Bufflao Launches First Dual-Interface Thunderbolt Portable HDD

MiniStation Thunderbolt Pairs Two High Performance Interfaces into a Small Sleek Package

Lavender (I-Newswire) July 2, 2012 - Buffalo, a global leader in the design, development and manufacturing of wired and wireless networking and network and direct attached storage solutions, today demonstrated at Intel® booth #M0410 in NanGang Exhibition Hall at Computex the world's first portable Thunderbolt™ and USB 3.0 dual-interface external drive solution. With the expected widespread adoption of Thunderbolt by Windows® PC manufacturers joining the existing and sizable Apple® availability, the MiniStation Thunderbolt / USB Portable Hard Drive is ideal for PC and Mac® users looking for the fastest interface speeds while preserving backward compatibility with existing devices that support USB 2.0 or USB 3.0.

“Creating, storing and moving digital content on the go has always been a challenging proposal for all types of users as either the interface was incompatible or too slow or the storage solution was physically too large,” said Maresuke Ishii, general manager, global promotion office at Buffalo Inc.,“Collaborating with Intel to deliver the world’s first dual-interface Thunderbolt and USB storage solution as well as the world’s first portable Thunderbolt hard drive reaffirms Buffalo’s pioneering spirit and engineering excellence."

Housed in a sleek aluminum body with a transparent frosted top, the MiniStation Thunderbolt features an indirect disk access LED indicator on the underside that tastefully illuminates its supporting surface. Bus-powered, the HDD requires no additional power supply, and it can be formatted to support both PCs and Macs, making it a great portable storage solution for any device. Compatibility with Mac OS X Time Machine also makes the MiniStation Thunderbolt / USB Portable Hard Drive an ideal solution for backup with Mac computers.

“Thunderbolt delivers unparalleled performance, flexibility and simplicity to personal computing,” said Jason Ziller, Intel’s director of Thunderbolt marketing, “Products like the Buffalo’s MiniStation Thunderbolt / USB Portable Hard Drive help highlight what Thunderbolt makes possible.”

The MiniStation Thunderbolt / USB Portable Hard Drive is the first to couple the ubiquitous 5 Gbps super speed USB 3.0 port for legacy support with the 10 Gbps Thunderbolt technology developed by Intel® to deliver maximum interface speeds and compatibility. Consumers can now move digital content faster, simplify connections between devices, maintain compatibility with nearly any device and foster new and exciting ways to use portable storage.

Availability
Buffalo’s MiniStation Thunderbolt will be available in 500 GB and 1 TB, early summer in the USA, mid summer in EU, Japan, followed by Asia Pacific and China. For more information about Buffalo products and where to purchase, please visit the company’s web site at www.buffalotech.com.