Seagate Technology yesterday made an official press-release where they announced the launch of the new ST1.3 1-inch hard disk drive with the biggest storage capacity of 12GB. This is the second hard disk drive from Seagate built with the platters using perpendicular recording technology. Following the well-established tradition, this HDD drive designed for portable electronic devices is not available immediately, and so are its detailed technical specifications. The commercial shipments of the 12GB ST1.3 HDDs are scheduled for Q3 2006.

I would like to draw your attention to the fact that the form-factor of Seagate's 1-inch hard disk drives has undergone certain modifications: its has become somewhat smaller. The newcomer boasts 23% smaller dimensions, while its storage capacity grew up by the good 50% compared with the previous 8GB model (8GB 1-inch HDD was launched last summer). The 12GB hard drive consumes 30% less power, which will definitely have a positive effect on the battery life of the portable devices where this drive will be installed. Moreover, the new 1-inch HDD series will acquire an optional enhanced drop sensor with the reaction time of 3/10 of a second that will issue commands for heads parking as well as motor stopping. According to the company, the new sensor will allow the drive to survive a 1.5-meter drop onto hard concrete or ceramic surfaces when properly mounted in a handheld device without damaging the working surface of the platters.

In conclusion I would like to add that the today's highest capacity 1-inch hard disk drive is a 10GB solution from Cornice Company, which is currently in a state of legal war with Seagate. As for Hitachi, they have only recently started making 8GB micro-drive solutions in this market segment, even though they have been present in the 1-inch HDD market for quite a significant amount of time already.