LaCie Serves up the Sphere, a Hard Drive Hand-Plated in Silver

Continuing its tradition of releasing a high-end, collectible external hard drive, LaCie released the Sphere, a circular drive hand-coated in silver by Christofle that's a stunner to behold. The 1TB Sphere, which will be released in limited numbers starting at the end of January, will cost $490.

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The Sphere is without a doubt the most elegant external hard drive we've ever laid eyes on. Slightly larger than a softball and coated in a highly reflective silver, the Sphere is a dramatic departure from LaCie's previous collectible drive, the Blade Runner, which had rectangular with rough metal fins running its length. 

Spec-wise, the Sphere is nothing spectacular: a 1TB, 7,200-rpm hard drive, with a USB 3.0 connection at the bottom. But let's face it, this isn't a hard drive you buy for performance. Each Sphere, which is made of steel, is hand-plated in silver in Normandy, France by Christofle, a company known for its jewelry and silverware. The only drawback to this highly polished design is that the Sphere is a fingerprint magnet. You'll want to keep a cloth handy.

The Sphere will cost $490, and will go on sale at the end of January. 

Laptop Reviews Editor

Michael was the Reviews Editor at Laptop Mag. During his tenure at Laptop Mag, Michael reviewed some of the best laptops at the time, including notebooks from brands like Acer, Apple, Dell, Lenovo, and Asus. He wrote in-depth, hands-on guides about laptops that defined the world of tech, but he also stepped outside of the laptop world to talk about phones and wearables. He is now the U.S. Editor-in-Chief at our sister site Tom's Guide, where he oversees all evergreen content and the Homes, Smart Home, and Fitness/Wearables categories for the site..