Author Topic: MORE FUTURE AUTOS WITH HARD DRIVES COMING  (Read 3144 times)

Offline fasteddy

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MORE FUTURE AUTOS WITH HARD DRIVES COMING
« on: March 13, 2007, 08:23:20 PM »
Storage space in cars and trucks usually refers to the glovebox, center console, trunk or behind the back seat in an SUV.  But storage seems to be taking on a new meaning with devices such as Chrysler Group?s MyGIG infotainment system and its integrated hard disk drive (HDD).  According to Wards, the growth in the media-storage segment is moving at an unprecedented rate.
 
?HDDs are the preferred high-volume data storage method for desktop and portable computers,? according to a recent Ward?s Auto article. CDs, DVDs and flash memory compete for storing gigabytes of data.  Toshiba Corp. has shipped more than 4 million automotive-grade hard drives, primarily for aftermarket installations. Telematics Research Group, Inc. (TRG) has identified 75 automotive models globally that will have factory-installed HDD systems.  Fifteen of these models are expected to be offered in North America by 2008.
 
John Rydning, research manager for market intelligence firm IDC ?sees long-term possibilities for flash memory, the semiconductor-based storage technology that Apple used in its iPod music players,? as stated in the article.  Currently, when an iPod is plugged into a vehicle?s on-board audio port, it adds several gigabytes (GBs) to the total flash memory of the vehicle.  Wards suggests that the growth of onboard HDD technology will depend on a number of factors, but one of the most prominent is the use of navigation systems in vehicles.  Navigation systems used in Japan and Europe are more complex than those used here in the United States because of a lack of sequential street numbering and orderly layout, requiring more GBs of space. 
 
Alternatives to built-in HDDs are portable or removable hard-drive systems.  Removable hard drives have been used in the past by Japanese OEMs, but many problems were identified with them including bent pins, causing failure.
 
Researchers from Telematics expect to see growth in the area of storage, whether it is in the form of flash devices or HDDs.