Slashdot Mirror


Toshiba Claims Bit-Patterned Drive Breakthrough

CWmike writes "Toshiba will detail a breakthrough in data storage later Wednesday that it says paves the way for hard drives with vastly higher capacity than today, reports Martyn WIlliams. The breakthrough has been made in the research of bit-patterned media, a magnetic storage technology that is being developed for future hard disk drives. Bit-patterned media breaks up the recording surface into numerous magnetic bits, each consisting of a few magnetic grains. Under a microscope, the magnetic bits look like thousands of tiny spheres crammed next to each another. Data is stored on these magnetic bits: One magnetic bit can hold one bit of data. Prototypes of the media have been made before but Toshiba says its engineers have, for the first time, succeeded in producing a media sample in which the magnetic bits are organized into a pattern of rows."

13 of 151 comments (clear)

  1. Re:I'm not a hardware guy by nacturation · · Score: 2, Funny

    So how is this any different than existing HDDs?

    This is a hard drive on speed, known as ADHD (Advanced Digital Hard Drive).

    --
    Want to improve your Karma? Instead of "Post Anonymously", try the "Post Humously" option.
  2. What video do we get this time? by IICV · · Score: 2, Funny

    I'm kind of curious; after the "Get Perpendicular!" video, how's Toshiba going to top Hitachi in the "silly video explaining your new technology" race?

    After reading TFA, I'm almost scared that it'll involve some sort of cartoon magnetic grain orgy.

    1. Re:What video do we get this time? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      At least it's not a breakthrough in Heat Assisted Magnetic Recording. I can just imagine a 'HAMR Time' video.

  3. Re:Bit = Binary Digit by Monkeedude1212 · · Score: 2, Funny

    What's your problem? I'm not upset. Not even the slightest little bit.

  4. 100TB, here we come! by assemblerex · · Score: 2, Funny

    RIAA must be rolling on the floor having a seizure right about now...

  5. Re:Do not want by Tanktalus · · Score: 2, Funny

    Personally, I avoid dropping electronics, especially ones with moving parts, on to the floor. Or any other surface, for that matter. Helps a lot.

    HTH, HAND

  6. Re:I'm not a hardware guy by Inner_Child · · Score: 4, Funny

    Yeah, but there will be a million regular HDDs for sale that are mislabeled as ADHDs...

    --
    Today is red jello day - all workers must eat all of their red jello. Failure to comply will result in five demerits.
  7. Re:oh really? by blair1q · · Score: 2, Funny

    Yes, but this one has sectors one bit long.

  8. Cairo vs. L.A. by SuperKendall · · Score: 2, Funny

    Some people will probably need a car analogy to sum it all up.

    Ok - in LA you have seventeen or so lanes of traffic. But because they are all headed the same direction, they all sit at a standstill pointed the direction they are supposed to be going.

    Now compare that to Cairo, which has cars going every which way along with camels and a million pedestrians per square mile. In Cairo everyone sits at a standstill, but they may not be pointed where they want to go, with the single side benefit that they can buy figs at any time from a local street vendor.

    Wait, what was the subject again?

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
  9. Re:Advancing the Past by DRJlaw · · Score: 3, Funny

    Obsolete 2TB spinning platter device = $99.99
    New hotness 640GB flash device = $14,500.00

    There's nothing really stopping the availability of high capacity SSDs except cost.

    Oh, well then... There's nothing really stopping me from being the next Governor of California. Jump on the bandwagon for my inevitable victory!

  10. Re:Quick explanation by Crudely_Indecent · · Score: 4, Funny

    His last post ended with:

    I've had it. I'm switching all my machines to Linux today.

    See ya'll in 24 hours.

    That was May 11th..... I guess the transition didn't go so well.

    --


    "Lame" - Galaxar
  11. Re:HDDs are gay by AlamedaStone · · Score: 2, Funny

    How do you spot a gay man in a crowd of people? They'll be carrying an IPhone.

    Dude, if you need to see an iPhone to know if someone is gay you are in serious trouble! Have you noticed how your ass keeps being fondled every time you are in a crowd?

    Hrm, I don't seem to have that problem. Maybe I should buy new pants.

    --
    "All these years believing you're the signified monkey, only to find out you're just a big hunk of nobody cares."
  12. Re:Very, very small isolated domains by noname444 · · Score: 2, Funny

    You're not being very discrete in the way you're handling this.