14 DAY TRIAL // Since new operating systems are easy enough to install on decent computers, desktops and laptops alike, hardware is the only reason why people would decide to upgrade, in absence of defects or component failures.
Need for more processing power, better video, more memory and extra storage capacity are the main pretexts for that.
Capacity isn't so essential anymore though. Size is.
Since laptops have been getting thinner (ask any ultrabook maker or buyer), HDDs of 5mm and 7mm in thickness have been getting more popular too.
In fact, they have risen in sales by a lot, to the point that iSuppli believes shipments will soar by a factor of 25 by 2017, compared to 2012.
That means the combined shipments will be of around 133 million if things go as expected, while 9.5mm drives will drop from 245 million (2012) to 79 million.