With the Thunderbolt market expanding as more and more enabled equipment comes online, LaCie have announced details of their latest Thunderbolt series and are proud to boast the largest selection of Thunderbolt storage options. LaCie now offer five drives that are compatible with Mac OS X and Windows 7 and 8 computers. We have been taking a look at the new range from LaCie, from the compact Rugged USB 3.0 to the impressive LaCie 5big, and there is certainly something for everyone in the range.

The LaCie Rugged USB is a seriously tough bit of kit condensed into a portable and robust housing. Available in 3 memory sizes of 120GB (SSD), 256GB (SSD) and 1TB, prices range from $199 to $229 for the larger option, and all include a Thunderbolt cable. The vibrant orange casing is designed to withstand everyday knocks and clumsy drops, and is intended to be accident resistant to protect valuable data. With universal connectivity for Thunderbolt and USB 3.0, this hard drive is truly compatible with all computers and allows easy transfer between devices. The write speeds are mightily impressive with LaCie offering awesome data transfer of up to 385MB/s.

At the other end of the scale we have the chunky LaCie 5big available with a choice of capacity of 10/20TB, enough capability for the biggest of ventures. Constructed from solid aluminium, the unit not only looks fantastic but cleverly dissipates heat away from the drive too. Heat is also cleared from the unit using the super quiet internal Noctua fan and integral jumbo exhausts, meaning near silent continual use is possible. With Dual Thunderbolt ports for daisy chaining and RAID 0, 1 and JBOD support with hot swap and LaCie’s demonstrated consistency the 5big is ideal to harmonize with a Thunderbolt professional computer. Capable of speeds up to 785MB/s, the 10TB 5big is available at $1,199 whilst the 20TB retails at $2,199.

To view more information on these drives or to see more of the new Thunderbolt series visit the LaCie website, and feel free to let us know which LaCie hard drive you would opt for. It is worth noting the larger drives are intended more for the professional market as the jaw dropping prices indicate!

The new interface will be used for more than just connecting hard drives, but we will take what is handed to us for now. The likes of Lacie, Seagate and Promise Pegasus all have products to go with these Apple devices, which will offer unparalleled speed and transfer rates.

The first hard drive on our list is the LaCie Little Big Disk; this is the first in a long line of upcoming storage devices from the brand to offer Thunderbolt support. You will be able to transfer music, photos and files at 10Gb/s, and you have the ability to daisy-chain up to 6 peripherals. This particular model has been designed by Neil Poulton and sports an aluminum design. Lacie.com has more on this.

Seagate is the worry here, as we assumed that they would offer Thunderbolt support, but they have let us down. However, they do have an adaptor that will connect a GoFlex Ultra-portable Drive to allow you to connect it to your new Mac We just hope that Seagate release a hard drive with full Thunderbolt support soon, or their rivals will leave them behind with this latest technology.

On the Apple Store you will see four Promise Pegasus RAID systems. The first is the Promise Pegasus R4 4TB and comes at a cost of just $999. Next is the Promise Pegasus R4 8TB, this will set you back $1499. The Promise Pegasus R6 6TB will also cost you the same price. Finally we have the Promise Pegasus R6 12TB, but you will need to brace yourself, as you will have to part with $1999 in order to get your hands on this RAID system.

To connect these to your Mac with Thunderbolt support you will need to purchase the Apple Thunderbolt cable, which will cost $49. Like we said accessories are still a little scarce, but there is now the 27-inch Apple Thunderbolt Display. The price of this is $999, but for $700 you can have a 27-inch iMac.

The LaCie Float is an external hard drive with a difference; it doubles up as a trackpad. The device was designed by André Duarte Silva. There are two versions of the device, one in SSD and the other in HDD and the entire top panel of the device is used as a trackpad that you can pinch, swipe, navigate and click.

Something that Chris Burns of Slashgear.com is suggesting, is angling towards this becoming some kind of all-in-one machine. To take it a step further, if you were to make a few modifications, add in wireless streaming, a screen, monitor or even a Pico projector with a retractable screen on it, then it could become a sensational invention.

You can read more about the device by heading over to Yanko Design where the device is featured. The LaCie Float isn’t appearing on their official site yet but keep an eye on it here and it should be available soon.

What do you think of this concept? Will you be picking one of these up? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

As reported from Engadget, LaCie has just announced, unveiled and released their new USB 3.0 Fastkey which promises to transfer your 4GB worth of movies faster than you can boil the kettle and make a cup of tea.

LaCie’s Fastkey can deliver speeds of 260MB/sec, and it comes in storage capacities of either 30, 60 or a whopping 120GB. However, as nice as this thing looks, it will all come down to price in the end, and at either $149.99, $249.99 or $479.99 depending on which size you want, they don’t exactly come cheap!

Take a look at the press release over at Engadget, and let us know your thoughts on this SSD USB Key. They are available to buy now at LaCie.com.