Toshiba to Introduce 1-inch Drives

MacRumors · Dec 10, 2003, 08:32 PM

CNet reports that Toshiba is due to unveil a less than 1-inch hard drive next month at the Consumer Electronics Show.

While no capacities are yet known for the upcoming drives, for reference, Hitachi currently manufactures 1-inch hard drives that hold from 1GB to 4GB of data. Competition in the mini-harddrive market continues to increase as more players are introducing comparable form factors. Hitachi recently introduced their own 1.8" hard drive which has found its way into the Dell Digital Jukebox.

As readers are aware, Apple presently uses Toshiba's 1.8" hard drives in the iPod and reportedly enjoyed nearly exclusive use of those drives from Toshiba in the first year of production.

bobbyp80521 · Dec 10, 2003, 08:34 PM

indeed

KLFloyd · Dec 10, 2003, 08:35 PM

Cool...we may see even smaller iPods, or same size iPods with better battery life soon.

Looking forward to see what Apple has planed for the iPod.

captain kirk · Dec 10, 2003, 08:41 PM

This can only be good news for Apple.
Maybe this is the hard drive to go into the new epod?????

ITR 81 · Dec 10, 2003, 08:42 PM

Smaller lowend iPods?

NavyIntel007 · Dec 10, 2003, 08:48 PM

1" drives can't hold the capacity yet to put in the ipod. But it would be nice if they sold a 1 Gb - 4 Gb workout ipod. Smaller form factor and design with some water resistance and shock protection. I'd buy one and still use my 20 gb ipod.

rainman::|:| · Dec 10, 2003, 09:03 PM

keep in mind how expensive they'll probably be at first. i don't think we'll be seeing them in low-end (cheap wise) ipods anytime too soon...

pnw

ITR 81 · Dec 10, 2003, 09:07 PM

Sport Pod
with attaching arm bands.
Featuring: iShock
Apples patented shock resistant technology that a paint shaker can't even disturb.

Also is water and sweat resistant.

Also comes in 7 cool flavour colours.

Not to mention a shock and scratch resistant outer shell and screen.

Comes in 3 capacities:
1GB
2GB
4GB

Now start sweating in style with your Sport Pod today!!

Timothy · Dec 10, 2003, 09:18 PM

Maybe I'm missing something here...but it seems to me that you'll never see a hard drive based mp3 player listed as shock-free. The "sport" mp3 players all have flash memory only.

If there is a spinning drive, then it will likely not be a sport ipod.

JoeMacDaddy · Dec 10, 2003, 09:28 PM

This will mean that the prices on the current Toshiba units will be coming down in price. Apple will be able to maintain their product margins and offer reduced priced iPods. They will sell more of the current iPod design.

Macmaniac · Dec 10, 2003, 09:48 PM

Good news, if they have a 5 gig version then we may see a low cost iPod soon, hopefully these smaller drives will allow for longer battery life. I don't think the iPod's form factor will get any smaller, Apple would not want to lose the functionality of the current design, however it could get even thinner

Mr.Hey · 09:57 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by NavyIntel007
1" drives can't hold the capacity yet to put in the ipod. But it would be nice if they sold a 1 Gb - 4 Gb workout ipod. Smaller form factor and design with some water resistance and shock protection. I'd buy one and still use my 20 gb ipod.

nail meet head

. I hope Apple reads these forums because this would be a great product.

Jerry Spoon · Dec 10, 2003, 10:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by JoeMacDaddy
This will mean that the prices on the current Toshiba units will be coming down in price. Apple will be able to maintain their product margins and offer reduced priced iPods. They will sell more of the current iPod design.

Ah! That's exactly what I was thinking, b/c we should know that we won't see these smaller drives in an ipod..too expensive and not enough capacity.

Gymnut · Dec 10, 2003, 10:13 PM

Hopefully they won't run into any production problems of not being able to produce enough of 'em.

spencecb · Dec 10, 2003, 10:29 PM

I love my iPod to death and I always take it with me when I am working out, but I have to admit, when I see the other people working out with the mp3 players around their arm, I'm a little jealous. Granted, I do see a multitude of other people with iPods, but you really dont need to carry around your entire music collection to go work out with. It would be great if Apple made some sort of workout iPod like two other people have already posted...it would be kick ass!

beefcake · Dec 10, 2003, 10:36 PM

Someone already said it: hard-drive based mp3 players aren't good for jogging, thats what flash memory is for.

spencecb · Dec 10, 2003, 10:40 PM

well, i beg to differ...when I work out I use cardio machines and I have my iPod in its case attached to my shorts. And it works just fine. It has skipped once or twice on me, but thats no big deal. And its not like the iPod reads the music off of the hard drive continuously...it loads the info into onboard memory, which lets the hard drive spin down until it is needed again, which is about 20 minutes worth of music at a time.

mproud · Dec 10, 2003, 10:43 PM

Hello? Everyone?

This is all MOOT if Toshiba doesn't provide sizes 10 GB and higher. Apple has no reason to adopt something that doesn't hold as much as the current iPods do! We still don't know what sizes Toshiba will be releasing. If this is their first release of 1-inch and below, it's probably going to be comparable to the Hitachi (duh).

This has very little immediate impact on the iPod line, folks!

MrMacMan · Dec 10, 2003, 10:44 PM

Only good if it increases battery life.

I want a 5 GB iPod... then I'm good.

All the new features... battery life...

That would be worth it.

ThomasJefferson · Dec 10, 2003, 10:44 PM

Must be fruit flavored. Lime Green Part Deux.

applejilted · Dec 10, 2003, 11:20 PM

A little off topic but for the life of me I can't understand why Palm or others don't incorporate hard drives into their PDAs....it's just plain dumb as they could then easily double as MP3 players

Tulse · Dec 10, 2003, 11:43 PM

PDAs don't have hard drives because a) they're hugely expensive, and b) they suck power. Nobody wants a Tungsten that costs several hundreds of dollars more and only runs for a few hours.

drbyers · Dec 11, 2003, 12:06 AM

i just want a cheaper iPod, period. I don't care what size the hard drive is...

sethypoo · Dec 11, 2003, 12:10 AM

I just don't think my 10GB iPod will ever fill up, I have 461 songs on it. I know that's tiny compared to some, but 461 songs is a heck of a lot to me.

A 4GB iPod would be neat, for those interested in the "cool" and "cheap" factor. I probably would have gone for a 4GB'er if it had been offered when I was buying my 10GB iPod.

Oh well, 10GB= room to grow.

sethypoo · Dec 11, 2003, 12:12 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Tulse
PDAs don't have hard drives because a) they're hugely expensive, and b) they suck power. Nobody wants a Tungsten that costs several hundreds of dollars more and only runs for a few hours.

I'd take one.

But then again, that's just me. Tungstens are just so neat.

Dec 10, 2003, 08:32 PM	#1
MacRumors macrumors bot Join Date: Apr 2001	Toshiba to Introduce 1-inch Drives CNet reports that Toshiba is due to unveil a less than 1-inch hard drive next month at the Consumer Electronics Show. While no capacities are yet known for the upcoming drives, for reference, Hitachi currently manufactures 1-inch hard drives that hold from 1GB to 4GB of data. Competition in the mini-harddrive market continues to increase as more players are introducing comparable form factors. Hitachi recently introduced their own 1.8" hard drive which has found its way into the Dell Digital Jukebox. As readers are aware, Apple presently uses Toshiba's 1.8" hard drives in the iPod and reportedly enjoyed nearly exclusive use of those drives from Toshiba in the first year of production.

Dec 10, 2003, 08:34 PM	#2
bobbyp80521 macrumors newbie Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: co	i want 10 indeed

Dec 10, 2003, 08:35 PM	#3
KLFloyd macrumors regular Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Gainesville, FL	Cool...we may see even smaller iPods, or same size iPods with better battery life soon. Looking forward to see what Apple has planed for the iPod. __________________ Katie 2.0 GHz MacBook (Black) 5th Gen. iPod Apple TV Proud Mac User since 1984

Dec 10, 2003, 08:41 PM	#4
captain kirk macrumors member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: UK	This can only be good news for Apple. Maybe this is the hard drive to go into the new epod????? __________________ http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...tem=5618712225

Dec 10, 2003, 08:48 PM	#6
NavyIntel007 macrumors 65816 Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Tampa, FL	1" drives can't hold the capacity yet to put in the ipod. But it would be nice if they sold a 1 Gb - 4 Gb workout ipod. Smaller form factor and design with some water resistance and shock protection. I'd buy one and still use my 20 gb ipod. __________________ Fujitsu T4020 iPod Nano 4 GB (RED)

Dec 10, 2003, 08:42 PM	#5
ITR 81 macrumors 65816 Join Date: Oct 2003	Smaller lowend iPods?

Dec 10, 2003, 09:03 PM	#7
rainman::\|:\| macrumors 601 Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: iowa	keep in mind how expensive they'll probably be at first. i don't think we'll be seeing them in low-end (cheap wise) ipods anytime too soon... pnw

Dec 10, 2003, 09:07 PM	#8
ITR 81 macrumors 65816 Join Date: Oct 2003	Sport Pod with attaching arm bands. Featuring: iShock Apples patented shock resistant technology that a paint shaker can't even disturb. Also is water and sweat resistant. Also comes in 7 cool flavour colours. Not to mention a shock and scratch resistant outer shell and screen. Comes in 3 capacities: 1GB 2GB 4GB Now start sweating in style with your Sport Pod today!!

Dec 10, 2003, 09:18 PM	#9
Timothy macrumors 6502 Join Date: Jan 2002	Maybe I'm missing something here...but it seems to me that you'll never see a hard drive based mp3 player listed as shock-free. The "sport" mp3 players all have flash memory only. If there is a spinning drive, then it will likely not be a sport ipod. __________________ Combatant of the Anti-Apple-PDA Nihilists...

Dec 10, 2003, 09:28 PM	#10
JoeMacDaddy macrumors newbie Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Plan 'O Tejas	Cheap Gen III iPods This will mean that the prices on the current Toshiba units will be coming down in price. Apple will be able to maintain their product margins and offer reduced priced iPods. They will sell more of the current iPod design. __________________ -Old School is New School-

Dec 10, 2003, 09:48 PM	#11
Macmaniac macrumors 68040 Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: A tiny spec in the "Garden State", 1 square mile in area, somewhere on the outskirts of town by the railroad tracks	Good news, if they have a 5 gig version then we may see a low cost iPod soon, hopefully these smaller drives will allow for longer battery life. I don't think the iPod's form factor will get any smaller, Apple would not want to lose the functionality of the current design, however it could get even thinner __________________ The customer is NOT always right

Dec 10, 2003, 10:13 PM	#14
Gymnut macrumors 68000 Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Hawaii	Hopefully they won't run into any production problems of not being able to produce enough of 'em.

Dec 10, 2003, 10:29 PM	#15
spencecb macrumors 6502a Join Date: Nov 2003	I love my iPod to death and I always take it with me when I am working out, but I have to admit, when I see the other people working out with the mp3 players around their arm, I'm a little jealous. Granted, I do see a multitude of other people with iPods, but you really dont need to carry around your entire music collection to go work out with. It would be great if Apple made some sort of workout iPod like two other people have already posted...it would be kick ass!

Dec 10, 2003, 10:36 PM	#16
beefcake macrumors 6502 Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Baltimore	Someone already said it: hard-drive based mp3 players aren't good for jogging, thats what flash memory is for.

Dec 10, 2003, 10:40 PM	#17
spencecb macrumors 6502a Join Date: Nov 2003	well, i beg to differ...when I work out I use cardio machines and I have my iPod in its case attached to my shorts. And it works just fine. It has skipped once or twice on me, but thats no big deal. And its not like the iPod reads the music off of the hard drive continuously...it loads the info into onboard memory, which lets the hard drive spin down until it is needed again, which is about 20 minutes worth of music at a time.

Dec 10, 2003, 10:43 PM	#18
mproud macrumors regular Join Date: Mar 2003	Hello? Everyone? This is all MOOT if Toshiba doesn't provide sizes 10 GB and higher. Apple has no reason to adopt something that doesn't hold as much as the current iPods do! We still don't know what sizes Toshiba will be releasing. If this is their first release of 1-inch and below, it's probably going to be comparable to the Hitachi (duh). This has very little immediate impact on the iPod line, folks!

Dec 10, 2003, 10:44 PM	#19
MrMacMan macrumors 601 Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: 1 Block away from NYC.	Only good if it increases battery life. I want a 5 GB iPod... then I'm good. All the new features... battery life... That would be worth it. __________________ There is a little Steve in all of us! -->Folding is Fighting Against Disease and help MacRumors. Join Today!<-- Props to --> Shadowfax For Making My Avatar! IM Me On AIM Already!

Dec 10, 2003, 10:44 PM	#20
ThomasJefferson macrumors 6502 Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Virginia	Must be fruit flavored. Lime Green Part Deux. __________________ Currently in a committed relationship with my Gitzo 3540LS

Dec 10, 2003, 11:20 PM	#21
applejilted macrumors newbie Join Date: Feb 2003	A little off topic but for the life of me I can't understand why Palm or others don't incorporate hard drives into their PDAs....it's just plain dumb as they could then easily double as MP3 players

Dec 10, 2003, 11:43 PM	#22
Tulse macrumors regular Join Date: Nov 2003	PDAs don't have hard drives because a) they're hugely expensive, and b) they suck power. Nobody wants a Tungsten that costs several hundreds of dollars more and only runs for a few hours.

Dec 11, 2003, 12:06 AM	#23
drbyers macrumors newbie Join Date: Jun 2003	i just want a cheaper iPod, period. I don't care what size the hard drive is...

Dec 11, 2003, 12:10 AM	#24
sethypoo macrumors 68000 Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Sacramento, CA, USA	I just don't think my 10GB iPod will ever fill up, I have 461 songs on it. I know that's tiny compared to some, but 461 songs is a heck of a lot to me. A 4GB iPod would be neat, for those interested in the "cool" and "cheap" factor. I probably would have gone for a 4GB'er if it had been offered when I was buying my 10GB iPod. Oh well, 10GB= room to grow. __________________ Weeeeeee!

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode