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Apple waiting for Toshiba's 1.8-inch 60GB drive

updated 09:20 am EDT, Wed June 2, 2004

60GB iPod drive coming


Toshiba is planning to of its 1.8-inch hard disk drive in the coming months and has already found a customer in Apple, according to IDG News Service: "The drive will enter mass-production during July or August and represents a jump in the storage density of Toshiba's 1.8-inch drives...Toshiba's current highest capacity drive, which is a 40GB model, includes two disc platters, each capable of holding 20GB of data. In the new drive, this capacity will be increased to 30GB per platter...Toshiba is currently shipping 350,000 of the 1.8-inch drives per month to Apple for use in the iPod."


by MacNN Staff

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  1. paulc

    Junior Member

    Joined: Aug 2000

    0
    06/02, 10:26am | report spam | Reply |

    Excellent News!

    Been waiting for this... my library is over 40G now, so I'm looking forward to a 60G model with the mini's control scheme (scroll & buttons in one unit).

  1. z10n

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Oct 2003

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    06/02, 10:31am | report spam | Reply |

    Ok

    Am I the only one who thinks apple should focus on adding new features to the iPod, instead of more capacity? Who has 60 gigs of music they need to have with them at all times? Unless you rip all your music with Apple Lossless, that's just sick.

    iPod key deficencies, as I see them:
    A) Battery life
    B) No built-in radio tuner
    C) No equalizer change on the iPod
    D) No song lyrics sync

    s**** more capacity. Focus on features.

  1. jimothy

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Sep 2000

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    06/02, 10:41am | report spam | Reply |

    Thin is in!

    I agree that 60 gigs is bigger than I (but not everybody) would need, so what might be more compelling is if Toshiba offered a 30-gig, single platter drive, which would fit in a smaller package. Then, Apple could offer either a thinner iPod, or one with the same size but a larger (thus, longer lasting) battery. And 30 gig would still hold a more-than-generous amount of music.

    Unfortunately, market pressures are still at work here. Just as people assume that a 8-megapixel camera will automatically produce better pictures than a 6-megapixel camera, many will see 60-gig player as better than a 30-gig player.

    The line-up I'd like to see: single-platter 20, single-platter 30, and dual-platter 60.

  1. JeffHarris

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Oct 1999

    0
    06/02, 10:54am | report spam | Reply |

    More possibilities...

    More capacity means more possibilities.

    If you use an iPod for more than just a music player... file transfers, backup, portable storage, etc... then 60GB may not seem like too much.

    There have been rumors of a new Mac OS X feature that may (or may not, as the rumor mills go) appear in Tiger. That is something called Home on iPod (or any other external drive, I'd hope). From what I've read, your entire Home folder can reside on (or be copied to) an iPod and you can just plug it into any Mac, anywhere and log into your Home folder and all your prefs, settings, applications, etc. stored there.

    That sounds pretty great to me! With that in mind, 60GB seems like a good fit.

  1. testudo

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Aug 2001

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    06/02, 11:10am | report spam | Reply |

    Re: OK

    Am I the only one who thinks apple should focus on adding new features to the iPod, instead of more capacity? Who has 60 gigs of music they need to have with them at all times? Unless you rip all your music with Apple Lossless, that's just sick.

    Who says they aren't looking at new features. Just because apple's looking at a new drive, you assume they just are going to make a 4G ipod with a larger drive? Maybe they want the larger drive to do video or better photo storage.

    iPod key deficencies, as I see them:
    A) Battery life
    B) No built-in radio tuner
    C) No equalizer change on the iPod
    D) No song lyrics sync

    s**** more capacity. Focus on features.


    Except your list of 'deficiencies' isn't everyone's. Just because you think the iPod needs to be able to change equalizer settings on the fly, most people probably don't care. And everyone with an opinion then spouts off on iPod v4 with "more fluff added, but no real substance", like the complaints some had with iTunes 4.5.

    Of your list, I can see the radio tuner (but it better do AM and FM), and the battery life. The other two, what do I care. Its sort of like those who want album art displayed on the screen. Why? I don't know, I can't see I've ever cared (nor do I care about liner notes or the like, but apparently some people actually sit down and read that stuff).

    And just for my curiosity, what the h*** is "No song lyrics sync" mean? Apple scrolling the lyrics as they're playing, kareoke style? Is it possible to keep the two in-sync? It would have to be coded into the song, wouldn't it?

  1. zulfikarn

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Sep 2000

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    06/02, 12:26pm | report spam | Reply |

    iPod blah!

    Everyone's gone nuts.

    They should change this site's name to iPodnn (hey, just thought I should register that).

    What I would really like them to do with a 60 GB 1.8" drive, is stick it in a truly portable - uncrippled - laptop. As it is my iBook is still way too heavy (I don't know how the kids who get these things manage, along with this and presumably they still have some papers, books etc?)

    As for the iPod (ok, I know I had to talk about it), the only thing I would like for it, is some kind of cradle so I could replace my car HiFi, but yes I suppose I would still want the AM/FM with that.

  1. milhous

    Mac Elite

    Joined: Sep 2000

    0
    06/02, 12:45pm | report spam | Reply |

    With more capacity....

    you need longer battery life. Hopefully they'll add more in the next iPod.

  1. testudo

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Aug 2001

    0
    06/02, 01:04pm | report spam | Reply |

    Re: iPod blah

    The drives are too slow for Notebook usage.

    And I'd like to know what you haul around in your bag if a 6 lb. ibook is causing back problems...

  1. bauhaus

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Sep 2003

    0
    06/02, 01:33pm | report spam | Reply |

    too slow?

    They're 4200rpm drives. You might want to go check what Apple is using in their laptops right now. :lol:

    BTW, IBM uses a 40GB 1.8" drive in their ultraportable X40.

  1. abrody

    Junior Member

    Joined: Mar 1999

    0
    06/02, 01:50pm | report spam | Reply |

    battery life is overrated

    You get 8 hours of battery. And if you don't you have a 1 year Apple warranty for free, and a 2 year for $99.95 for the iPod itself, or $69.95 for just the battery.

    And there are cheaper options on http://www.ipodbatteryfaq.com/

    h***, my iPod has 20 hours battery life thanks to my belkin adapter.

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