14 DAY TRIAL // InPhase Technologies has just unveiled its 300GB removable storage drive that uses holographic technology to record data at high densities. The 12-centimeter plastic discs can be read by a special drive, called the Tapestry. InPhase has been working on the device for eight years now, and it seems that the Tapestry is ready to roll out.
The new device could change key elements in data center management, yet its advent on the consumer market will do nothing but block the Blu-Ray media adoption that has had quite a rough time after the HD-DVD format went belly up.
The new Tapestry drive works in conjunction with a specially crafted 12-centimeter plastic disc, and stores up to 300GB of data in holographic form. More than that, according to the company, the new production process increases the medium's reliability, and InPhase's estimations claim that a disc has a lifespan of about 50 years.
In contrast, the currently existing optical media can be used for as much as 5 years; then they get too degraded due to the unstable phase-change dyes used during the manufacturing process. Since the industry-standard backup tape fails in a 50-year time frame, the new holographic media could claim supremacy in the race against time.
However, the Tapestry drive is mostly aimed at providing a safe, industrial backup solution, rather than at increasing the storage space for home computing. For instance, the drive alone sells for no less than $17847, while each removable plastic disc costs about $179 in large units.
According to InPhase, the upcoming generations of holographic discs will be able to store about 800GB and write at a rate of 80MB/s. Next on the company's roadmap, there will be a significant boost in capacity (up to 1.6TB of storage space per disc) and access speed (120MB/s for writing).