Toshiba announced 1.8" Hard Disk Drives for Notebooks--Coming to Apple's MacBook/Pro?

We keep our eye on new technology that might find its way into Apple's Macs. Yesterday, Toshiba Storage Device Division announced collaboration with Intel Corporation to provide a family of 1.8-inch hard disk drive (HDD) solutions for the newest-generation Ultra Mobile notebook platform architecture, which made its debut yesterday at the Intel Developer Forum 2007 Conference in Beijing, China. Toshiba's 1.8-inch HDDs provide the small footprint, high capacity, low power and ruggedness needed to deliver the perfect experience using Intel's new Intel Ultra Mobile Platform 2007.

Available in 30GB, 40GB, 60GB, 80GB and 100GB capacities, Toshiba's 1.8-inch HDDs deliver the storage capacity and responsiveness necessary to support the new platform's advanced computing capabilities while meeting the longer battery life, durability and small footprint requirements of the mobile environment. The Intel Ultra Mobile Platform 2007 represents a significant step in the creation of a new category of connected mobile devices that support the full range of notebook computer functionality including a seamless Internet experience, location adaptability and anytime connectivity for wireless email, instant messenger chat and VoIP.

As the first company to successfully market the 1.8-inch HDD form factor, Toshiba commands over 75 percent market share in the category and has shipped more than 40 million 1.8-inch HDDs since introduction in 2000.

Most current notebook HDDs are the much larger 2.5-inch models that are 9-mm thick. The 1.8-inch HDDs are currently found in full-size iPods. [Bill Fox]