14 DAY TRIAL // Solid-state drives are extremely popular storage media among notebook users. They are slim, light and they have no moving parts to damage the storage media while operating under increased vibrations or shocks. More than that, they are extremely energy-efficient and help preserving the battery life for extended periods.
However, the main shortcoming when it comes to solid state drives is the fact that they are exponentially more expensive than average hard-disk drives. More than that, it seems that recent reports emerging from the solid-state world claim that they are not as reliable as initially touted by their manufacturers.
Despite all that, major PC vendors have already implemented the new storage devices in their upper-mainstream and high-end notebook offerings and now they are gearing up to bring them even on the low-end / midrange markets.
For instance, Apple is optionally offering SSDs in its MacBook Air ethereal notebook, while Lenovo's ThinkPad X300 and the upcoming Dell Latitude E4200 will only be available in SSD flavor.
However, hard-disk manufacturer Seagate claims that all the hype around the new storage media is unjustified, as the company is not at all impressed with it. "Realistically, I just don't see the flash notebook sell," said Seagate CEO Bill Watkins. "We just don't see the proposition."
Of course, it doesn't take rocket science to see why Seagate overlooks the benefits of solid-state based storage units, given the fact that the company is producing "old-fashioned" hard-disk drives. Yet, Watkins is known for its shocking transparency. More than one year ago, he admitted that the storage industry is just a business. "Let's face it, we're not changing the world. We're building a product that helps people buy more crap - and watch porn," he claimed back in 2006.
Watkins also states that the solid-state drives manufactured by Samsung and Intel are currently infringing upon multiple patents held by Seagate and Western Digital, that cover how storage devices communicate within a computer. And should the technology become more popular than estimated, it's likely that the company would start slamming SSD manufacturers with a couple of less-pleasant lawsuits.