Re: Re: Re: Toshiba, Hitachi and Cornice are not the only HD makers
Originally posted by hokka
I believe the Cornice SE HD was intended for embedded use only, thus, less parts compares to Microdrives - BUT, I'm sure if Apple do use Microdrive it would have less parts too as it will not be a removable media format, and it would not require on-board drivers and protactive casing - thus reduce the cost.
I may be wrong here, but my understanding that the main simplifications to the Cornice design were in the
core mechanisms. You don't remove screws by removing an injection-molded interface and a circuit-board controller; you remove screws by redesigning how the platters and heads interact within the device.
When I first heard of Cornice, the pitch was that they had, instead of taking existing 2.5" HD designs and "shrinking" them (same parts, just smaller), totally redesigned their mechanism for small and durable drives from scratch. That type of effort is
not easily replicated by Hitachi and Toshiba, unless they've been working on it for a few years.
Yes, they
are bare bones drives, without cache and controllers, but that's not the only difference between them and Microdrives; it's not even the defining difference. That is a side-effect of the Cornice drive being intended (designed from the start) as an embedded drive whereas the Microdrive was intended by IBM as a storage-in-a-box Flash replacement/"killer".
Cornice's products may be used in a few well known brands, BUT I doubt they can PRODUCE the quantity Apple would require for the extreme popular iPod Brand... why? because the product is relatively new and to pump up production would require large orders and with out Apple, they wouldn't do it just to try lure Apple when Apple already has a good relationship with Toshiba and Hitachi - whom are their compatitors and are only expressed their intention to revamp production of the 1.8" - BECAUSE of the iPod (and the spawned competitors like Dell).
Two points:
First, you are correct about production concerns. Cornice outsources their production, last I heard, which makes it more expensive than an in-sourced production facilities. On the other hand, until Toshiba and Hitachi have redesigned products for the embedded market, the cost is still in Cornice's favor.
Second, I don't recall an relationship between Hitachi and Apple. Hitachi's drive unit used to be IBM, of course, but that doesn't imply a relationship.
Really, the biggest problem with Cornice is that the drive technology is so damned new. It's not the same product the industry has been evolving for the past forty years. It takes a few rather large steps away from the evolutionary path. As a result, it may be a huge advance, or it may be a complete failure riddled with unforeseen problems.
).
