macnn/electronista
09/09/2008, 3:45pm, EDT
Tuesday, September 9thToshiba intros 240GB iPod-ready hard drive
Quickly following the launch of Apple's 120GB iPod classic and a matching Zune, Toshiba this afternoon announced the MK2431GAH, the first-ever 240GB 1.8-inch rotating hard drive. The disk holds the extra 80GB over the previous record-setting 160GB disks but also spins faster, rotating at 4,200RPM versus the 3,600RPM of most large drives in the class; this helps with video and other very disk-intensive apps on portable devices, the company says.
In spite of the increased areal density, the 240GB disk also consumes less power at 20 percent less during active transfers and 33 percent overall. A larger 8MB cache is also new and gives the drive enough temporary space to perform the same duty as a computer hard disk.
Unlike some announcements, Toshiba plans a quick launch and says there will be shipping portable media players, camcorders, and other home electronics carrying the MK2431GAH in time for the holidays. The company doesn't name customers, though Apple and other device makers regularly draw on Toshiba for these hard drives.
Filed under: iPod, industry, upgrades/storage
Other story tags: Toshiba
, 
, 5
, 
, 
, 
, 
, 
Top
subscribe to comments
for this article
Can you say MacBook Air?
160/120
or
240/120?
maybe even for a tablet
a tablet would certainly compliment apple's product line and stock price. come on make use of those patents.
maybe even for a tablet
a tablet would certainly compliment apple's product line and stock price. come on make use of those patents.
Surprising
It's surprising that Apple didn't use these in a Classic iPod model instead of canceling the 160 GB model. They didn't think anybody would buy a 240 GB iPod?
Re: Surprising
Considering the sales numbers for the 160 GB iPod were apparently lackluster, why would Apple think anyone would be more interested in a 240 GB model? Especially since the price on this new HD would most likely make it hard for Apple to keep the price of the iPod Classic to something reasonable.
I think Paul has it right. I can see a new redesigned, slimmer MacBook using these drives. Currently, the MacBook line offers 120, 160 and 250 GB options. These smaller drives essentially meeting the same overall capacity would allow Apple to slim down the height of the MacBook. THAT I would like to see, more than an iPod using them.