Toshiba Breaks 100-GB, 1.8-Inch Hard-Drive Barrier

Announced Tuesday, the drive is targeted for use with lightweight PCs and devices with 8-Mbyte caches to support storage of multiple data sources such as video and movies. The drive's footprint is 10% smaller than Toshiba's first generation 1.8-inch drives.

The 2-platter, 4-head device has an average seek time of 15msec and a rotational speed of 4,200 rpm. Much of the technology in the new drive was successfully used in Toshiba's 200-Gbyte 2.5-inch drive.

Toshiba cited market research numbers that state it commands an 80% market share of the 1.8-inch hard-drive segment. The drive will be available for shipping to OEMs for integration in mobile PCs in early January.