LAKE FOREST – Western Digital Corp. released next-generation WD Caviar hard drive
family designed to meet the capacity, performance and cost requirements of the
mainstream desktop storage segment. The new WD Caviar hard drive, a 5400 RPM,
30 GB-per-platter model, is now in volume production.
“Western Digital is the only hard drive manufacturer able to deliver 30 GB
per platter now,” said John Donovan, vice president of industry analyst firm
Trend Focus. “Progressing with momentum from its recent success in the
7200 RPM performance market segment, Western Digital’s timely execution is
resulting in a significant competitive advantage.”
With the introduction of the WD Caviar 30 GB-per-platter hard drive,
Western Digital continues to be a recognized time-to-market leader. The new
WD Caviar family provides up to 60 GB of storage and is the first 5400 RPM
hard drive available with a 30 GB-per-platter design. Western Digital was
also the first manufacturer to deliver a 7200-RPM, 10 GB-per-platter design in
December 1999 and then doubled its areal density to be the first with 20 GB
per platter in August 2000.
“Western Digital’s achievement of 30 GB per platter is another milestone
demonstrating our commitment to customers, and the manner in which we are
executing to meet their needs,” said Arif Shakeel, executive vice president
and general manager of Western Digital’s Hard Drive Solutions division. “The
desktop market remains the critical core component of our business.
Time-to-market leadership in the desktop market also enables Western Digital
to continue to expand its personal storage technologies into non-PC areas.”
The WD Caviar 5400 RPM, 30 GB-per-platter model is a two-platter design
with as many as four heads. It will be available in 30, 40 and 60 GB
capacities. The drive also utilizes new differential preamp technology that
eliminates grounding noise and enables a higher data rate.
“By leveraging WD Caviar’s proven mechanical design, we were able to
architect the next-generation drives to deliver the speed and capacity
features required by the cost-sensitive mainstream computing segment,” stated
Rich Rutledge, vice president of marketing for Western Digital’s Hard Drive
Solutions division. “With greater than 15% increase in performance from the
previous generation product, according to benchmarking tests completed in
Western Digital’s Functional Integrity Testing Laboratory (FIT Lab(TM)), and
more capacity per disk than ever before, users will have faster access to more
data and content such as photos, music and video.”
