s the “Link 360 30 Pin to FireWire 1394B 3D Adaptor,” which is a FireWire 800 version of the adapter, without any cable in the package. The included USB extension cable doesn’t have an articulating joint at its female end – the only way it pivots is through the two joints on the Adaptor. Macally’s “Link360 iPod 30 Pin to USB 3D Adaptor” is almost identical, but with a USB 2.0 connector instead of a FireWire one, and a change to the included cable. You can use the adapter with or without the cable, plugging it into a port on a laptop or desktop computer, and in the case of the iPod mini even support the mini standing up on its edge.
The female end of this cable – where the adapter plugs in – has a ratcheting joint that bends on -90, -45, 0, 45 and 90 degree angles, while the male end plugs into your computer. They rotate independently from one another – not exactly 360 degrees, but close enough – and also tilt up to 90 degrees north or south of one another. What’s unique about the adapter is that the Dock Connector and FireWire plugs don’t need to be facing in opposite directions, or even close to the same orientation. The first of the three is the “Link360 iPod 30 Pin to FireWire 1394A 3D Adaptor,” a two-piece set consisting of a plastic and metal iPod Dock Connector-to-FireWire 400 adapter and an interesting four-foot extension cable. Two of the three adapters include cables, as well. Macally’s three new Link360 3D Adaptors ($19.99 each, their spelling) are simple but useful new adapters that connect iPods to computers, using official Apple Dock Connector plugs and articulating joints.
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