100 Terabyte 3.5-inch Optical Storage

ignipotentis writes "According to PhysOrg we are close to being able to record our entire lives on a single 3.5" optical disc. This article talks about using ultraviolet light since focused laser beam is smaller in diameter than other frequencies of light. The expected cost per drive upon production is $570-$750 with discs costing $45."

Comments

Really dragging their feet

[maximilln]

I remember when SeaGate was making the MiniChief and DataChief hard drives (20 and 40 mb, respectively). At that time there were already one or two outfits who were working on "floptical" media. Price was comparable but storage was about half. With the refinement of laser technology I've often wondered what's been holding up floptical media. circa 1992 the drives were around $400 and disks were about $50.

I don't want to say that it's an industry conspiracy but, well, there's no better explanation for why floptical drives haven't received the kind of attention, development, and marketing that they deserve. For all practical applications floptical media could leave magnetic media far behind.