Hitachi to release 4 MB microdrive

16 July 2003 News

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies will commercialise its next generation Microdrive - a 'one inch diameter' 4 GB hard drive. The HDD measures 42,8 mm (width) x 36,4 mm (length) and is 5,0 mm thick.

The HDD is the same size as a CompactFlash card and will feature a high storage capacity. The company's Microdrive with a smaller capacity has been already adopted in PDAs and other portable electronic devices. Hitachi also announced it plans to commercialise an HDD with the highest rotation count - 7200 rpm. This read rate is faster than previous models adopted in personal computers.

The new drive will use ultra-miniaturised components, including a new read write head that is half the size of its predecessor and results in a 40% decrease in the height at which the head travels above the disk platter. This feature is analogous to a Boeing 747 aeroplane flying one millimetre above the surface of the earth, it says. The Microdrive's new head technology, which it calls 'the femto slider head', has technology as small as a grain of table salt.

According to the company these high value HDDs are going to be suitable for various digital home appliances, camcorders and car navigation applications. One example is a digital recorder integrated into the TV, bypassing the need for any external recording apparatus.

www.hgst.com

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