Hitachi's New Micro Drives - Too Little Too Late?

[James Fee]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://news.designtechnica.com/article8246.html' target='_blank'>http://news.designtechnica.com/article8246.html</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Mikey, Hitachi said, is now known as the Microdrive 3K8. It will be available in 6 and 8 gigabyte sizes for smart phone and other types of consumer device makers. The hard drive maker says the 3K8 is nearly 20 percent smaller and consumes 40 percent less power than its predecessor. Other useful features include a first ever CE-ATA interface and drop sensor technology to help protect against data loss."</i><br /><br />Of course now with products such as the <a href="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=57056&sid=ff2aeaca6ebdb0bf40a0591bad33ff7f">Apple iPod Nano</a> abandoning the microdrives and with Samsung ready to push the envelope on flash, I'd say there really isn't anything <a href="http://www.hitachigst.com/portal/site/en/menuitem.7ac4c50322419b5daa67bca4bac4f0a0/">Hitachi</a> can do to overcome that combination. There are few companies that can drive a market like Apple and Samsung can.

[phillypocket]

It's their versatility that makes them usefull. I'm just about to by my second micro-drive, though only 4 Gig (I'm price sensitive....) because I'll be able to use it in my Axim and my F828. Until Flash memory at the consumer level (as opposed to the oem level) is significantly cheaper and as long as prosumer cameras still use the cf form factor (I won't pretend to know where that is going for the next few generations), I think micro-drives will still be relevant.