|
Mac360 Power Search
Click below for advanced search options »
Mac360 Archives
By Month, All, Category
|
Home » Daily Topics »
Will Mac Notebooks Ship With A 64GB Flash Drive?
Hard disk drives are dead. Or, at least, they’re dying slowly. 32 gigabyte notebooks are already available, and 64 gigabyte flash drives will show up in lightweight notebooks and PCs, possibly this year. SanDisk, a major maker of flash drives, the memory used in Apple’s popular iPod nano and shuffle, has announced a 64 gigabyte flash memory drive for notebooks. Does than mean Apple will introduce a MacBook Pro with a flash hard drive, instead of a standard hard drive? At some point, yes. I’m counting on a flash-based MacBook Pro mini to debut with a steep price tag. SanDisk introduced a 32 gigabyte 1.8-inch parallel ATA version of the flash drive earlier in 2007. The 63 gigabyte flash drive is 2.5 inches and functions as a serial ATA device. Though the larger device is considered a drop in replacement for standard hard disk drives in notebooks, the SanDisk SSD SATA flash drive will enable computers to boot faster, read files faster, and use substantially less power, while waking from sleep faster than ever.
MacNN reports that Sony and Dell already have 32 gigabyte flash drives in select notebooks. Sony’s is the cleverly named Vaio VGN-UX390N ultra small 4.5-inch notebook with an Intel Core Solo processor. It has a gigabyte of RAM, Windows Vista Business, WiFi, and a bunch of other features, including dual cameras. Where’s Apple’s flash drive MacBook and how much would it cost? The Sony model carries an ultra hefty $2,300 price tag. There’s no doubt Apple will get to the flash drive market. The questions are when and how much? Are flash drives the next great thing? Yes. Just last week BusinessWeek Online pointed out the advantages, cost disadvantages and the trends toward smaller, lighter, less power hungry devices which will use flash drives. 64 gigabyte flash drives are pricey. Prices will come down and capacity will increase. Notebook hard disk drives at Apple top out at 200 gigabytes, though larger capacity drives are on the market. We may also see Apple tip toe into the flash drive notebook arena with hybrid models; notebooks that have both a hard drive and a flash drive. The question of the day: are you ready for an ultra portable MacBook or MacBook Pro (we’ve dubbed them the MacBook mini, and the MacBook Pro mini) with a flash drive? Do you prefer a hybrid version? • Article by Ron McElfresh • Published on Tuesday, June 5, 2007
• Category: Daily Topics • Email This • Digg This • Shop Now
« Previously Big Banana TV Comes To iTunes And AppleTV.
Nextly » Mac User Elite Hate New iMac Design But Don't Say Why.
∧ Back To Top |
What's in the FORUMS?
Newest Daily Topics
Also in Mac360
Recent Articles
|
| Copyright © 2004 - 2008 PanGeo Media, Honolulu, Hawaii USA. All Rights Reserved.
Mac360 is published and edited by Ron McElfresh, Honolulu, HI USA. Mac360 is served on an Apple Xserve using Mac OS X Tiger Server. Powered by ExpressionEngine at ServerLogistics. |