Seagate and LaCie debut fashionable/wireless hard drives for iOS and Mac ahead of 2015 CES

Seagate and its LaCie subsidiary have announced five new hard drives just ahead of this week’s 2015 CES, including two new iOS-compatible wireless models and three new Mac-only disks. All except one will be available in January from the company’s web sites.

For iOS, the 500GB Seagate Wireless ($130) is an economical and portable, battery-powered hard disk designed to compete with G-Technology’s G-Connect and Western Digital’s My Passport Wireless. Just under 4″ on each side and less than an inch thick, Seagate’s version is designed to look fun, with your choice of green, blue, gray, red, or white matte housings, and uses integrated Wi-Fi to connect with iOS devices and Macs for media playback as well as Android/Windows/Chrome. It runs for nine hours between charges and can connect to 3 devices simultaneously.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qVU2eWvmg8&w=704&h=396]

Seagate Seven ($100) is a Mac-only alternative that promises to be the world’s thinnest portable hard drive. Made from 100% stainless steel, the enclosure is only 7mm thick and includes a USB 3.0 cable for connecting to a computer, giving up wireless in order to achieve its small size. In a break from traditionally boxy or rounded hard drives, Seven is actually slim enough to let you see the contours of the traditional hard disk mechanism inside. Three additional drives are discussed below…

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcbqHM7sKts&w=704&h=396]

A non-portable wireless drive, called Seagate Personal Cloud, will be available in 3TB, 4TB, and 5TB capacities starting at $169, with a 2-Bay version sold in 4TB, 6TB, and 8TB capacities. Shaped like a box with small wedged feet, the black drive will similarly use Wi-Fi or Ethernet to stream full HD video throughout a home with no lag, and promises to work with everything from iOS devices and computers to Smart TVs and even the Apple TV. It can also serve as a backup drive, optionally connecting to Amazon S3, Dropbox, or Google Drive, with the 2-Bay version using its second drive to mirror the first.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HF6O9VYnjCs&w=704&h=396]

LaCie Mirror ($280) is LaCie’s latest designer hard drive collaboration, developed in partnership with Pauline Deltour. Offered only in a 1TB capacity, the USB 3.0/2.0 drive is wrapped in Gorilla Glass 3, which promises to be resistant to chips and scratches. Reflective silver and shaped like a box, it ships with an ebony stand and is designed to operate on a recline.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5U06KicKXg4&w=704&h=396]

Featuring a reused design by Neil Poulton, the 4TB Rugged RAID Thunderbolt ($449) has a silver aluminum core wrapped inside a bright orange anti-shock rubber casing. Two 2TB hard drives are inside with RAID 0/1 options, while an integrated Thunderbolt cable provides up to 240MB/second speeds and bus power. Rugged RAID promises to be resistant to water, dust, and drops, with an endcap that opens to reveal a USB 3.0 connector. It’s designed to appeal to travelers with needs for fast, high-capacity storage solutions.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3mUMmilKog&w=704&h=396]

The Rugged RAID Thunderbolt is the only drive in the bunch with a “first quarter 2015” release date. All of the other drives ship in January from Seagate’s and LaCie’s web sites.

9to5Mac’s CES 2015 coverage brought to you by: