John, nice find! Too bad that the NY Times...
...decided to post a picture of a Lexar Media product
and not a SanDisk CompactFlash card instead!!!
The article said...
"All the flash stuff is all the same stuff, just repackaged," said Steve Volk, the founder and chief executive of DataPlay, who recently announced that he had struck deals with major record companies to also sell recorded music on the DataPlay disc. "None of the flash stuff is suitable for pre-recorded content."
But critics of optical data storage media like DataPlay's and all recordable CD's and DVD's say that because such media must spin at high speeds, they are more prone to skipping and other mechanical problems. They also consume more power, which reduces battery life.
Optical-based storage is also, some critics say, much more costly for device makers because they must build in the mechanical means to play and read the discs. (The same is true, Dr. Harari said, for any mechanical shortage device, like the I.B.M. Microdrive, which is a tiny hard drive.)
Before a DataPlay disc can work, a device must be built with a DataPlay micro-optical engine, which is about the size of a matchbox. Such an engine, said Mr. Kasrel, of Forrester Research, adds to the cost, size and complexity of the device. Solid-state memory cards have no moving parts, and none are required to read them.
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Lexar Media
BTW, if the Lexar annual report lists continued royalties to SNDK
as a risk going forward it must mean that the workaround hasn't
been perfected yet or is shipping in low volume or that the excess
inventory of infringing products they had last quarter is still
on the shelves of retailers. I hate to say it, but Lexar Media
could go down in flames if general market conditions remain soft.
I trust SanDisk has the fortitude to weather the next few quarters.
In the end there may be several fewer CompactFlash
assemblers before this year is over and done with!
Aus |
