Hard disk drives for mobile PCs must be small, light and able to withstand vibration and shock. While Toshiba’s 1.8-inch drives are more robust than 2.5-inch HDD, they have not matched the larger drives in data transfer rates. However, the launch of new 1.8-inch drives that combine the use of the serial ATA interface with boosted rotational speed achieves high speed transfer rates. The new drives also run much more quietly than 2.5-inch HDD, close to silent, making the new products much more suited to mobile PC.

The new drives are the first Toshiba 1.8-inch HDD to employ a serial ATA interface, which boosts data transfer rates beyond those achieved by the parallel ATA interface, and also offer a rotation speed of 5,400 rpm, 29% faster than the current generation of Toshiba HDD. Higher rotation speeds support faster data access in reading and writing and enhance overall drive performance.

Alongside high speed data transfer, the new drives offer compact size, high level vibration resistance, and excellent shock resistance. They will support development of light, compact PCs with no compromises in performance. They will also contribute to achievement of environmentally conscious products, thanks to near silent operation and low energy consumption, and full compliance with the EU RoHS directive.

Toshiba’s cumulative production of HDD now stands at 200 million units since the company entered the business in 1967. Within that total, the company has produced 60 million 1.8-inch HDD since 2000.