Storage: Toshiba's Latest Family of Hard Disk Drives Provides Industry-Leading Areal Density for the Mobile Market

Edge: Work-Group Computing Report, Jan 25, 1999

New Products Summary:
Model Number     Capacity     Height     Platters
MK3212MAT        3.2GB        8.45 mm       1
MK6411MAT        6.4GB        8.45 mm       2
MK1011GAV         10GB        12.5 mm       3

The Disk Products Business Unit of Toshiba America Electronic Components (TAEC) Inc., Tuesday introduced a family of three hard disk drives featuring the industry's highest areal density in a 2.5-inch form factor. The MK3212MAT, MK6411MAT and MK1011GAV deliver unsurpassed performance for data storage and retrieval in mobile PCs. "Toshiba has brought 3, 6 and 10GB capacities to the market at a time of peak demand without compromising quality or reliability," said Amy Lian, business development director for hard disk drives, TAEC. "With the introduction of this product family, Toshiba continues to lead the market in providing hard disk drive solutions for a broad range of mobile users to meet a variety of computing demands." Superior Performance in a Small Form Factor Toshiba has achieved areal density leadership by placing up to 3.3GB on a single platter. Optimizing this technological breakthrough, Toshiba utilizes the same mechanics for 2 and 3 platter versions, providing solutions with up to 10GB capacity for high-end portable computing. Toshiba is dedicated to offering a wide range of products for a variety of needs and budgets. An ideal entry-level drive, the MK3212MAT uses dual-stripe magneto resistive (DSMR) head technology. The MK6411MAT and MK1011GAV drives follow previous generation Toshiba 2.5-inch drives in using highly sensitive giant magneto resistive (GMR) head technology to boost capacity and performance. The MK6411MAT and MK1011GAV also incorporate the newly developed Head Load/Unload technology that isolates the head from the disk when it is not executing read-write instructions, minimizing contact between the two surfaces and enhancing non-operating shock reliability. This mechanism also makes possible a smoother disk surface supporting higher bit density, contributing to industry-leading areal densities of up to 6.1GB/square inch. Specifications Ideally suited for today's super-slim portable PCs, the MK3212MAT 3.2GB single platter hard drive and the two platter 6.49GB MK6411MAT both stand a mere 8.45mm high. The MK1011GAV provides 10GB of capacity on three platters in a 12.5mm high form factor for high-end notebook computers. All three drives have an average seek time of 13ms for quick access to data, combined with a 4,200 RPM rotational speed and 512K buffer for superior drive performance. The drives support ATA mode 4 PIO and Ultra DMA mode 2 allowing data to transfer at speeds up to 33.3 MB/s. The drives have a 300,000 hours MTTF, use a 5-volt charge and consume a low 0.3 watts on standby to meet the high-reliability, low-power demands of today's notebook computers. Availability The MK3212MAT, MK6411MAT and MK1011GAV will all be available in volume production during Q1 1999. TAEC brings to market the industry's most comprehensive offering of components for the manufacturing of desktop and portable computers. As the North American manufacturing, sales and marketing arm of one of the world's largest suppliers of semiconductors, integrated circuits, storage devices and electronic components, TAEC's product offerings account for more than 30 percent of the total possible components used in desktop and portable computers. This broad product offering positions TAEC as the ideal business partner for system manufacturers that want to consolidate suppliers without sacrificing quality and performance. TAEC's products include industry-leading semiconductors, integrated circuits, hard disk drives, CD-ROM drives, DVD-ROM and DVD-RAM drives, color picture tubes, display monitor tubes, liquid crystal displays, medical tubes, rechargeable batteries, microwave components, laser diodes and optical transmission devices. TAEC Disk Products is a technology and market leader with a well-established reputation for delivering high performance, highly reliable 2.5-inch hard disk drives, CD-ROM drives, DVD-ROM drives and DVD-RAM drives. FMI: http://www.toshiba.com/taecdpd/.>