LaCie (www.lacie.com) has announced that its Rugged Thunderbolt storage solution will be available in a 1TB SSD capacity.

With double the storage, the new LaCie Rugged is just as portable with no size or weight increase compared to the 500GB offering. Plus, it still features the lightning–fast transfer rates of Thunderbolt and is tough in the field with shock, dust and water resistance, according to Erwan Girard, Business Unit manager for LaCie.

The LaCie Rugged delivers speeds of up to 387 MB/second — three times faster than a standard mobile hard drive. It’s MIL–compliant, which means that data is protected even during accidental drops of up to 2 meters (6.6 feet). With its cap in place, the LaCie Rugged is also IP 54–rated for superior protection against dust and water splashing — even during operation. Plus, it’s resistant to vibration and shock and is tough enough to be shipped for reliable delivery to clients or partners, according to Girard.

With both Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 interfaces, the LaCie Rugged works with both Mac and PC users. The LaCie Rugged is fully bus powered through the Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 cables. Plus, the integrated Thunderbolt cable stows when not in use.

The new 1 TB SSD version of the LaCie Rugged, design by Neil Poulton, will be available this month for US$949.99 through the LaCie Online Store and LaCie resellers.