Toshiba's new 1.8-inch 40GB perpendicular drive

by Ryan Block, posted Aug 16th 2005 at 4:41PM

Seagate may have been the first to announce theirs, but the winner of the race to get the first perpendicular recording hard drive (can we just call them perpendiskulars?) to market goes to Toshiba. The MK4007GAL does 40GB on a single platter, which means thinner portable audio players with fewer read/write heads (and thus fewer points of failure). Their new Gigabeat F41 will apparently use the new perpdrive, and they've plans to release an 80GB version, the MK8007GAH, later this year.

[Via Anything But iPod]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Portable Audio

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

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jeff @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM

the first pocket pc with this drive will kill the ipod. mark my words.

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Jacob Varghese @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM

Yes, Jeff, we shall!

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7of7 @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM

I hope the iPod dies like a Newton. It's not so much a bad player, but the fanbase is about the most annoying group of people I've ever had the pleasure of talking with.

Neutral

Scruff McGruff @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM

Why this device?

Microdrives have been out for a while and I haven't seen any ipod-killing pocketpc's to date?

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Drumrboy247 @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM

YEAH!... now my h320 can get a 40 gig HDD in the slimmer body!

Neutral

Jacob Varghese @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM

The first pocket pc with this drive will do nothing. i would even say the steady decline in prices and increase in size of flash media is more important than this. Somewhere they had projected that in 3 years the prices of hard drives and flash media would meet. Longer batter life, thinner devices...

Neutral

Ted @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM

some idiot said:

"but the fanbase is about the most annoying group of people I've ever had the pleasure of talking with"

Duuude, you need to get a life and quit bashing all the peeps in the world who like iPods. iPods are cool and the peeps who use em are cuul ta. You need to get out a little and quit being so down on ya'alls

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spyVspy @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM

yay! Sony may be next with the "PerpWalk" player

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7of7 @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM

Was that a serious post Ted? I sure hope not. Using the words "cuul," "ta," and "ya'alls," just proves my point about the iPod fanbase.

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keith coutinho @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM

this is predicted progress...........*yawn* well done to toshiba tho :)

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asher @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM

I hope we can call them P-Drives and P-Players or pplayers. So we can listen to Parliment and the P-Funk All Stars! Art and tech finally have a meeting of aesthetic minds!!!

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Ted @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM

7of7 said:

"Was that a serious post Ted? I sure hope not. Using the words "cuul," "ta," and "ya'alls," just proves my point about the iPod fanbase."

First off, my name isn't "Ted", why did you call me that? Just because I can't figure out how to change the damn name that I post under doesn't mean I'm a stupid iPod user. And second of all, why don't we argue about how kewl my iPod is, 'cause it's really kewl.

---

Yes 7of7, it's a joke post....

Neutral

Tomas @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM

Lets see if my prediction of a 80GB with video from Toshiba comes through... The sweet screen on the current Gigabeat's sure asks for video!

http://www.mygigabeat.com/2005/05/80gb-model-due-in-september.html

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huge muscles @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM

ipods suck

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Saki @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM

Hi,
Are you sure it's Toshiba?
Because I recognize the image you used for this post, and it's from Hitachi Data Systems (a group company of the place I work).
And I did read something in our internal newsletter that we (Hitachi) developed the perpendicular drive thing earlier this year.

Btw, Hitachi makes the drives for the iPod minis.

I'm curious is Toshiba came up with something similar.

Thank you!

-Saki

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hoob @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM

Toshiba had developed one, already I believe. Or at least, had announced that they were. I believe it was announced sometime in December. I'm not sure when Hitachi released theirs, either...but you're right about the image. It's from the Hitachi "Get Perpendicular" music video...which is greatness.

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Sonic the Hedgehog @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM

RE: iPod

It's not the hard drive. It's the user interface. Apple did a nice job with it, in software and hardware.

Will a pocket PC beat an iPod? I doubt it. iPod users tend to own them for their use as a music player, not as a PDA.

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Dan @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM

When will the F41 be released?

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mysticalpha @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM

Future PDAs and pocket pc devices may do more than the ipod but as much as I hate to admit it, they won't topple Apple because of their insatiatable ability to pimp their horrid white bathroom tiles to the brainwashed public is greater than any company. Any average joe on the street is more than likely to mention the ipod when asked about mp3 players. It is the name that sells the ipod. Let's all join forces with google and wipe them out eh.

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John Connuck @ Dec 19th 2005 1:05AM

Look, there is a cult of iPod fans who probably like it more than they should, and can get annoying, BUT, there is also a group of iPod haters, who criticize it for why it is so great. You said "white bathroom tiles" thats simply not true, your just jelous because your dell dj isnt as nicely designed. The "white tiles" aren't bad looking, you're just trying to find reasons to hate the iPod. (unless you really really dont like the iPod look, but thats kinda wierd). So I'm sick of people bashing the iPod for being good, and having its many loyal (yet sometimes annoying) fans. It's a good product, just cause you're favorite company didn't make it, doesn't mean it sucks.

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