Buffalo unveils 50th anniversary 'Skeleton Hard Disk'

Buffalo has unveiled the HD-SKL 'Skeleton Hard Disk' in commemoration of its 50th anniversary. Only 50 units of this limited-edition see-through drive will be available worldwide for a price of 100,000 yen (~$700). Interested readers in Japan can sign up at the lottery page, which runs from May 1 through May 25, 2025.

Buffalo was founded in 1975 by Makoto Maki and made audio products, such as the yarn-drive record player. The company now produces IT products and provides solutions for various industries. The first 'Skeleton Hard Disk' was released in 1998, a 4.3 GB model that used a transparent cover that allowed owners to see the operation of the magnetic head and platters.

The 50th anniversary 'Skeleton Hard Disk' is a 4 TB external hard drive with a USB 3.2 Gen 1 Micro-B port capable of 5 Gbps theoretical maximum transfer rates. The drive is pre-formatted with the exFAT file system and is compatible with Windows and Apple computers.

A special SeekWizard application will be released to drive the magnetic read head in various ways for visual entertainment, with modes that include random seeking, sequential seeking, and second-hand stepping.

The HD-SKL measures 126 × 185 × 115 mm (4.96 x 7.28 x 4.53 in.) and weighs 1.5 kg (3.31 lbs.). It comes packaged in a commemorative, padded keepsake box.

Readers who need more storage can look at the extensive line of Buffalo external drives and NAS on Amazon.