cheap. just saw 8TB drive @ costco for $129.
If I crack this open will I find a SATA SSD inside?
Can this be used as a simple external hard drive versus paying for the Amazon feature?
I would assume yes on that. It would be astonishing if having the cloud service was required for a physical drive.
I believe you get a year of cloud service with the drive and then if you want to keep your online backup, you pay Amazon $60/year.
Otherwise, you have a decently priced 1TB portable drive.
Also a big assumption, but since the item is new does it also come with the crazy red-headed step child USB Micro A 3.0 cable as well?
So this breaks and becomes a normal HD after a year.
“Breaks” is a strong word. It’s a normal HD out of the box. You hook it up to your computer, drag and drop files, move them, yadda, yadda, yadda.
BUT, for the first year, you have access to automatic cloud back ups to Amazon as well. You download an app on your phone/computer/where-ever, link your drive to your account, and every time you add something to the drive, the app automatically uploads it to the cloud as well.
After a year, it stops uploading to the cloud unless you re-up your subscription. You can still hook it up to your computer, drag and drop files, move them, …
If I already pay for an Amazon cloud subscription, can I still get a free year?
That is a question I cannot answer. Perhaps @ThunderThighs can interject?
$60/year. Ouch. I might sign up if it was $60/lifetime. But the price of the drive is decent.
It does seem a little steep but you’re also talking about 1TB of cloud storage with a dedicated, automatic sync with your physical, portable hard drive.
Comparatively, Google One is $9.99 a month for 2TB = About $120 a year so $60/year for 1TB if you pay monthly. Yearly, the 2TB is $99.99 so about $50 a year.
probably best to pose that question to Amazon. Thanks!
From the fine print on Amazon’a listing of this item
1 TB Storage Plan Promotion Terms & Conditions:
• U.S. customers only
• Free 12-Month 1 TB Amazon storage plan promotion must be used within two months after the date on which the Seagate Duet device is purchased and will expire and be of no value thereafter.
• If the Seagate Duet device is returned pursuant to our return policy, we may reduce the free 1 TB storage plan promotion from 12 months to 3 months.
• This is a limited time offer.
• Offer does not apply to any physical goods.
• Digital content and services are subject to the terms and conditions of Amazon Digital Services LLC.
• Offer limited to one per customer and account.
• Offer may not be combined with other offers or promotions.
• Promotional code only applies to Amazon’s 1 TB storage plan.
• Amazon reserves the right to modify or cancel the offer at any time.
• Offer is non-transferable and may not be resold.
• If you violate any of these terms, the offer will be invalid.
My assumption since it is a promo code would be the following:
- If you have 1 TB storage plan already then it would extend your plan by 1 year
- If you have a storage plan other than 1 TB then it would start the 1 TB storage plan the day you enter the code, expire in 1 year, then you would return to your previous plan with whatever remaining balance you previously had.
But, I am not the 'zon and cannot tell you for certain. Just my guess.
Numerous comments on The Mothership’s site for this device note that if they already had a cloud account, then this 1tb offer did nothing.
I’m very tempted to simply sign up for a 2nd Amazon account just for this thing.