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I wonder if a "minidisc"-like format if feasible, where you would insert a protected platter inside of a harddisk?

I'd be willing to use that over huge HDDs. Give me 1TB platters at 5-15€/platter (consumer HDDs come close to €18/TB for large capacity). Actually, I wouldn't mind having them more expensive than HDDs per TB, as I wouldn't have to pay €250 at a time for bulk capacity upfront.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaz_drive

Optic disks work that way, but highly unlikely for hard drives as the internal chamber requires super clean air without any dust. Latest hard drives over 8TB mostly have adopted helium-sealed chamber, making removable platters even less feasible.

They use helium mainly because of data density. If removable platters required less precise heads, you could still use air.

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