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Microdrive Technology Rebounds Thanks to iPod Mini

Posted by timothy on from the 4-gigs-for-cheap dept.

An anonymous reader writes "A few years ago Richard Menta over at MP3 Newswire did a lengthy review on the IBM Microdrive and declared it would significantly alter the MP3 portable market if IBM did one thing - drop the price. That never happened and it prompted Menta last year to declare the iPod's more cost effective Toshiba drive made it moot and he put the Microdrive on his 2002 MP3 loser list. Since then the drive technology was acquired by Hitachi who convinced to Apple to use it for the iPod Mini. The Mini's recent success prompted Menta to revisit his previous write-off. Interesting view of the up and down travils of any technology and how each change can have dramatic effect on its success and failure."

5 of 191 comments (clear)

  1. Who convinced who? by teamhasnoi · · Score: 4, Insightful
    ...was acquired by Hitachi who convinced to Apple to use it for the iPod Mini.

    Is it: ..was acquired by Hitachi who convinced Apple to use it for the iPod Mini.

    or

    was acquired by Hitachi who was convinced by Apple to use it for the iPod Mini.

    Editors should be clearing this up, rather than adding 11 more submissions to the 'Games' catagory. C'mon Timothy - stop playing UT2004 for just a second.

  2. Think outside the square by powerpuffgirls · · Score: 5, Insightful

    MicroDrive won't be successful as a storage because nobody really needs to carry that much data around. When iPod comes in, it changed the use of such device, and people do have needs to carry that much of music around.

    Similar to Acer's latest monsterous laptop, which is so heavy and short of battery life. Most people said it is too heavy and short-life to be carried around, but in reality this laptop is not designed for you to carry around and use it in pubs, cafe or buses, instead it is for people to move from point A to point B, and station it on a desk again. This immediately changes its intended use and market.

    1. Re:Think outside the square by unfortunateson · · Score: 5, Insightful

      On the other hand, the current generation of pro-level (11+ megapixel range) digital cameras take 35MB raw-mode photos. A 4GB Microdrive becomes indispensible.

      A couple of the newest MP3 jukeboxes have 20GB and firewire for upload/download of not-neccessarily-music files and are even better.

      --
      Design for Use, not Construction!
  3. Re:Pretty annoying by SpookyFish · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I hardly think that a significant percentage of the 100k+ iPMinis were purchased for that reason.

    The Mini isn't a bad deal in any way for people who want one that is mini -- and the size DOES make a difference to plenty of people. 4G is still a hell of a lot of music, for "typical" people and/or those willing to prune what they put on the iPod to songs they'll ever actually listen to.

    I highly doubt Hitachi is selling them at a loss -- Apple is buying with at least 100k unit volume commitments. I bet they haven't even sold 100k total to retail channels! I am sure, however, they wish they'd protected against this, to keep the margins on standalone retail sales high.

  4. A new floppy drive by cybermint · · Score: 5, Insightful

    In this day and age, where computers are so widely used, and our data integrity is vital, we still rely on data storage methods that use moving parts. Nothing lasts forever, but magnetic media always has a nasty habit of failing much sooner, mainly because it still relies on a system vulnerable to friction. Now microdrive technology is rebounding? When is this dinosaur going to die!? Then again, maybe that's the reason it's still around. If it didn't fail, we wouldn't have to buy a new one.