Toshiba unveils new 1.8-inch HDDs for PC and CE apps 23 December, 2007 By Liam Lahey

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The 1.8-inch HDDs for PC applications include the 120GB MK1214GAH, the 60GB MK6028GAL and the lightweight 80GB MK8025GAL, weighing two grams less than traditional five-millimeter-high 1.8-inch HDDs. All three models are equipped with a PATA interface, 2MB buffer and 512 byte-per-sector format for tablet, mobile PC, ultra-portable, ultra-mobile PC (UMPC) and other applications, officials said.

For CE applications, Toshiba introduced two single platter 60GB 1.8-inch HDDs in the slim, five-millimeter-high form factor with special attributes for mobile and handheld products. The MK6014GAL offers a 4,200 RPM spin speed and 2MB buffer for faster data throughput, while the MK6015GAA supports a 3,600 RPM spin speed for quieter operation.

"Currently we have seen a lot of interest for camcorder applications. They are designed to go into other CE devises as well, but most new growth or traction has been in camcorders," said Patty Kim, a product marketing manager for Toshiba America Information Systems in Fairmont, Calif. "All five HDDs are available through our distribution partners. Three drives support 512 bytes per sector and will most likely have a greater demand primarily because long data sectors require greater integration efforts from the host system supplier, including software considerations."

Toshiba's two 60GB CE HDDs demonstrate the company's lead in the design and manufacture of long data sector technology with 1K byte-per-sector formats optimized for CE systems. Toshiba was the first HDD manufacturer to use long data sector technology in its recently introduced 160GB 1.8-inch HDD (MK1626GCB), which uses a 4K byte-per-sector architecture.

"Long data sector technology brings advantages in drive format efficiency, improved error correction capability and enhanced storage capacity," said Dr. Michael A. Russak, executive director of IDEMA-US, the international trade association of the HDD industry. "Clearly, Toshiba is a leader in taking advantage of these benefits and will be delivering more robust, highly efficient storage solutions to its customers. IDEMA has been working to support member companies in migrating from the traditional 512 byte data sector format to larger formats as Toshiba has done in these products."

With this expanded lineup, Toshiba is targeting new markets and applications for the 1.8-inch form factor. The lightweight, high-capacity 80GB drive accommodates highly portable, thin and light PCs and mobile Internet devices, while the CE-oriented 60GB products are targeted for camcorders, digital cameras and other handheld devices.

"Toshiba has been in this market since 2000, and we are the only HDD market to see this market as it has matured," Kim added. "The greatest changes we see right now are the uptake in camcorder applications and in small form factor, thin and light PC applications."

Toshiba's 1.8-inch HDDs have helped fuel the digital product revolution since their introduction in 2000, with high-capacity storage in compact, durable form factors for content capture and playback, information-sharing and data access. With capacity points that reflect mainstream mobile and desktop HDD levels, Toshiba's 1.8-inch HDDs have enabled enhanced capabilities in CE products such as portable media players, handheld GPS, camcorders and other digital devices, and driven the emergence of full-featured thin and light notebooks, sub-notebooks, tablet PCs and other extreme mobility systems. In addition to spurring miniaturization and mobility for PC and CE devices, 1.8-inch HDDs deliver better power efficiency, improved ruggedness and quieter acoustics for music and video playback over long periods of time, compared to larger form factor HDDs.

"We are the only HDD manufacturer with a proven track record of success in the 1.8-inch HDD category, and we see healthy opportunity for continued growth and adoption of this form factor," said Maciek Brzeski, vice president of marketing at Toshiba SDD. "With increasing capacities and better features for mobility, 1.8-inch HDDs are driving new markets and finding their way into traditional storage-hungry applications such as mobile PCs."

Pricing information for the HDDs was not available at press time.