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[>Htech] SPAM: Hitachi to release 4GB microdrive (fwd)

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: 08 Jan 2003 11:29:14 +1000
From: Alejandro Dubrovsky <>
Reply-To: 
To: transhumantech <>
Subject: [>Htech] SPAM: Hitachi to release 4GB microdrive

(
yes, it's now Hitachi, not IBM.  Now, with pixiedust.
http://www.eetimes.com/printableArticle?doc_id=25614
)

World`s Smallest Hard Drive Now Bigger: Hitachi Puts 4GB on a One-Inch
Disk
By BizWire
01/06/2003 00:04:00
URL: http://www.eet.com/story/25614

    Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

    SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 6, 2003--Hitachi Global
Storage Technologies today announced plans to squeeze four gigabytes of
data onto the 1-inch Microdrive, the world's smallest hard disk drive.
With considerable advances in miniaturization technology, Hitachi
engineers have overcome numerous magnetic recording challenges
associated with developing hard disk drives of this size. The 4GB
Microdrive is expected to be available in the Fall of 2003.

    The new drive will use ultra-miniaturized components, including a
new read-write head that is half the size of its predecessor and results
in a 40-percent decrease in the height at which the head travels above
the disk platter. This feature is analogous to a Boeing 747 airplane
flying one millimeter above the surface of the earth. The Microdrive's
new head technology, called the femto slider head, opens up a next
generation of head slider technology. The new technology is so small
that it is equivalent in size to a grain of table salt.

    Hitachi engineers have also drastically increased the tracks per
inch to accommodate the Microdrive's areal density of more than 60
billion bits of data per square inch. This areal density required
mechanical tolerances and accuracies to be significantly tighter in
order to maintain the Microdrive's superior data integrity and
reliability.

    Pixie Dust Media Technology

    The areal density of the 4GB Microdrive is made possible by using a
new five-layer version of Hitachi's patented "Pixie Dust" media
technology. This data storage breakthrough is achieved by taking a
three-atom-thick layer of the element ruthenium, a precious metal
similar to platinum, and sandwiching it between three magnetic layers.
Technically referred to as antiferromagnetically coupled media, the
ruthenium/magnetic layers enable data recording at ultra-high densities
while maintaining data integrity.

    Other significant technical achievements include a data transfer
rate increase that represents a 50 percent improvement from the
previous-generation Microdrive. Hitachi engineers estimate that the new
data transfer rates are faster than all competitive solid-state data
storage products available today.

    "The Microdrive's capacity is ideally suited for multimedia or other
data-intensive applications that need to be accessed via a handheld
device," said Bill Healy, general manager, Mobile HDD Business Unit,
Hitachi Global Storage Technologies. "Whether users are listening to
music, watching movies on their PDA or shooting high-resolution
photography, the Microdrive enables users to focus on the task at hand
-- not on the amount of memory available in their device."

    Broad Industry Support

    The 4GB Microdrive is designed to the CompactFlash Type II industry
standard. HP and Eastman-Kodak are among the industry-leading companies
that are evaluating the 4GB Microdrive. The new Microdrive is expected
to broaden the variety and complexity of applications that can be run on
handheld appliances and other consumer electronic devices.

    The proliferation and sharing of digital content is driving the need
for mobile devices that can run large multimedia and enterprise
applications, but are portable enough to fit in the palm of a hand.
Manufacturers of portable devices, handheld and laptop computers,
digital still and video cameras and MP3 players are among the many
technology products that are optimized to take advantage of the
Microdrive's substantial capacity and performance features.

    "The HP iPAQ Pocket PC's high performance and brilliant display make
it perfect for running rich multimedia applications," said Cindy Box,
director of marketing, Smart Handhelds, HP. "The Hitachi Microdrive's
impressive capacity and portability allow HP iPAQ Pocket PC users to
watch movies, listen to music, and enrich their email experience with
attachments while enabling new business applications."

    "As digital cameras continue to evolve and increase in megapixels,
consumers will take an increasing number of high-resolution images that
need to be stored on a high-capacity, portable medium," said Madhav
Mehra, general manager, Digital Capture Systems, Kodak Professional.
"Kodak is evaluating the Microdrive because its capacity and portability
are well-suited to the needs of even the most demanding digital camera
user."

    Product Availability

    Hitachi currently offers the Microdrive in capacities ranging from
340MB to 1GB. The 4GB Microdrive is expected to be available in the Fall
of 2003. Pricing will be announced later this year.

    The Microdrive is currently the CompactFlash price performance
leader with the lowest cost per megabyte in the industry. The new 4GB
version Microdrive is expected to continue this leadership tradition.

    Hitachi will participate, along with its development partners, in
major industry events such as the Consumer Electronics Show and the
Storage Visions conference in January to discuss the Microdrive
advancements in greater detail.

    About Hitachi Global Storage Technologies

    Hitachi Global Storage Technologies was founded in 2003 as a result
of the strategic combination of IBM and Hitachi's storage technology
businesses. The company's vision is to enable users to fully engage in
the digital lifestyle by providing access to large amounts of storage
capacity in formats suitable for the office, on the road and in the
home.

    The company offers customers worldwide a comprehensive range of
storage products for desktop computers, high-performance servers and
mobile devices. For more information on Hitachi Global Storage
Technologies, please visit the company's Web site at
http://www.hgst.com.

    About Hitachi, Ltd.

    Hitachi, Ltd., headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global
electronics company, with approximately 320,000 employees worldwide.
Fiscal 2001 (ended March 31, 2002) consolidated sales totaled 7,994
billion yen ($60.1 billion). The company offers a wide range of systems,
products and services in market sectors, including information systems,
electronic devices, power and industrial systems, consumer products,
materials and financial services. For more information on Hitachi,
please visit the company's Web site at http://global.hitachi.com.

--30--LR/sf

CONTACT: Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Kim Nguyen, 408-256-7589
(Americas)  Caroline Sumners, 44-1256-344159 (EMEA)
 Karthik Laxman, 65-6418-2370 (AP)
 or Hitachi America, Ltd. Matt Takahashi,
1-650-244-7902  or Hitachi Asia Ltd.
Yuji Hoshino, +65-6231-2522  or Hitachi
Europe Ltd. Kantaro Tanii, +44-(0)1628-585379


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