IRVINE, Calif., Sept. 24, 2007 – Toshiba Storage Device Division (SDD), the industry pioneer in small form factor hard disk drives (HDDs), today announced expansion of its market-leading 1.8-inch lineup with the MKxx29GSG series which include three new high-capacity, high-performance Serial ATA HDDs for mobile PC applications, including the industry’s first 250GB1 1.8-inch HDD.
Toshiba’s third-generation 5,400 RPM SATA 1.8 HDD family also features 120GB and 160GB capacities, along with the fast data transfer rate of the SATA 3.0 Gb/s interface. In addition, the MKxx29GSG series offers a Toshiba’s state-of-the-art free fall sensor option, which enhances protection from external shock and vibration events.
This powerful, high-capacity family further broadens Toshiba’s full line of 1.8-inch HDDs to meet the diversified storage needs of both PC and CE manufacturers with products suited to the specific capacity, performance and configuration requirements of each application. Building on Toshiba’s recent introduction of PATA 1.8-inch HDDs with up to 240GB capacities, this new SATA 1.8-inch HDD series offers the performance characteristics required for computing applications and enables PC manufacturers to further miniaturize notebook designs without sacrificing functionality.
Toshiba’s concentration on the 1.8-inch HDD platform and leadership in advanced recording technologies have enabled the company to continually push areal densities to 378.8 Gb/in2 in the new series and deliver storage capacities that were previously available only from larger form factor HDDs, while decreasing the power consumption required by the storage device. The MK2529GSG achieves a low energy consumption efficiency2 of 0.0016 watts-per-GB in. In addition, incorporation of high-performance features such as SATA 3.0 Gb/s and 5,400 RPMs enables 1.8-inch HDD entry into all mobile PCs, delivering the benefits of longer battery life, increased shock tolerance and quieter operation in a field-proven, mature storage platform.
“Portable PCs continue to make the transition to the SATA interface. IDC estimates that 84 percent of mobile HDD shipments in the second quarter of 2008 were SATA,” said John Rydning, research director at IDC. “Toshiba’s implementation of SATA 3.0 GB/s for its new 1.8inch HDD product line will facilitate adoption in a broad range of portable PC form factors.”
“By working with the Serial ATA International Organization to define a standard micro-SATA connector, Toshiba has broadened the SATA playing field to include small form factor storage solutions. This will help solidify SATA’s position as the pervasive storage interface for digital applications industry wide,” stated Conrad A. Maxwell, SATA-IO Marketing Chairman.
With more than 60 million 1.8-inch HDDs shipped, Toshiba has consistently held the number one position in the 1.8-inch HDD segment since introduction of its first model in 2000. Today, the company is shipping its 31st generation of 1.8-inch HDDs and has brought to market more than 40 different models.
“As 1.8-inch HDDs grow in capacity and performance, they offer a compelling value proposition for a broader array of mobile PCs, including high-volume notebooks,” said Maciek Brzeski, vice-president of marketing, Toshiba Storage Device Division. “Combining a quarter terabyte of storage with the data transfer capabilities essential to the PC environment marks a critical step in driving 1.8-inch HDD adoption into a broader array of PC configurations. The MKxx29GSG line will accelerate growth in mobile, thin-and-light and sub-notebook categories as a result of enhanced functionality.”
The MKxx29GSG series joins Toshiba’s growing line of environmentally safe storage products with its improved energy consumption series of new products. In addition, Toshiba has discontinued use of certain chemical substances across all of its HDDs and has eliminated specified hazardous halogens in this new product series.
Toshiba’s new family of 1.8-inch HDDs will begin volume shipment to PC manufacturers and distribution partners in December. Interested developers and design engineers can visit www.toshibastorage.com for more information on Toshiba’s line of industry-leading 1.8-inch HDDs.