Toshiba on Tuesday announced new 100GB models of a small hard drive, a move that could lead to larger-capacity iPods next year.
A Toshiba representative wouldn't discuss customer plans for the 1.8-inch drive, and Apple Computer declined to comment on the possibility of a boost to the music device, describing it as speculation.
However, Apple uses Toshiba drives in its higher-end iPods and has historically snapped up the latest models. Most recently, it
added an 80GB version of its video iPod in September.
Products using the new drives are expected to be on sale in the first quarter of 2007, the Toshiba representative said.
The drives, like their predecessors, have two platters for stashing data and use perpendicular recording technology to increase the amount of data that can be stored in a given surface area. They spin at 4,200 revolutions per minute and can transfer 100 megabytes of data per second.
Moving from 80GB to 100GB would mean an iPod capacity increase from roughly 20,000 songs to 25,000 songs, going by Apple's standard measurements.
Just as Apple dominates the digital media player industry, Toshiba dominates the market for the hard drives those gadgets often use. According to research from industry analysts IDC, Toshiba had an 80 percent share of the market in the third quarter of 2006 and has shipped 40 million 1.8-inch drives since they were launched in 2000.
My prediction is that as the hard drives increase in space, Apple will decrease the capacity of the iPod. Do I smell the release of the 10MB iPod soon??
I can't believe this article didn't even think that Microsoft may have bought out the supply as part of their deal with Toshiba making the Zune? This has been a strategy Apple has used for their iPod's. It's part of the reason why there has been no major competition for them in the hard drive DAP market. But now that Microsoft has partnered with Toshiba, it's quite possible Microsoft is going to turn the tables on Apple.
I doubt that... Toshiba knows where the money is... a product that moves and will sell through... anything else they do is iceing on the cake. Look for the MS product to follow the leader, as usual.
Like Toshiba can sherk their agreement with Apple? They'll just ramp up the production a bit to cover Zunes. Microsof will be lucky to sell 1/10th of what Apple will over the next year.
Hope Toshiba wasn't foolish enough to favor Microsoft. All the Plays-For-Sure-Maybe-Used-To partners are sure smarting with the advent of the Zune stabbing them in the backs. But what's new? That's the MS business model.
Zune will not sell a million units until June as stated on this website. Microsoft and it dollars could not pay Toshiba enough to lock the drive up when Ipod will sell 14 million units in a quarter. It right now is just dollars. Remember Toshiba killed the sales of their own player just to get in bed with M$ so their most likely not even breaking even making the Zune.
Yes, and then Apple fanboys will say screen size is very important and that the new iPod is not bulky considering the screen size. Until then, the iPod's screen size is just perfect and the Zune is bulky.
Let me get this straight...as hard drive capacities grow larger, Apple is going to put larger hard drives in the iPod? Wow!!! Who would have ever guessed that one? This guy may be on to something... Crazy speculation about new product updates and features is one thing, but an article that states the blatently obvious? What editor approved that?
...if this is true, then maybe laptop manufacturers will start putting larger hard drives there too...and maybe desktop manufacturers will do the same as those capacities increase too!!! I know I'm flaming but maybe if the people who write these articles see flaming they'll put a little more effort into coming up with the next story...
The idea of the 1.8" 100Gb microdrive isn't just for the iPod! I would reckon that this idea could go towards the high-grade high-resolution digital cameras so that there is the ability to acquire more high-resolution movies and digital images.
Another application could be high-capacity secondary storage in PDAs, UMPCs and other "very small form factor" personal computers. This would suit those machines that are pitched as "laptop replacements" for example. To some extent, manufacturers could easily make very small USB external hard drives that road warriors use as a tool for "mirroring" their laptop computer's data.
Right on, racking up more than 30 minutes of video recording can happen in well, 31 minutes, on a miniDV camcorder. I can't wait to have a 100GB+ Camcorder.
First off this is just the sign of a slow news day. Secondly laptops can already come with large capacity HD and Zune isn't selling well enough to be a household name yet (not implying that it won't succeed). Also I'm guessing you don't read CNET very often because they post stories that are both pro MS and pro Apple relatively equally. Which is why fanboys from both camps complain when they post articles that deal with the one they hate.
In all seriousness though, the word "iPod" surfaces not because of institutional bias or zealotry, but because the biggest and most readily-named ISV to use these devices would be... Apple and their iPod.
Laptops use (physically) larger drives - unless it's a Sony Vaio or some specialty mini-notebook thingy, there wouldn't be much use for this little critter in laptops now (most likely due to data transfer speeds).
Other mobile devices? not cell phones. Blackberries are (IIRC) flash-based. PDA's might (though IIRC most of those are flash-based too), but how many of those get bought nowadays?
I think the big news of the story here is a 100 GB 1.8" drive. I also ask, "what's the primary use of these drives?" The answer is the portable MP3 player market, of which ipod is the leading brand. So, yea, the headline does tie in... not spectacularly, but it does.
As far as directing requests to c/net, what's going on in the digital tape arena? Is digital tape being replaced by small hard drives? We used to back up our data on a CDR in the 90's. In today's world, that would take several hundred CD's (today, they're treated like the floppy disk). What is going to be THE backup storage device for the home user of the future? Tape? Optical disk? Magnetic hard drive? How about a story, cnet?
I personally backup my data on DVD-R's and an external HD. CD- R's don't give enough storage and flash drives are still expensive for one of adequate size. Ultimately I would prefer to back up to large flash drive (no moving parts to break).
At iPodmods.com, the 100GB iPod modification is already under way, using that particular Toshiba Hard drive. The mod can be installed on a current 80GB iPod with no cosmetic changes, or you can soup up the 30GB, but it requires a new back panel in able to make it fit. All in all, for those of you who max out the storage capacity with music and videos (myself included), its a great step to take to keep your library down to one device...for now. (The new HD should be rated at about 25000 songs or 125 hours of video using the Apple standard)
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moves and will sell through... anything else they do is iceing on the
cake. Look for the MS product to follow the leader, as usual.
ramp up the production a bit to cover Zunes. Microsof will be lucky
to sell 1/10th of what Apple will over the next year.
Hope Toshiba wasn't foolish enough to favor Microsoft. All the
Plays-For-Sure-Maybe-Used-To partners are sure smarting with
the advent of the Zune stabbing them in the backs. But what's new?
That's the MS business model.
website. Microsoft and it dollars could not pay Toshiba enough to
lock the drive up when Ipod will sell 14 million units in a quarter. It
right now is just dollars. Remember Toshiba killed the sales of
their own player just to get in bed with M$ so their most likely not
even breaking even making the Zune.
bigger screen? I'm waiting to buy a new ipod, and wondering
what your thought are.
Thanks,
Until then, the iPod's screen size is just perfect and the Zune is bulky.
is going to put larger hard drives in the iPod? Wow!!! Who would
have ever guessed that one? This guy may be on to something...
Crazy speculation about new product updates and features is one
thing, but an article that states the blatently obvious? What editor
approved that?
larger hard drives there too...and maybe desktop manufacturers
will do the same as those capacities increase too!!! I know I'm
flaming but maybe if the people who write these articles see
flaming they'll put a little more effort into coming up with the next
story...
The idea of the 1.8" 100Gb microdrive isn't just for the iPod! I would reckon that this idea could go towards the high-grade high-resolution digital cameras so that there is the ability to acquire more high-resolution movies and digital images.
Another application could be high-capacity secondary storage in PDAs, UMPCs and other "very small form factor" personal computers. This would suit those machines that are pitched as "laptop replacements" for example. To some extent, manufacturers could easily make very small USB external hard drives that road warriors use as a tool for "mirroring" their laptop computer's data.
With regards,
Simon Mackay
Looks like it all comes down to Apple for CNET.
can already come with large capacity HD and Zune isn't selling well
enough to be a household name yet (not implying that it won't
succeed). Also I'm guessing you don't read CNET very often
because they post stories that are both pro MS and pro Apple
relatively equally. Which is why fanboys from both camps complain
when they post articles that deal with the one they hate.
Laptops use (physically) larger drives - unless it's a Sony Vaio or some specialty mini-notebook thingy, there wouldn't be much use for this little critter in laptops now (most likely due to data transfer speeds).
Other mobile devices? not cell phones. Blackberries are (IIRC) flash-based. PDA's might (though IIRC most of those are flash-based too), but how many of those get bought nowadays?
/P
As far as directing requests to c/net, what's going on in the digital tape arena? Is digital tape being replaced by small hard drives? We used to back up our data on a CDR in the 90's. In today's world, that would take several hundred CD's (today, they're treated like the floppy disk). What is going to be THE backup storage device for the home user of the future? Tape? Optical disk? Magnetic hard drive? How about a story, cnet?
R's don't give enough storage and flash drives are still expensive
for one of adequate size. Ultimately I would prefer to back up to
large flash drive (no moving parts to break).