Just like with the desktop computer, the reports of the death of the hard disk drive have been greatly exaggerated. Solid-state drives changed all the rules when it comes to speed, but when density is the priority, the hard disk is king, and it will remain so for a long time. The two main manufacturers, Western Digital and Seagate, continue to challenge each other, and this time it is Seagate that anticipates it will only need 18 months to launch the first models of 12, 14, and 16 terabytes to the market.
Long Live Competition
Long live competition, because it is the only thing that can push hardware forward. As we have mentioned on previous occasions, hardware cycles are longer; however, the business environment follows its own pace. Data centers need more and more capacity under the same volume, and what seem like very small benefits for the average user become considerable gains once scale comes into play. This is especially true in the case of hard drives, showing us Seagate and Western Digital trading punches to see who puts more terabytes in the conventional 3.5-inch format.
Seagate Raises the Stakes
Almost two months ago, Western Digital announced 12 and 14 terabyte drives for this year, and as expected, Seagate raised the stakes. During a recent "conference call", the magnetic giant of Cupertino stated that within the next 18 months we will see hard drives with 12, 14, and 16 terabytes of capacity. Technically, HGST (and by extension Western Digital) has already reached 12 terabytes, while Seagate's offering remains at 10 TB, but its price is about to break the $400 floor. Looked at another way, we are already paying for 10 terabytes what we paid for three terabytes in 2013.
This advance in capacity places two other very ambitious goals for Seagate on the radar: 20 terabyte drives within the next three years, and establishing one terabyte drives as a minimum base for new computers. Logically, we expect these developments to drive current prices even lower. A two terabyte drive already costs less than 70 euros.
