IBM announces world's first 5-gigabyte laptop disk drive
SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 15, 1997--IBM today
announced a laptop computer disk drive that is not much bigger than
the palm of a child's hand, yet holds a record-breaking 5 billion
bytes of data.
The tiny new IBM 2.5-inch Travelstar 5GS drive can hold 50 years
worth of a typical daily newspaper, or about one million printed
pages. This is a stack of paper as tall as a 62-story building.
The 5-gigabyte Travelstar 5GS, which is about two thirds of an
inch thick (17 mm), will go into premium notebook computers.
The drive will allow notebook computer users to take advantage of
demanding applications such as lengthy multimedia presentations,
graphics-rich games and video conferencing. Travelstar 5GS is ideal
for executives who want the freedom of having powerful computer
programs at their fingertips while on business trips.
IBM's new MRX (Magnetoresistive Extended) head technology gets a
lot of the credit for this record-breaking disk drive. "MRX is a
major step beyond the older generation magnetoresistive head
technology," said Bob Scranton, vice president of technology at
IBM's Storage Systems Division.
No bigger than the head of a pin, the MRX head technology
component sends out stronger signals than the older head, meaning it
can write and read larger volumes of information.
NEW DENSITY RECORD
Another IBM 2.5-inch disk drive introduced today -- the
4-gigabyte Travelstar 4GT -- also features MRX head technology. The
4GT is thinner than the Travelstar 5GS, though. Travelstar 4GT is
only one half an inch (12.5 mm as opposed to the 5 GS's 17 mm) thick,
about the size of two cassette tapes. Its size is ideal for
ultra-portable and value laptop computers.
Travelstar 4GT sets a new density record. It holds the most data
per square inch of any disk drive -- 2.64 billion bits to be exact --
about 120,000 double-spaced, typewritten pages.
IBM's 4-gigabyte Travelstar 4GT also is the most rugged 2.5-inch
disk drive in the world, based on its non-operational shock rating.
This is a measurement of how much force is applied to the drive
before it no longer fully functions. Shock happens when the notebook
computer is hit or dropped.
IBM's exclusive new smooth disk platters and Load/Unload
technology are additional contributors to the Travelstar drives'
technology records. Combined with MRX head technology, Load/Unload
technology helps increase the drives' ruggedness and reliability.
"Our relationship with IBM Storage Systems Division is a
significant factor in allowing Gateway 2000 the ability to offer the
latest technology available," said Bob Burnett, director of mobile
systems at Gateway 2000. "We are pleased to be aligned with a
technology leader like IBM Storage Systems Division."
Both Travelstar drives are now being evaluated by OEM notebook
computer manufacturers and will ship to Original Equipment
Manufacturers (OEMs) by July. Major notebook computer manufacturers
including Dell Computer Corporation, Gateway 2000, and IBM plan to
offer one or both of these disk drives in their notebook computers
starting this year.
For more information about IBM's disk drives call 1-800-IBM-2468
and request Dept. Star 30. The IBM Web site address is
"http://www.storage.ibm.com".
SPECIFICATIONS
Travelstar 5GS: 2.5-inch, 5.1 GB and 4.4 GB, 17 mm z-height, 180
grams, 4900 RPM, 12.0 ms average seek time, four disks, ATA-3
interface, 400 G non-operating shock, 512 KB buffer.
Travelstar 4GT: 2.5-inch, 4.0 and 3.2 GB, 12.5 mm z-height, 140
grams, 4000 RPM, 13.0 ms average seek time, 3 disks, ATA-3 interface,
600 G non-operating shock, 512 KB buffer.
Both drives feature MRX head technology, Enhanced Adaptive
Battery Life Extender 2.0, P.R.M.L. digital channels, No-ID sector
formatting, and Load/Unload. These are the first mobile hard disk
drives in the world to feature Ultra DMA/33 technology, which enables
a 33.3 MB/second interface transfer rate, contributing to increased
performance of the drives.
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