Solid state drives still pricey
Solid state storage drives (SSDs) have long been touted as the “next big thing,” but in reality they continue to play second fiddle to traditional hard disk drives (HDD) with their mechanical parts. Will 2011 be any different?
Most hardware makers are (unsurprisingly) bullish on the prospects for SSD in the coming year. The only problem is that SSD alternatives are still an expensive option for most consumers and enterprise users. With data storage needs growing exponentially over the past couple of years, SSD devices have simply been too expensive given their generally limited capacity.
To be fair, lower-end SSD drives are now within the realm of affordability. A search online will turn up 40GB drives for around R1 000. The problem is that most users will find 40GB far to restrictive for typical use. Most users in 2011 will be looking at 128GB, 256GB or even larger disk drives for their day-to-day computing work.
An internal 256GB SSD could cost in the region of R5 000 to R6 000 to buy locally. Compare this with a 1TB HDD drive which can now be picked up for around R1 000, or even less. Or consider that a 1TB SSD could cost you R40 000 or more, depending on make and capabilities. At that price, only enthusiasts and serious enterprise users can afford to buy and use large-capacity SSDs.
Slow uptake
Most knowledgeable users know that SSD is ultimately a better technology than HDD. The higher performance, lower power consumption and less wear and tear make a lot of sense than mechanical HDDs with their moving parts – but not at 40 times or more the price of HDD. It doesn’t matter how much marketing hardware makers do.
A recent study released by analyst firm IDC estimated that the average price per gigabyte of SSD storage was US$2. In comparison the average cost per gigabyte of traditional HDD storage was just 12 US cents. Until that gap narrows significantly, SDD will remain a specialist market.
To date, SSD has been used primarily in the netbook and tablet PC market. The original Asus EEEs shipped with minute 2GB and 4GB drives that barely allowed users to install an operating system. Over time that has increased a little, but not much beyond the 8GB mark. Anything larger would mean that the price of the drive would be greater than the entire machine.
Apple has been one of the first major makers to jump on the SSD train, with Steve Jobs announcing a MacBook Air version that will ship with a solid state storage drive. Until other makers go the same route, SSD prices will remain too high for mainstream use in the coming year.
According to IDC, less than 1% of laptops now ship with SSD as the default. By 2014 the analyst predicts that it will have increased to 10%. So, SSD still has a way to go before it becomes a consumer mainstream product.
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