The small drives are finding
favor in a growing number of portable devices,
such as digital music players, and the greater
capacity coupled with a reduction in the space
the drives need should help device makers keep
multimedia devices small and feature-rich.
Currently, Hitachi's most capacious
Microdrive can hold 4GB of data; The new drives,
due in the second half of the year, will be
able to hold 8GB to 10GB, said Bill Healy, senior
vice president of product strategy and marketing
at San Jose-based Hitachi Global Storage.
In addition to offering more
storage space, the drives will occupy about
20% less volume than current models, said Healy.
One of the biggest space savings will come from
replacing the Compact Flash interface with a
zero insertion force (ZIF) connector favored
by consumer electronics makers.
Beyond offering more storage
capacity, the drives could also end up in devices
other than those in which they are now used.
At present, any device that has to have more
than about 5GB of storage requires a larger
1.8-in. drive. The benefits of being able to
use a smaller drive are obvious in Apple Computer
Inc.'s iPod and iPod Mini. The former uses a
1.8-in. drive; the latter uses a 1-in. drive.
In the same market segment,
one of Hitachi's competitors, Longmont, Colo.-based
Cornice Inc., is using CES to announce plans
for a 3GB version of its 1-in. drive. That product
is due out in the early part of this year.
Hitachi will also employ similar
space-saving techniques to its 1.8-in. drive
family, said Healy.
New versions of 1.8-in. drives,
also expected in the second half of this year,
will feature ZIF connectors. A drive with one
platter will offer 30GB to 40GB of capacity,
and one with a double platter will have double
that capacity, said Healy. The drives will also
offer better shock resistance, he said.
