LaCie Porsche Design USB-C Mobile Drive: Ready for Your MacBook

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If you have a new MacBook, you’re probably still sorting out which gear will work with the USB Type-C port on your laptop. Ready and able to meet your backup needs is the LaCie Porsche Design USB-C Mobile Drive; available in 1TB, 2TB or 4TB, this beautiful USB 3.0 hard drive is a more than capable Time Machine backup drive.

3-LaCie Porche Design 2TB Mobile Drive USB-C USB 3-002

Included in the package is the Porsche Design backup drive, a USB Type-C to Type-C cable and a USB 3.0 to USB Type-C cable.

The drive measures ~5″ long by 3.3″ wide by 0.3″ thick, and it weighs 6.7 ounces; it is brilliantly clad in either matte silver or matte gold aluminum with the instantly recognizable “Porsche Design” brand etched into the center top.

3-LaCie Porche Design 2TB Mobile Drive USB-C USB 3-002

A single USB Type-C port is on the bottom with an LED that glows to indicate when the disk is in use.

5-LaCie Porche Design 2TB Mobile Drive USB-C USB 3-004

While the majority of the case is matte aluminum, there are subtle shiny edges to the beveled design that catch the light and add visual appeal to the industrial design.

7-LaCie Porche Design 2TB Mobile Drive USB-C USB 3-006

Included on the disk is the LaCie Setup Assistant which allows you to set up the drive for use with a Mac, Windows (NTFS) or both. You are also offered the option of registering your drive with LaCie and installing their software, Intego Backup Assistant and LaCie Desktop manager; a restart is required if you go through with the software setup.

Intego Backup Assistant allows you to schedule backups or synchronize files between your computer and the hard drive. If you already use Tima Machine, you may or may not want to skip this step.

LaCie Desktop manager allows you to reformat your drive or put it in economy mode.

Here are the results of a speed test that I ran; I was using the USB 3.0 port on my MacBook Pro.

LaCie Porsche Design Hard Drive speeds

The LaCie Porsche Design Mobile Drive doesn’t come with any cloud storage special offers, nor does it allow you to sync with any of the popular cloud-based storage services; for some, this may be considered a con. But what you get when you buy this drive is a beautifully designed, high-capacity, speedy USB 3.0 or Type-C drive that will work with the MacBook and other laptops that have taken up with USB Type-C technology; it also includes a USB 3.0 cable for those of us who haven’t yet made the leap.

The LaCie Porsche Design USB-C Mobile Drive retails for $119.99 (1TB), $159.99 (2TB) and $249.99 (4TB), and it is available directly from the manufacturer or from other retailers including Amazon [affiliate link].

Source: Manufacturer supplied review sample

What I Like: Beautiful aluminum clad Porsche Design drive; Includes USB Type-C and USB 3.0 cables; Compatible with MacBook; Included backup software for scheduling and syncing between computer and drive

What Needs Improvement: No ability to sync with cloud services

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About the Author

Judie Lipsett Stanford
Judie is the co-owner and Editor-in-Chief of Gear Diary, which she founded in September 2006. She got her start in 1999 writing software reviews at the now-defunct smaller.com; from mid-2000 through 2006, she wrote hardware reviews for and co-edited at The Gadgeteer. A recipient of the Sigma Kappa Colby Award for Technology, Judie has written for or been profiled by nationally known sites and magazines, and she has served on multiple industry hardware and software award panels. She is best known for her device-agnostic approach, enjoyment of exploring tech, gadgets, and gear, and her deep-diving, jargon-free reviews.