Getting higher on helium

Western Digital is expanding several of its consumer-based performance storage solutions with new 8TB Capacity options. The solutions cover everything from Network Attached Storage (NAS) products to video surveillance and desktop applications.

"We are committed to integrating high-performance, high-capacity and high-quality drives into all of our solutions," saidBrendan Collins, vice president of product marketing, Western Digital Corporation. "No matter what market or application, we have a solution - whether it's for small businesses, channel partners, enterprises or end-users. Our goal is to deliver the best and most competitive solutions on the market."

External solutions getting an increase in capacity to 8TB include Western Digital's My Book and My Book for Mac, My Book Duo, My Book Pro, My Cloud, My Cloud Mirror, and My Cloud EX2 Ultra.

As for Western Digital's internal solutions, its WD Purple (optimized for 24/7 always-on operation), WD Red (personal, home, and small business NAS), and WD Red Pro (small business and enterprise class NAS) are all getting upgrades to 8TB.

The higher capacity solutions are based on WD's HelioSeal helium-filled technology. One reason helium is desirable is because it's seven times less dense than air. By replacing air with helium in a sealed drive, drag force on the spinning disk stack is reduced, resulting in significantly less wear and tear over time.

The My Book and My Book for Mac in 8TB capacity are currently available for $300 MSRP. All of the other product lines getting upgraded to 8TB will be available during the first half of 2016.

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