Solid State Disk Prices Set for Huge Drop

Here’s something that, while it’s not directly related to mobile media, can have huge implications for it in the near future. CNET News has a report on how while solid state hard disks, such as those offered as an option on the Apple MacBook Air, are expensive now, they’re set for a very sharp drop in the near future.

Today, a 64GB solid state hard disk is available as a eyeball-bulging $1,000 option on the already high-priced, three-pound laptop. But the “cost per gigabyte of solid-state drive storage will drop as notebook PC makers like Apple switch to solid-state drives with capacities above 100GB based on a new multilevel cell (MLC) technology. Adoption by notebook PC makers is expected to start in the third quarter, according to industry sources.”

Translation: as these prices fall and laptops incorporate them more and more, we’ll see further reductions in both size and cost. Eventually, we’ll see more solid state storage—such as the cards used in today’s mobile phones and digital cameras—built directly into handsets, coming from the lower-end flash memory direction as well.

All of which is great for storing hours and hours of Battlestar Galactica episodes on your cell phone—perfect for killing time waiting in line at the DMV.

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