27 September 2004
Decreasing dimensions
Smaller bits bring bigger benefits for hard disks. By Graham Pitcher.
Not too long ago, developers of portable consumer devices didn’t have to pay too much attention to storage issues: the Walkman used cassettes, cameras used film. Digital technology has changed all that.
Now, manufacturers of MP3 players vie to produce the device with the greatest storage, as users potentially carry their entire record collection around with them. And as ’phones feature ever higher resolution cameras, storage becomes more important.
There is a stark choice for those designing portable consumer electronics devices: solid state storage; or rotating media. The latter may seem an unusual choice, but rotating storage is winning in some areas, despite the apparent mismatch.
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Author
Graham Pitcher
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