Toshiba debuts 200GB notebook HDD

Toshiba today announced a new 2.5-inch hard disk drive (HDD) that uses perpendicular magnetic recording technology to achieve the industry's largest 200GB capacity with only two platters. The new best of class HDD, MK2035GSS, features the highest areal density yet achieved of 277.1 megabits per square millimeter (178.8 gigabits per square inch). Toshiba plans to start mass production of the drive in August 2006.

Small form factor HDDs are now used in diverse applications, from mobile PCs and to digital audio players. The market has a voracious appetite for larger data capacities, as more powerful networks and applications bring audio-visual capabilities to more and more mobile products, particularly AV notebook PCs. By applying perpendicular magnetic recording technology to 2.5-inch HDD, Toshiba brings much increased data capacity to the industry's mainstream drive, a move that will also sustain the industry trend to thinner, lighter notebook PCs, particularly high-end notebook PC offering high storage capacity.