Tiny hard disc drive breaks the inch barrier

A new hard disc drive is claimed as the world's smallest, with a media diameter of just 0.85in.

A new hard disc drive is claimed as the world's smallest, with a media diameter of just 0.85in.

The miniature drive, just the size of a GBP 1 coin, is the first hard drive to achieve multigigabyte data storage at a sub-1in size.

It is set to accelerate innovations in small, powerful digital products by giving them the high storage capacities essential for next generation multimedia applications.

Toshiba expects the new drive to bring the functionality and versatility of HDDs to a wide range of devices, including mobile phones, digital camcorders and external storage devices, and to follow the company's current 1.8in HDD in inspiring manufacturers to develop new products and applications.

Toshiba is the pioneer of high capacity, small form factor HDD.

The company's 1.8in HDD, the storage device of choice for some of the hottest portable gadgets on the market, has allowed manufacturers to deliver unprecedented functionality to exciting new mobile entertainment products including MP3 players, palmtops, ultraportable notebook PCs, handheld GPS units, and digital audio players and jukeboxes.

"Our new miniature drive is a significant technological breakthrough.

It is set to bring explosive growth in smaller and more mobile digital devices, with a host of hot new portable gadgets for the consumer", said Nick Spittle, Senior Manager Product Development, of Toshiba Storage Device Division Europe.

"Our small yet powerful, highly functional drives are an enabling tool for other companies' imagination and creativity, accelerating the fusion of computing tools and consumer electronics products.

We expect this trend to gather pace in the consumer information appliances, communications and entertainment markets".

With the new drive, only a quarter the surface area of a 1.8in drive, Toshiba achieves a smaller, lighter, high capacity storage medium in which low power consumption is complemented by high performance.

The drive will offer initial capacities of 2 to 4Gbyte, and more in future, delivering enhanced data storage to smaller, lighter and more efficient products.

Toshiba expects to start sampling the new drive in summer 2004 and to start mass production in autumn 2004, at an initial monthly production capacity of 200,000 to 300,000 units.

Work on the new drive has cantered on Toshiba's Ome Operations - Digital Media Network, home to the company's main development site for digital and mobile products and the manufacturing site for the device.

Toshiba created the 1.8in HDD market in 2000 when it started mass production of a PC-Card-type removable 1.8in HDD with a 2Gbyte capacity.

The company has subsequently introduced a series of products that consistently pushed back the borders of capacity and performance, including a 1.8in, 5mm height, 5Gbyte embedded HDD in 2001; and a 5mm height 10Gbyte embedded model and 8mm height, 20 and 30Gbyte embedded HDD in 2002.

The latest generation of Toshiba's 1.8in embedded HDD offers a capacity of 40Gbyte in an 8mm high package, and a 20Gbyte capacity in a 5mm-high package.

Cumulative production reached 3 million units at the end of October 2003, on consistently rising demand.

Toshiba is featuring the new drive at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), in Las Vegas, Nevada until 11th January 2004, at booth 12214.

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