19 November, 2008 - Toshiba Europe Storage Device Division, the world leader in small form factor hard disk drive (HDD) technology, has launched a 500 Gigabyte (GB) capacity 2.5-inch HDD that will help Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to address growing consumer demand for power consumption efficient ultra-portable notebook computers.  In addition, the latest single-platter, high capacity drives within the range boast acoustic specifications of 20dB (seek) and 19dB (idle) making it almost indistinguishable to the human ear.  

The 500GB hard disk drive is part of a new family of HDDs demonstrating Toshiba’s commitment to using innovative technology to solve functional design and environmental challenges. It has been specifically developed for devices such as ultra-portable notebooks, which must balance performance capabilities with providing sufficient battery life. The 500GB HDD (MK5055GSX) offers the highest areal density of any currently available 2.5-inch drive at 371.9 Gb/in2, while offering 0.0012W/GB of power consumption efficiency in operation.  The actual power consumption is an impressively low 1.7W (seek) and 1.4W (read/write).  In addition, all the drives in the current range are halogen-free enforcing Toshiba’s dedication towards minimizing its environmental footprint in society.

Other drives in the family offer OEMs HDDS with 120GB, 160GB, 250GB, 320GB, and 400GB capacities, all of which operate at 5,400rpm and provide exceptionally short seek times. Their suitability for the ultra-portable notebook and portable media storage markets is further assured by an optional free fall sensor, which enhance the HDDs’ ability to withstand abuse from external shock. Production of the devices will begin December this year and availability to OEMs shortly thereafter with pricing available upon request.  The products will also be showcased at CES in Las Vegas in January 2009.

Martin Larsson, Vice President and General Manager, Toshiba Europe Storage Device Division, said: “From a standing start, sub or mini-notebook computers have quickly become the principal agent of growth in the PC market. Analysts at IDC have reported that they already accounted for more than 7 per cent of laptop sales in the third quarter of 2008[1] <outbind://14/#_ftn1> . Our new HDDs are a compelling storage proposition for these ultra-portable devices.”

“While today’s consumers are excited by these latest devices, the success with which ultra-portable notebooks integrate with their highly mobile lifestyles is defined by how long the battery lasts and whether they can store their prized ‘digital lives’ on their hard disk drives. With more manufacturers entering the ultra-portable notebook market every week, product differentiation in this area is increasingly dependent on two factors: storage capacity and battery life,” said Mr Larsson.

“Currently HDD technology still represents the most cost-effective way for manufacturers to deliver high capacity storage to ultra-portable notebooks while retaining the competitive pricing required by the market. Toshiba’s continued efforts to push the boundaries of HDD technology are also helping to fulfil the twin aims of reducing the environmental impact of consumer technology while boosting device battery life,” he added.

The new Toshiba HDDs are ideal not only for OEMs and systems integrators under pressure to develop new mobile computing and storage products with more capacity and improved performance specifications, but as well as consumer electronic manufacturers of audio visual devices.  Production of embedded hard disk drives appearing in television sets and DVD HDD recorders is increasing in Europe, and Apple’s announcement in October 2008 that it had sold over 200 million movies and TV shows via iTunes demonstrates consumer demand for ‘downloadable viewing’.

Toshiba Group, a Corporate Citizen of the Planet Earth, is committed to realising a better environment. Guided by ‘Toshiba Group Environmental Vision 2050’ the Group is implementing measures to boost environmental efficiency by 10 times in FY2050, against the benchmark of FY2000. The core target is to reduce projected CO2 emissions by a total equivalent to 117.7 million tons a year by FY2025, through the development and sales of highly efficient power supply equipment and systems, and the manufacture of environmentally conscious home appliances and office equipment. By working to mitigate global warming, make efficient use of resources and control management of chemicals, Toshiba Group creates value for people and promotes lifestyles in harmony with the Earth.