Azio Hard-Drive Enclosure Kit Designed For Macs But Works With PCs, Too

The same now holds true for providers of storage solutions. Azio recently announced a new external hard-drive enclosure designed especially for Macintosh computer users. Storage solution providers can simply select the size and brand of hard drive they want to use and install it in the Azio enclosure. The USB 2.0 interface yields speeds up to 480 Mbps.

Mac users tend to put equal emphasis on style and function, and usually want computer peripherals that match the appearance of their system. What's unique about the Azio hard-disk enclosure is that it's designed to look like a Mac peripheral; it has a brushed aluminum finish with the choice of a black or white acrylic top. The enclosure blends well with Mac desktops, notebooks and peripherals. The sleek case measures 5 inches wide by 1.5 inch high by 8.25 inches deep. It features a tiny ultra-quiet ball-bearing cooling fan and a Kensington lock slot for security purposes.

In addition to demanding style, Mac users tend to be involved heavily in graphics, music, video and multimedia, and these applications can gobble up storage space in no time. Mac users are big consumers of external hard drives and storage in general. Solution providers that support large groups of Mac users will be able to sell dozens of these external hard drives, not only because of appearance but also because they can offer those customers the lowest prices by configuring these peripherals themselves.

With its USB 2.0 interface, the Azio hard-drive enclosure will also work with PCs, of course. The artfully designed Azio enclosure kit lets Mac and PC users add any amount of storage to their system in a plug-and-play manner without having to open their computer case. Fully assembled Azio drives are compatible with Mac OS 9.0+ and Windows 98SE, ME, 2000 and XP. Drivers are provided for Windows 98SE; the other OSes don't need drivers.

The hard-drive enclosure kit includes the housing, an external AC-to-DC power adapter, a 5-foot USB 2.0 cable, all necessary hardware and a user's guide. Solution providers must install a 3.5-inch IDE hard drive, either UDMA 33/66 or ATA-100/133—the drive can be of any capacity. The hard drive simply connects to the power and data cables inside the enclosure and is secured in place using the supplied hardware.