Do you think that computer hard disks will become obsolete in the near future ?
For example, SD Card technology instead of regular HDs ? (smaller size of portable computers) Or even better, online storage. Do you think it is possible ? Or are there other possibilities ?
Answers (9)
Patrick D
Computer & Security consultant, owner ProMind
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We have come a long way already Sven. If you consider the first "floppy" disks 8" with a capacity of 160 K, that was just 20 years ago. There is a saying that states that the storage capacity versus size doubles every year ... Now terabyte 3.5 " HD's are common, an they are starting to use hybrid systems where part of the storage is actually on RAM.
Considering the research in the nano technology I guess we will be seeing much higher capacities all the time ... . Not that it really matters, it's like a new closet, it seems huge but it fills up quickly ...
Chuck T
Support Manager at Surgient
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There are solid state drives and other technologies becoming available. when you can store it all in a nano-electric field held together with magnetic force (an anathema to most of today's technology) - you'll see dramatic changes. Smaller, more powerful devices and storage are the future. Liquid memory already exists, but it is too costly for most (Cray technology has used liquid-bubble memory for many years).
Whatever form the future takes, the fact is that the technology of the future will only be held back by the stupidity of those whose ideas of advancement is simply to litigate versus innovate. New technologies will be driven to areas where such ideas are seen for what they are: idiotic.
America has no shortage of inventive minds - the only problems we face today are the ability to overcome the desire to quash new technology through the lazy route of litigation versus the hard work of innovation. I only hope that good sense prevails over outrageous mediocrity and litigious self-destruction. Somebody will build the better technology - it's only a matter of who has the mind and will to keep advancing versus those who can only face backwards and not see the future.
Personally, I think all technology is fleeting and will be replaced. It's the natural order of the universe. Things change and you either adapt or become a relic.
So, I guess - yes - everything new will become obsolete in the future. Everything - not just hard drives. ;)
Jan D
Project Manager at Radar Automation
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Sven,
There are a lot of alternatives, of which "solid-state" storage (based on whatever kind of RAM memory) seems to be the strongest contender. There's also holographic storage, but it's quite silent in that corner.
Anyway, hard disks essentially have only one major problem: they contain rotating/moving parts, which, in an increasingly "portable" world is a big no-no (not very drop-resistent). On the other hand, hard disks also have one major advantage: price (in €/$ per MB) - it will probably take a few years for (one or more of) the alternatives to catch up. Until then, use of those (expensive) alternatives will be confined to niche products (rugged portables, high-performance hardware,...).
Bart H
Interoperability Expert at Fedict
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Well yes, the hard disks as we know them will become obsolete, just like punchcards, floppies and tape drives (yes, tape is still used as a backup medium, but not as primary data storage device)
SD disks are getting cheaper and will soon threaten the magnetic HD's market share, after that, who knows... holographic storage and/or nanotech ?
IMHO, online vs offline storage is just a cyclic movement: in the 70s and early 80s everything was centralized and text-terminals were used to connect to mainframes, then the decentralized PC with local storage became popular, then came the centralized webapplications (so now your browser is a terminal)...
On the other hands, mobile phones are now used to store photo's and MP3's...
Eileen B
IT Professional, Information Security Quality Assurance Operations & Administration / President, CMU SEI LI SPIN
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Hello Sven,
No, I don't believe they will become obsolete, perhaps located and used differently and hopefully the speed will increase but I believe they will have a place. The new advancements in storage have yet to prove themselves with regard to reliability, which makes the risk quite high as opposed to hard disks which we already know the failure rate and how to address it beforehand, thereby mitigating the risks effectively.
Eileen
Brandon M
Owner, FVT Solutions • Tivoli/EM Consultant
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Cost will continue to be a driving factor in the near future. Hard drive technology still permits significantly more data to be stored at a low price making it the key technology in data centers. Solid state drives are starting to appear in laptops where power and speed of a single disk are more important than costs. I suspect these will eventually make inroads to small form factor PC's in the near future. However, when you consider that mainframes and magnetic tapes are still heavily used in todays data centers, hard drives are not going anywhere fast.
Pierre D
Founder, Zimana / Marketing ● Finance ● Website Analytics ● SEO/PPC ● Entrepreneurship
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I think it will become obsolete -- I am still thinking about the cassette singles I have vs. downloads now -- but there needs to be a consumer push for it to happen. The usage of USB over, say a floppy, came when more memory was available. For a drive, consumers and business owner would have to be comfortable with data held completely online. With news stories about data theft, I don't think the consumer psychology is ready. I personally think DVD drives will be gone prior to any hard drive disappearing.
Great question!
Have Fun!
Pierre
Esteban A
Software Engineer at Interbank FX
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Sven,
Absolutely! In the near future regular HDs will be replaced by flash drives. In the longer term, storage will be in "organic" stores. They've developed bacterial discs that easily hold many terabytes of data.
Esteban
Links:
Indeed they will!
Today HDs are mostly mechanical devices that use magnetic principles. Such devices are obsolete because they are prone to have errors and, what's most important, they consume more power than any other electronic device you may find in a custom PC.
Nowadays there are several laptops that come with flash HD that reduce the power consumption (critical on portable devices).
So I guess that HDs as we know them now are a soon to disappear technology and we might be talking in the near future about mechanical HDs as we talk now about punched cards.
