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Imagine what would have happened if the hard drive of your iPod was actually spinning at a couple thousand RPM when you chucked it off the balcony.
How about nothing, the hd can take 400G operating according to specs. http://www.hitachigst.com/hdd/support/3k8/3k8.htm/

to watch "Get Perpendicular"

The review seems to have left out the important "disco ball" and "actuator man" features of perpendicular drives. More information is available from Hitachi here: http://www.hitachigst.com/hdd/research/recording_h ead/pr/PerpendicularAnimation.html

Please tell me you've seen this, http://www.hitachigst.com/hdd/research/recording_h ead/pr/PerpendicularAnimation.html

http://www.hitachigst.com/hdd/research/recording_h ead/pr/PerpendicularAnimation.html

Watch out for the superparamagnetic effect though.

I don't know what all that techno mumbo-jumbo means because it isn't in a flash movie and it doesn't have an awesome musical accompaniement.

http://www.hitachigst.com/hdd/research/recording_h ead/pr/PerpendicularAnimation.html

You don't even post a link to it.

We can finally Get Perpendicular!"

Flash, its not just for 6 year olds.
I recall at least 2 occasions when flash amuses and informs all the 6 year old adults here on slash.

(for the curious, the hitachi perpendicular song and the Super Villians Linux fembot thingy(link appears dead atm though))

I'd take a PocketPC or PalmOS PDA Phone and a Bluetooth GPS and a 4GB Microdrive, combined with some nice Hiking maps. And maybe some nice bright flashing toys from ThinkGeek. For Self-protection, I'd want a Taser. Oh yeah, and a Sidewinder so that I don't have to find a power supply for any of this stuff.

230 GB/in2 would be enough to make an 8 TB 3.5" drive. As it is, they're only hoping for a mere 8 Tb drive.

Get perpendiculahar...

At least it's better than this, aka this

From the article the Windows partitioner tried to tell me my 200GB IDE drive only had a 130GB capacity.

This one got me a little while back. WindowsXP SP1 added support for 48bit LBA disks which is needed to access any disks larger than 128GB.

Info Here

This unfortunately means that you need a boot CD of XP>SP1 at installation time.

Last I heard on the Hitachi drives (probably directly from their site, but it's been a month or two since I looked) is 2006-ish. (Hitachi's PR website)

Hmmm, their page now says 2007...

"Although perpendicular recording has yet to make its way into desktop hard drives..."

In case anyone hasn't already seen it: FLASH

With 500GB drives, it would take 7340.032 drives to attain 3.5PB... with NO redundancy.

Height (mm) 25.4
Width (mm) 101.6
Depth (mm) 146

1. First.
2. Second.
3. Third.
4. Fourth.
5. Fifth.

With 500GB drives, it would take 7340.032 drives to attain 3.5PB... with NO redundancy.

Height (mm) 25.4
Width (mm) 101.6
Depth (mm) 146

1. First.
2. Second.
3. Third.
4. Fourth.
5. Fifth.

What do you get when you mix disco with technology? - This. Worst. Presentation. Ever.

Maybe it's time to Get Perpendicular!

Hitachi became "so big" because they bought IBM's storage technology unit.

http://www.hitachigst.com/portal/site/en/menuitem. cbba11b16b6e50a7760062f6aac4f0a0/

Apple's story is the same as it's always been:

Better Experience from better integration (whole widget), more innovation, and fewer conventional tethers.

Hey, innovation comes along.

I remember hearing about Perpendicular drives. You can buy them now.

(Ok, I know its not a huge advance, but I like the marketting, so its mentioned here)

1TB = 1024 * 1024 * 1024 * 1024 * 8 bits
19.2MBits = 19.2 x 1e6

1TB/19.2MBits = 458129.844 seconds

In hours, that is : 458129.8449 / 3600
= 127.258

That's how they got it.

However, here are the real numbers:
From Hitachi's page on its 7K500 drive, we have

http://www.hitachigst.com/hdd/support/7k500/7k500. htm

1 GB equals one billion bytes when referring to hard drive capacity;

So, the correct numbers are:
8*1e12/3600
        2222222222.2222222222222222222222
8*1e12/(19.2*1e6)
        416666.66666666666666666666666667
answer/3600
        115.74074074074074074074074074074

115.7 hours.

Then again, we must also take note of some more fine print on hitachi's product support page :

accessible capacity may be less.

So yeah, it is a bit of a stretch...probably more like 110 hours at the end of the day.

Hello all

Found this little animations about perpendicular hard drives quite funny(although a little disturbing!).

Slashdot wouldnt submit my story but hopefully you guys will see it!

http://www.hitachigst.com/hdd/research/recording_h ead/pr/PerpendicularAnimation.html

- matty

Which is why you werent on the design team for the flash advert mr science man. http://www.hitachigst.com/hdd/research/recording_h ead/pr/PerpendicularAnimation.html (in case anyone has somehow managed to evade it)

Of course. Don't tell me you have already forgotten this.

> The ThinkPad X-series uses 1.8" drives to cut down on weight and size.

Specifically the X40 series, the X30 series still use 2.5" drives, which are bigger but have many advantages. They're much faster, bigger, cheaper, and most importantly, there is competition from different manufacturers (Hitachi, Toshiba, Seagate, WD, Samsung, Fujitsu, all interchangable). With 1.8" drives you're basically stuck with one manufacturer for a given laptop.

There are only two 1.8" HD manufacturers, Toshiba and Hitachi, and they use incompatible connectors. The Toshiba looks like a shrunken 2.5" drive, while Hitachi uses the same connector from the 2.5" drive mounted on the side of the drive. The IBM X40 uses the Hitachi connector, while Dell uses the Toshiba in the Lattitude X1. I think most ultraportable laptops with 1.8" drives use the Toshiba connector, but as they rarely mention the HD manufacturer, for each model you'd have to find someone who has opened it to find out. Same thing for media players, I'm pretty certain iPods use Toshibas while the Rio Karma has the Hitachi drive. To make matters even more confusing, Hitachi has introduced another incompatible connector for 1.8" drives ("ZIF connector"), which seems to be mainly marketed to media player manufacturers.

In 10 years we'll likely be measuring drive sizes in TB instead of GB, laughing about the days when computers only came with 40 GB HDs and single core processors, kind of like how we laugh about how computers from the 80's had HDs that measured in MBs and RAM that measued in KB!

Really?

If this is true, where are the 5 Ghz CPUs we're supposed to have now? Oh, you don't have any? Well, there's "dual core" CPUs, there's "dual proc" systems, but there's still no CPUs much over 4 Ghz?

You can't grow exponentially forever. There are limits to how much information can be embedded into a 3"*5"*1" cube. No, we're nowhere near the theoretical limits, but we are probably approaching the limits of what our MR HDD technology can achieve, since we're moving to perpendicular technology as our technology matures.

The conputer industry, 1975-2005. It's been fun, it's been exciting, but it's maturing fast.

Or even better, the flash animation.

Just in case you wanted to know the basics of perpendicular recording, Hitachi have released quite an informative (and even mildly amusing) animation about it.

There is a great flash video that explains perpendicular recording, with music no less, at http://www.hitachigst.com/hdd/research/recording_h ead/pr/PerpendicularAnimation.html
produced by Hitachi Global Storage Technologies, for the curious as to how it actually works.

Even though the following is from Hitachi, it is still entertaining (and maybe we can bring down their server too...)

Get Perpendicular!

Actually, this drive is a 5 platter design (see here and here), as they are using 100 GB platters. Seagate has announced a 500 GB drive coming in Q3 with 4 platters, which will use (at least) 133 GB platters. (133 GB platters has been used by Seagate for its 7200.8 series of drives. Their 250 GB drive just has two platters!)

Reducing the number of platters have a number of advantages -- including, as you say, reduced heat, reduced power consumption due to a smaller motor, enabling a low-profile instead of a usual 1 inch form factor, and reducing the cramming of platters and heads inside the drive. A disadvantage is naturally that data will be more crammed on to the platters, but all disks with 133 GB platters have worked well for me. Thus, I think I'll wait for the next Seagate drives instead of buying this one.

Yes, we have hit a limit. The magnetic bits are too small now to continue without a change in technology.

100 gigabytes per 3.5" platter is about the max we seem to be able to do.

The answer? Get perpendicular!!!

http://www.hitachigst.com/hdd/research/recording_h ead/pr/PerpendicularAnimation.html

Let's not forget Get Perpendicular

Macally offers the PHR-250CC with both USB 2.0 and a pair of Firewire 400 ports. Choose any 2.5" drive, can I suggest the Hitachi E7K100 or the E7K60, and you're set. The case is just a little thicker than a deck of cards. I've had a pair of these for the past year, alot of miles on them, and no problems to report.

Macally offers the PHR-250CC with both USB 2.0 and a pair of Firewire 400 ports. Choose any 2.5" drive, can I suggest the Hitachi E7K100 or the E7K60, and you're set. The case is just a little thicker than a deck of cards. I've had a pair of these for the past year, alot of miles on them, and no problems to report.

If you are reaching volumes that large, why not just stick with hard drives? Hitachi offers a 500GB hard drive now. Put two in a RAID 0 (striped) array and you have an extra 800GB of space. Or skip the RAID and just have two new drive letters...

Since you probably have a high quality video camera and your wife probably has a top-of-the-line SLR camera, you can probably afford two new drives. Burning to DVD or CD will be cheaper in cash value, but how much money is your time worth?

A non-technical, school house rockish explanation of perpendicular storage. Pretty entertaining. http://www.hitachigst.com/hdd/research/recording_h ead/pr/PerpendicularAnimation.html

AMSET:
Maxtor drives only was available from Maxtor at one time, currently not supported by Maxtor.

Hitachi Feature tool (FTOOL)
http://www.hitachigst.com/hdd/support/download.htm Works for multiple Manufactrurer's Drives and treats RAID controllers as std IDE, Will also work with SATA Drives.

IBM HDD utility, Also works with Other brands.
Was not able to re-locate the link on IBM's Website, I did locate a link on AOA's site, along with a link for AMSET. http://files.aoaforums.com/index.php?dir=150

Other Items I have found upon building many systems, I have found that case design has a LOT to do with hard drive noise. I have 2 systems here.

System #1: all PATA drives
4X 40 GB 160GB RAID/0 ATA133 7200RPM 2MB Cache Data (2X WD, 2X Maxtor
1X 60GB ATA133 7200RPM 8MB Cache Boot (Maxtor)
Xasier III case (With some custom mods)

System 2: SATA1
1X 160GB 7200RPM 8MB Cache Boot and Data (SEAGATE)
Generic Case (Some custom mods)

All drives in both systems are at Manufacturer default specs NO soft mods for noise etc.
System #1:
I do have the low hum of Fans as there are 9 Fans (I removed 2) in this case, there is NO HDD chatter that is audible with the case closed.
If I open the case I can hear typical drive chatter on access, as well as the dull wine of spinning platters.

System #2:
Again I do hear a low hum of 7 Fans. With case closed I hear HDD accessesquite well, But NO rotational noise
With case open, there is almose no differance with HDD noise.

This is just from personal experience with 2 systems I use everyday.

"Pardon my spelling, and I will pardon yours"
~~ Infopumper

That thing is clunky! For a little bit more, I'd rather get one of these and put in one of these. It would be thinner, have 6gb (removable, too), a more powerful processor, and a VGA screen.

This is all wrong. Don't you know you can store more data if you Get Perpendicular?

I thought we were supposed to get perpendicular? So I have to choose between being smart and being able to remember?

Oh sure, ignore all the work the little bit people have to do when you abandon a virtual shopping cart.

It won't really take off unless they release an amusing Flash video involving dancing flash memory-HDD pairs singing about the joys of dual storage.

Does it get perpendicular?

http://www.hitachigst.com/hdd/research/recording_h ead/pr/PerpendicularAnimation.html

You're telling me that in two years, we'll have 1000GB laptop drives (~10x up) and 1000000GB desktop drives (~2000x up)? Man, Moore must have been a pessimist.

But you can fit more bits on a platter if they Get Perpendicular!

"Hey! Check me out! I'm dancing! I'm dancing!"

This is not true, there are quite a few hard drive manufacturers producing 7200RPM laptop drives now. Like this one for instance hope slashdot doesn't mange the links. There are a few, hitiachi just happened to be the one that came to mind when I read your post.

-kaplanfx

So what is the problem with that patent? Why shouldnt some guy make millions off the idea of "dynamic wallpaper"? The reason is that it's too obvious of a solution to patent. But then a reply might be "Well it isnt that obvious to me." The reason is that patents aren't stated in a way that explains what problem they are trying to solve. I'll get to why that's important.

So then what should be Patented? I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that there should be at least two types of patents. One would be a simple design patents, where the design of a mechanical alarm clock would qualify. The second would be an operational principle patent, covering the uses of objects, for instance patents on the CD-RW, where the cooling speed of glass is used to encode bits, would be an operational principle patent.

So what would be needed for an operational principle patent? I'm inclined to say that it should state a problem that is trying to be solved, within a set of constraints that the pending patent can meet. Then the patent should be validated by having a person with a degree in an aligned field attempt to solve the problem, within the given constraints within a one day timeframe, and given solid research resources to find information to get it solved. The operating principle wouldnt be bogged down with design information, it would just fill the simple niche of stating how something is accomplished in a general sense, for instance Hitachi's new perpendicular recording technology would be an operational patent, whereas their enclosure would fall under the design patent. http://www.hitachigst.com/hdd/research/recording_h ead/pr/

So the big change I would make: State the problem, and test to see if the problem can be solved by a talented clerk in 8 hours, if the problem can be solved within the constraints by the clerk (even if the clerk has a totally different solution) then the patent is bogus. And yes, this will cost way more cash to check operational principle patents, but that's something for the patent office to work out with fees.

Storm

P.S. Please Feel Free to rip this apart, hey it's only an idea.