120GB 1.8" HDDs in 2006

Seagate is expected to unveil 60GB and 120GB 1.8-inch hard drives in the final quarter of 2006, and referenced Apple as a likely customer for such drives. Apple's current hard drive-based iPod line includes the fifth-generation iPod with video, offering 30GB and 60GB storage capacities. Some industry watchers say those storage limitations are fast becoming obsolete as competing players surpass Apple's storage capacities in a race to offer consumers more room for full-length video content on-the-go. Even at the iPod's relatively modest 320 x 240 resolution, a music video can amount to dozens of megabytes, according to Electronista. The one full-length movie currently available on the U.S. iTunes Music Store, High School Musical, totals almost half a gigabyte. Apple's iTunes Music Store is rumored to be in talks with Hollywood studios to offer full-length feature films, though no deals have yet surfaced.

by MacNN Staff