Icy News: Kingston Digital Ships SSDNow V+200 2.5-Inch SSDs

"With 6Gb SATA SandForce controller, up to 480GB ($985)

Kingston Digital, Inc. announced the latest addition to its SSDNow family, the SSDNow V+200.



The SSDNow V+200 SSDs are the performance upgrade solution for the performance minded yet cost-conscious business or home user.

They features the second-generation high-speed SATA 3.0 (6Gb/s) SandForce SF-2281 processor and sequential read and write speeds of up to 535MB/s and 480MB/s. The SSDNow V+200 enables fast system start-up, rapid data access and speedy copying of large files such as videos, presentations and graphics illustrations.

"Kingston constantly strives to offer the perfect upgrade solution to cover each market segment. The SSDNow V+200 drive has been specifically designed to meet the needs of both business and home users looking for an inexpensive yet powerful upgrade," said Ariel Perez, SSD business manager, Kingston. "The SSDNow V+200 is equipped with all essential tools needed to extend the lifecycle and boost a system's performance to the maximum. The balance between performance and price makes this SSD deliver the best ROI as an upgrade for a fleet of corporate notebooks or desktops or the home PC."

The SSDNow V+200 is available in 60GB, 90GB, 120GB, 240GB and 480GB capacities as either a stand-alone drive or as an upgrade kit. Upgrade kits include cables, brackets, cloning software and HDD enclosure - everything the business or home user needs to get started.

Kingston SSDs are backed by a three-year warranty and 24/7 live technical support.

SSDNow V+200 Features and Specs:

• Multiple Capacities: the right capacity to meet your storage standards
• Endurance: Data Integrity Protection featuring DuraClass Technology
• Dependable: RAISE for advanced data reliability
• Secure: Self-encrypting drive technology
• Durable: DuraWrite optimizes writes to extend endurance
• Form Factor: 2.5"
• Interface: SATA Rev. 3.0 (6Gb/s), SATA Rev. 2.0 (3Gb/s), SATA Rev. 1.0 (1.5Gb/s)
• Capacities: 60GB, 90GB, 120GB, 240GB, 480GB
• Sequential reads: SATA Rev. 3.0: 535MB/s; SATA Rev. 2.0: 280MB/s
• Sequential writes: SATA Rev. 3.0: 60GB - 460MB/s; All Others - 480MB/s; SATA Rev. 2.0: 260MB/s
• Sustained Random 4k Read/Write: 60GB - 12,000/47,000 IOPS; 90GB - 20,000/47,000 IOPS; 120GB - 20,000/44,000 IOPS; 240GB - 36,000/43,000 IOPS; 480GB - 43,000/30,000 IOPS
• Max Random 4k Read/Write: 60GB - 85,000/60,000 IOPS; 90GB - 85,000/57,000 IOPS; 120GB - 85,000/55,000 IOPS; 240GB - 85,000/43,000 IOPS; 480GB - 75,000/34,000 IOPS
• Power Consumption: 0.565 W (TYP) Idle / 1.795 W (TYP) Read / 2.065 W (TYP) Write
• Storage Temperatures: -40  C to 85  C
• Operating Temperatures: 0  C to 70  C
• Weight: 115g
• Vibration Operating: 2.17G
• Vibration Non-operating: 20G
• MTBF: 1,000,000 Hrs
• Warranty/Support: three-year warranty with 24/7 support

Kingston SSDNow V+200 SSD Models
Part Number        Capacity and Features                              MSRP
SVP200S3/60G       60GB 2.5 SATA SSD (stand-alone drive)       $ 140.00
SVP200S3/90G       90GB 2.5 SATA SSD (stand-alone drive)       $ 196.00
SVP200S3/120G     120GB 2.5 SATA SSD (stand-alone drive)      $ 245.00
SVP200S3/240G     240GB 2.5 SATA SSD (stand-alone drive)      $ 479.00
SVP200S3/480G     480GB 2.5 SATA SSD (stand-alone drive)      $ 970.00
SVP200S3B/60G     60GB 2.5 SATA SSD (upgrade bundle kit)      $ 156.00
SVP200S3B/90G     90GB 2.5 SATA SSD (upgrade bundle kit)      $ 211.00
SVP200S3B/120G    120GB 2.5 SATA SSD (upgrade bundle kit)    $ 260.00
SVP200S3B/240G    240GB 2.5 SATA SSD (upgrade bundle kit)    $ 494.00
SVP200S3B/480G    480GB 2.5 SATA SSD (upgrade bundle kit)    $ 985.00" -via storagenewsletter.com

Kingston has always been a manufacturer of quality and affordable SSDs. Their new line of SSDNow V+200 SSDs are just that, quality and affordable SSDs. Their new line ranges from 60GB to 480GB capacity offering a perfect match for the new to SSD users or a company looking to make the big switch to SSDs. These new SSDs are SATA 3 with sequential read and write speeds up to 535MB/s and 480MB/s. Let us know what you think of Kingston's new SSD line.  

Icy News: 2TB De-Dupe Backup NAS at $899

"Highly Reliable Systems, Inc., in Reno NV, is shipping a NAS with an integrated removable drive based on Microsoft Windows Storage Server 2008R2 Essentials. The Workstation Backup Appliance (WBA) has 2TB of deduped internal storage, along with Microsoft software to backup 25 Windows or Mac workstations. "Microsoft wrote the backup software for the WBA," said Tom Hoops, Chief Technology officer. "The central console they created for this unit manages all the backups from a single location using a dashboard concept. The appliance runs a Windows Server OS, so it can join existing domains," said Hoops. Multiple boxes can be ganged to support more than 25 workstations and server backup can be supported with 3rd party software. The appliance stores duplicate files (those that exist on multiple workstations) only once. The company says that this data deduplication ability means that data stored on 25 workstations will fit into much smaller backup space." - via Storagenewsletter 

We don't post too much about NAS storage systems and this would be a good time to do so! HRS or Highly Reliable System, is a very large company who deals with backup system for different types of businesses. Your workplace may have something such as this without even knowing it! Or perhaps, if you are a medium business with a need for such a device, it seems to be the perfect solution. Let us know what you think!

Icy News: Mushkin Starts Its First PCIe SSD: Scorpion

"Up to 960GB, 1,275MB/s sequential read, 1,500MB/s write

Mushkin, Inc. announced three flash memory data storage products.

          

  PCIe SSD Scorpion

After Mushkin's Callisto and Chronos 2.5" SSD lines, several new products are expanding the company's reach in the flash memory segment.

New to the Mushkin product lineup is a 1.8" form factor SSD called Chronos GO. For mobile computing, Chronos GO offers fast throughput in a small package. Available in both standard (built with asynchronous NAND flash) and Deluxe (built with synchronous NAND flash) versions, Chronos GO touts read and write speeds of 560MB/s and 525MB/s, with the synchronous versions offering performance with multimedia data.

Mushkin also announced the Atlas mSATA SSD. This LSI SandForce SF-2281-driven MO-300B form factor drive will provide 3rd generation SATA performance in 30 to 240GB capacities. Both value-oriented models (built with asynchronous NAND flash) and performance units (built with synchronous mode flash) are planned. Maximum sequential read and write speeds are 560MB/s and 535MB/s, respectively.

Mushkin's first PCIe SSD, the Scorpion, with initial densities of 240, 480 and 960GB, is poised to become the primary data storage device of enthusiasts and professionals requiring workstation-class performance and reliability. Rated at up to 1,275MB/s sequential read, 1,500MB/s sequential write, and120,000 4K random write IOPS, the Scorpion ushers in an era of SSD technology in which both speed and available storage are easily within reach.

"With the great success of our existing flash products, we're pleased to be 'spreading our wings' into new market segments. The new flash products we're announcing at CES today cement Mushkin's position as the foremost supplier of reliable and innovative high-performance flash storage products", Brian Flood, Mushkin's director of product development.

These new flash products will be available on the company's web site website and through authorized resellers and distributors in the first half of 2012." -via storagenewsletter.com

Mushkin has been a leader in the memory industry for years known for their quality products. The company is now releasing a new line of SSDs in both synchronous and asynchronous models. What is even more exciting is their new PCIe SSD called the Scorpion. The SSD features  240, 480 and 960GB capacities and up to 1,275MB/s sequential read, 1,500MB/s sequential write, and120,000 4K random write IOPS! This product is a very exciting new item from a quality company. Let us know what you think about their new SSD.  

Icy News: Kingston SSDNow V+200 Released

"Kingston released the new SandForce SF-2200 based SSDNow V+200, replacing the Toshiba-powered SSDNow V+100, and bumping speeds to take advantage of SATA 6.0Gb/s interfaces. The new V+200 will be available in a wide range of capacities, including 60, 90, 120, 240, and 480GB versions with peak read speeds topping out at 535MB/s and write speeds of 480MB/s. With a three-year warranty, Kingston is pricing these drives to start at $140 for the 60GB model and maxing out at $985 for the 480GB version...The SSDNow V+200 is aimed at small businesses and consumers who want a low-cost high-performance SSD. Compared to the SSDNow V+100 before it, this is a huge upgrade in the performance category. All the Kingston SSDNow V+200 models will include Intel 25nm asynchronous NAND, which will be comparable to OCZ Agility 3 and Corsair Force 3 models." -via Storagereview

Kingston has been working on their successor to the V100 series, and without a doubt, improved the performance of their SSD without much of a price increase. The $140 price tag for a 60GB SSD is cheap when you know that the product just came out and if you shop around, may be able to find a cheaper price. With so much difference choices that you can take, will you be purchasing this SSD? Let us know why or why not!

Icy News: One Million USB 3.0 Devices to Be Shipped in 2014

"Up from 70 million in 2011, estimates NPD In-Stat

As the number of CE devices and their capabilities continue to evolve and converge, many require significantly more bandwidth to provide the quality interactive experience users have come to expect.

SuperSpeed USB brings performance enhancements to the ubiquitous USB standard, while remaining compatible with the billions of USB-enabled devices currently deployed in the market. New NPD In-Stat research forecasts SuperSpeed USB-enabled device shipments are on a fast track and will surpass 1 billion in 2014, up from 70 million in 2011.

"Because the throughput of SuperSpeed USB, ten times that of high-speed USB, is not required in some devices, adoption will not initially be as broad as for full- and high-speed USB," says Brian O'Rourke, Research Director. "However, SuperSpeed USB will gain significant initial penetration in markets requiring transfers of increasingly larger pools of data. This process is already well underway, as evidenced in the USB Implementer Forum's December announcement that Intel's 7 Series PC Chipset and C216 PC Chipset family achieved SuperSpeed USB certification, guaranteeing increased SuperSpeed penetration of the PC market."

Other details from the report include: 

• Low-Speed and Full-Speed USB attach rates for keyboards will be 81% in 2013.
• Notebooks will be the single largest device that will ship with SuperSpeed USB capability in 2015.
• High-Speed USB-enabled device shipments will peak in 2012.
• In 2015, 5.5 billion devices will ship with some type of USB capability.

Recent NPD In-Stat research, USB by Device, Q1'12 Forecast(#IN1205302MI, $3,995), provides forecasts of the worldwide USB device market for the 2010-2015 period with detailed segmentation by device type and technology.

Device forecasts are provided for:

• Cellular devices (basic and feature phones, smartphones, external cellular modems, mobile hotspots)
• Computing devices (desktops, mini-notes, notebooks, tablets)
• Networking devices (broadband routers, cable modems, DSL modems, residential gateways)
• Peripheral devices (Blu-ray drives, DVD drives, external web cameras, external hard drives/enclosures, discrete USB host controllers, flash card readers, flash drives, game controllers , hubs , keyboards, mice, mobile PC docking stations, multifunction peripherals, ink jet printers, laser printers, scanners, speakers, USB adapters)
• Portable consumer electronics devices (digital still cameras, digital camcorders, e-readers, MP3 players, personal media players, personal navigation devices, handheld game consoles)
• Stationary consumer electronics devices (A/V receivers, Blu-ray players, DVD players, DVD recorders, digital photo frames, digital televisions, cable set top boxes, IP/DSL set top boxes, standalone PVRs, streaming media players, satellite set top boxes, terrestrial set top boxes, video game consoles)" - via  storagenewsletter.com

USB 3.0 is a very popular interface right now in the current market. It is amazing to think that there will be 1 million USB 3.0 devices to be shipped in 2014. It will replace most of the current USB 2.0 devices with the faster USB 3.0 interface. Let us know what you think about USB 3.0 and if you have made the switch to it. Also let us know if you are going to use a different interface.

Icy News: Blu-Ray Discs Break $2 Billion Barrier in USA 2011 in

"Drives now at nearly 40 million homes, according to DEG

According to The Digital Entertainment Group (DEG), Hollywood's home entertainment recovery continued in 2011 as consumers bolstered their home viewing experience with HDTVs, Blu-ray players and discs, as well as the expanding offerings through electronic sell-through (EST) and video on demand (VOD) services. 

Sales of Blu-ray movies rose 20 percent over 2010.

Total consumer spending on home filmed entertainment for the second half of the year rose nearly one percent, fueled by a strong third quarter in which spending was up five percent, which marked the first quarterly increase since 2008. while overall spending for the category was slightly down two percent for the year, the industry's performance clearly stabilized in 2011.

The recovery continues to be driven by high margin products that are gaining a foothold among consumers, a further indication that the home entertainment market is rebounding and in a healthy state. Among the various services and platforms delivering filmed entertainment, these higher margin businesses - Blu-ray disc, EST and VOD - showed the strongest growth rates. " - via Storagenewsletter

In a world where digital content is dominant, it is good to see that the older technology (DVD, Blu-Rays) are still selling well. Now that the prices for a Blu-Ray player have gone down, the ability for the average consumer to purchase the higher quality video is easier to spend on. However, digital content is still the where most people get their entertainment from and most likely will not change over the next decade. Let us know what your thoughts are!

Icy News: Plextor Brings Out M3 Pro SSD

"Plextor announced its latest SSD M3 Pro, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas...Plextor exceeds industry requirements with Enterprise Benchmark testing. Before leaving the factory, each Plextor SSD is put through a 20-hour high temperature burn-in test and strenuous simulations of real-world working environments. As a result Plextor SSDs have a 0.59% average annual failure rate, one of the lowest in the industry." -via Storagenewsletter


Plextor is not as known to the average consumer, but, their SSD lines are very good and of high quality. With their new iteration to the market, the M3 Pro seems to be a very good quality piece of SSD hardware. The high point would be the average annual failure rate is under 1% and is very good. The cost will most likely be higher due to the components used, but could be very good investment in a new machine. Let us know what you think!

Icy News: pureSilicon: 2.5-Inch 6Gb SATA Enterprise SSDs

"MLC Nitro N2 (1.6TB, $1,995) and SLC Renegade 4 (200GB, $1,155)

pureSilicon Inc., in high-performance storage technology, has launched a refreshed line-up of advanced SSD for customers who need performance and reliability.


At this year's Storage Visions Conference, pureSilicon is unveiling two new lines of SSD devices: the Nitro N2, which is aimed at high-end enterprise and datacenter applications; and the Renegade R4, which leverages components of the Nitro design and continues the evolution of the ruggedized device in the defense, aerospace, and medical sectors.

"pureSilicon continues to blaze a trail by providing high-performance and ruggedized storage solutions for the customers that cannot live with compromises in their storage systems," said Jason Breakstone, founder and CEO of pureSilicon. "The enhancements we've made to the Nitro and Renegade product lines mean our customers can store more data in a smaller footprint, improve their total cost of ownership, and boost performance, reliability, security and data integrity in their mission-critical applications."

Nitro N2 SSD:
For extreme enterprise and datacenter environments
The Nitro N2 SSDs delivers benchmark-setting performance of 6 Gb/second over a SATA interface. It features native command queuing, 32-bit DDR3 data buffer, and proprietary controller architecture that delivers twice the performance over competing technologies at small block sizes and line-rate performance during sequential operations. Nitro utilizes a patent-pending PIPA (parallel interface performance accelerator) architecture that increases I/O performance while reducing wear on the drive's flash array.

The Nitro N2, through the use of PIPA, is able to accelerate I/O performance by up to 400 percent while also boosting lifetime terabytes written by a similar factor. This technology is further enhanced by an improved, third-generation SATA interface that yields up to two times the overall throughput, reaching up to 540 MB/second. Data integrity and reliability is enhanced through a propriety power-supply design called VoltStream that monitors power quality and uses solid-state capacitors to provide energy during a host-side power fail event. Nitro N2 is available in capacities of up to 1.6 TB, offering large capacity in a 2.5-inch, 9.5mm low-profile device.

Technical specifications

• Up to 1.6 TB usable MLC - the highest-density SSD available today (2 TB RAW)
• Up to 130K random read and random write IOPS- the fastest-performing SATA SSD
• SATA 6 Gb/s interface delivering up to 540 MB/s sequential read, 520 MB/s sequential write
• Low power - under 10 Watts active
• Low profile - 7.0 or 9.5 mm height
• Proprietary design, architecture, and controller
• Proprietary power supply with safe power-fail mechanism using solid-state capacitors
• 2X nanometer flash components
• Pricing starting at: $1,995

Renegade R4:
For defense, aerospace and medical customers
The Renegade R4 SSD continues the evolution of pureSilicon's ruggedized product line. Renegade has demonstrated it can meet the needs of demanding defense, aerospace, and medical applications by providing a solution that generally would not be available for these applications. This product builds upon the previous Renegade line including the performance and reliability of the Nitro N2 and then adds SiPher self-encryption and security features including customer-defined and industry-specific secure-erase algorithms. Renegade products meet MIL_STD_810F requirements and can be potted and/or conformal-coated for additional reliability in extreme environments.

Technical specifications

• Up to 200 GB usable SLC - the highest-capacity rugged I-temp SSD available today
• Up to 60K random read and random write IOPS - the fastest-performing rugged I-temp SSD
• SATA 6 Gb/s interface delivering up to 540 MB/s sequential read, 520 MB/s sequential write
• Self-encrypting drive with military-grade, secure-erase algorithms for compliance
• VoltStream, a technology that monitors power quality and provides a safe power-fail mechanism using solid-state ceramic capacitors
• Pricing starting at: $1,1
• Energy-efficient

pureSilicon is committed to energy efficiency and designs storage products that yield high performance per watt. Whether the goal is to increase productivity in a mobile environment or reduce energy costs in a datacenter, deploying pureSilicon SSDs will help achieve these objectives. Legacy storage products such as hard disk drives are becoming less energy-efficient as manufacturers strive for higher performance, whereas SSDs offer superior performance and scalability, with lower energy consumption.

Availability
Pre-orders of Nitro N2 and Renegade R4 in sample quantities for late Q1 shipment can be placed."

- via storagenewsletter.com

PureSilicon is releasing some new, very fast SSDs. They feature large capacities for 200GB to 1.6TB! Larger capacity SSDs are starting to become available but not cheap, the 1.6TB drive starts at $1995. Let us know what you think about these new enterprise drives. 

Icy News: Corsair Accelerator Series Caching SSDs Announced

"Corsair announced a new line of caching SSDs using the NVELO Dataplex software under a new product family called the Accelerator Series. Offered in capacities ranging from 30GB to 60GB, all of these caching solutions are offered at a pricetag under $99. Very similar to the OCZ Synapse caching solution, these SSDs are aimed at customers who want the capacity of a large hard drive but the speed of a fast SSD.

Corsair launched three new drives as part of the Accelerator Series, including a 30GB model for $69, a 45GB model for $84, and a 60GB version for $99. These drives all use a SATA 3.0Gb/s  interface, supporting speeds up to 280MB/s write and 270MB/s read and offer three year warranties." -via Storagereivew

This is an interesting product line in general. Several manufactures are trying to push the SSD caching as a way to increase performance and still have a large capacity to work with. If you have a Z68 chipset from Intel, you will be able to use this to boost your system. Let us know what you think about this!

Icy News: Crucial 2.5-Inch m4 SSD in 7mm Height

"Crucial, in brand of memory and storage upgrades and a trademark of Micron Technology, Inc., introduced a 7mm version of the Crucial m4 SSD to meet the need for thinner storage devices.

With the same performance delivered by the standard 9.5mm Crucial m4 SSD, the 7mm version supports the latest thin and light form factor laptop models, such as the Lenovo ThinkPad T420G, Acer Aspire 6920G, and new Intel-inspired Ultrabook devices. The 7mm Crucial m4 SSD is available in 64GB, 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB capacities. The 512GB capacity offering is one of the highest-capacity storage drives - magnetic or solid state - available in the market today for laptops with a 7mm tall drive bay." - via Storagenewsletter

Not all 2.5" SSD or HDD will fit into a small form factor laptop, and Crucial has created a solution just for that. With their 7mm height clearance, the m4 should be able to work very well with the smaller laptops as well as in other applications. The price is also higher for the decreased height benefit and would not be a good way to spend the extra cash for use in a desktop, for example. Let us know what you think about this new line of SSD. Will there be more of these thinner type SSD's?

Icy News: ANALYSIS: Storage Trends in 2012

"1Q12 to be a dramatic quarter

The amount of data continues to increase - about all storage predictions begin with this one since many years - but what's new is that the price to store them increases since few months and this trend will continue during the beginning of the year. As about all storage subsystems contains hard disk drives, the vendors have no choice but to increase the price of their configuration. For how long? Apparently, following the flood, the situation in Thailand improved but it's difficult to know when the HDD makers will begin to lower their prices, probably not before June 2012. It's probably the first time in the storage industry to see such a trend, price per gigabyte going up, and it will affect all the users from home to enterprise. The need for more capacity is there and they will probably wait for lower pricing before investing in new systems. Consequently, in this period of economic crisis and recession in Western countries, the first quarter of 2012 could be one of the worst one in the industry.

Success of technologies to reduce data storage
To try to compensate the situation, the users will look more deeply to the data they never or rarely use and to all the technologies enabling to store less and then to buy less hard disk drives:

• data reduction (compression and de-dupe)
• thin provisioning
• automatic tiering
• new way of data protection (RAIN)
• software to better manage the entire configuration like SRM

SSD to benefit of HDD shortage
Of course, price/GB of SSDs will continue to be higher compared to HDDs. But the gap is narrowing and some users will accept to pay more - but less than before - to get the three main advantages of solid-state memories: access time, transfer rate and lower power consumption. The vendors are also making big efforts to provide longer writing cycles on flash chips. Here PCI is gaining momentum, being the best interface to sustain the speed of SSDs for high-end applications, SAS and SATA III being uded to replace conventional HDDs. Some companies are already offering all-flash storage subsystems competing in performance with the fastest traditional monolithic SAN. SSDs will progressively be used as cache, in tiering configuration with HDDs and then for the complete storage memory with HDDs for backup only..

Cloud storage
Cloud, big data and virtualization, these words are dominating the speeches of the vendors. It will be the same along all the year. Cloud storage, private, public or hybrid, will evolve to try to solve two main problems: bandwidth and security. When you think that some vendors offer to transport physically your HDD to make the first complete backup ...  That's why hybrid cloud with local storage and cloud backup service is a smart solution. Some new gateways to access to the cloud also can help. Synchronization of data between different devices is going to be a functionality more and more added to cloud storage.

Big Data
Here come new analysis tools to order out of the chaos of petabytes of both structured and unstructured data. Apache Hadoop, already adopted by a lot storage vendors, is at the forefront of this market.

Virtualization
Virtualization of both server and storage is unstoppable and will continue to be a huge market for the vendors, more than anything.

NAS
NAS appliances continue to explode at all levels, from the home to the largest companies. Mid-range devices now get enterprise-class features, are scalable and can be clustered. In this field, we see a great future for the surveillance market. Another trend to follow: the possibility to access and manage a NAS through smartphones and tablets with app based on iOS and Android.

Connection
The battle between 10GbE and 16Gb FC will arrive in 2012 but the cost of 10GbE ports is dropping quickly as the demand is much higher. FC is abandoned by HDD manufacturers now concentrating on SAS for enterprise HDDs. 12Gb SAS is standardized and we are waiting to see in 2012 the first HDD or SSD with this interface.

USB 3.0
Intel will finally probably handle USB 3.0 this year. The new interface was already successful but its integration on all PCs will drastically boost it.

Thunderbolt
The new Intel/Apple interface is a dream for applications needing fast transfer rates, like video. Apple is the only one to have implemented it on its computers and the offering of external storage systems with Thunderbolt is limited and pricey. If Intel decides to integrate it on its processors, it could be an explosion but its high price will not affect USB 3.0. The is no way for FireWire to compete against Thunderbolt and USB 3.0.

HPC
There are a lot of innovations in the architecture of HPCs with Lustre or GPFS and now even EMC begin to be interested by this growing market of huge configurations needing not only fast processors but also petabytes of data.

Data protection of notebooks in enterprises
A majority of employees now use their notebook to work when they travel or at home and they contain critical data for their company. Since two years some solutions appear to protect them automatically and securely though the cloud. They are also needed following the proliferation of tablets and smartphones."

 - via  storagenewsletter.com

With the affect on the hard drive market still in affect, this article shows how it is affecting much more than hard drive prices. Hard drive prices are not expected to come down any time before June 2012. People will be very careful with how they use their storage. The shortage is affecting everything that has a hard drive in it, slowing down sales in Desktop PCs, Laptops, and Enterprise servers. Let us know if you will be holding off on buying any type of storage until hard drive prices come down to where they were before.