Mumbai: In its next-generation disk-based storage technology for notebooks, Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (HGST) is looking beyond capacity to advance the art of hard disk drives.

According to the company, it has excelled in the field of storage-capacity and is now planning to introduce the new Travelstar 4K40. As the leader in both 2.5-inch technology and segment share, this is a bold move in the mainstream notebook hard drive space by putting capacity aside for the moment to boost reliability.

Hitachi's new 40 GB, 4200-RPM hard drive is a product that is focused on reliability, and has the following key technical enhancements:

• New single-disk and reduced chip-set (4 to 2) design decreases number of components used;
  
• Industry's highest operating (300 G/2 ms) and non-operating shock (1000 G/1ms) in the 4200 RPM category to withstand rougher handling;
  
• Doubling of industry standard specification for load / unload cycles — the number of times the read / write head can move on and off the media without failure — to 6,00,000 times;
  
• Redesign of the actuator arm — the arm that carries the read / write element — to significantly reduce the chance for data loss from arm / disk contact.
  

According to the company, a majority of notebook users, the 40GB hard disk remains a popular capacity point. The company feels that what customers want is a more rugged hard drive in high volume. The Travelstar 4K40 is in direct response to that customer request.

Bob Holleran, general manager, HGST, says, "We've painstakingly manipulated every possible feature on the new Travelstar to boost reliability while maintaining the sweet spot at 40 GB. We are in the enviable position of having a stable and proven design, which allows us to invest time fine-tuning the product to customer specification."

Improving internal hard drive reliability is a strong indicator of the drives' ruggedness and performance in the field. With the Travelstar 4K40, Hitachi is meeting customer demand for both reliability and strong supply.

As a growing number of consumer and corporate users are choosing laptops over desktops for wireless and mobility reasons, the ability to provide a more stable supply of notebook hard drives becomes critical.

In its January 2004 report on the worldwide PC market, consultancy company IDC noted that portable PC market grew by 27.4 per cent year-over-year in 2003 while desktop PCs grew by just 6.7 percent. IDC also projected in its hard drive industry report that the demand for 2.5-inch hard drives would increase from 47 million in 2003 to more than 58 million in 2004, noting that "wireless connectivity and the desire for mobility trump any cost advantage the desktop PC might offer."

According to the company, the Travelstar 4K40 is available in 20, 30 and 40 GB capacities. The 4K40 product line is a companion line to the Hitachi Travelstar 80GN and 4K80 family of 4200 RPM 2.5-inch hard drives. Customers needing higher capacities can continue to select from the 80GN or 4K80 lines, offering up to 80 GB of capacity.

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies was founded in 2003 with the strategic combination of Hitachi's and IBM's storage technology businesses. The company's goal is to enable users to fully engage in the digital lifestyle by providing access to large amounts of storage capacity in formats suitable for the office, on the road and in the home.