Ron, I hate to put my usual wet blanket on things, but here goes.
Flash memory sounds great, the technology is grest, but,
"Sandisks technology could replace floppies and CDs? Have data, audio, and video capability on a card the size of a matchbook with 2-200Mb read/write capability? That data for mainframes, PCs, laptops, cameras, audio & video equipment, etc. could all be held and transferred thru their flash cards? That the next generation hardware will likely contain flashcard units? "
The only way, IMHO, that this will happen is for flash COSTS to drop OVER AN ORDER OF MAGNITUDE. Right now, a 20 MB flash card from SanDisk is $400 or so. A 2000 MB hard disk from anybody is $200 or so. A 100 MB Zip disk from Iomega is $15 or so (yes, you have to get the Zip drive, which is $150). Etc., etc.
If and when flash memory is somewhere around a competitive price, then, yes, I think we'll see products coming with flash as standard data storage options. Until then, I think that it will be relegated to a niche market.
Yes, (I hear the clamor) digital cameras now use flash as storage for their pictures. But, today, the digital camera market is still a niche market, and may remain so until the price of the camera comes down.
Cameron |
