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News & Opinion
Rescuing an Dead iBook G4
Blogger Graham K. Rogers says one of his colleagues has a G4 iBook that had all gone dead and refused to
start. She was ready to send it to the scrap heap, but he asked if she
would him me have a look first.
The startup chime was there, but neither the Apple logo nor the
spinning gearwheel appeared, nor would single user mode (Command + S)
work. However, starting from a OS X 10.5 software install DVD did, as
did a DiskWarrior
emergency startup disk at first, albeit inducing a good, old-fashioned
kernel panic. Rogers was eventually able to boot into Single User mode,
access the system, and effect a repair using the command fsck
-fy.
With the repair done, the iBook restarted as it should and was
returned to its owner with a strong suggestion that any important data
should be rescued as a precaution.
Link: Rescue and Repair
of an iBook G4
iPad and MacBook Air Success Threatens Hard Drive
and PC Makers
Barrons' Tech Trader Daily columnist Tiernan Ray cites Barclays
Capitals analyst Ben Reitzes observing that Apple's continued success
with tablet computers and MacBook Air laptops poses a threat to hard
drive makers and PC makers as the flash-based storage used by Apple on
those product lines displaces disk-based storage.
Reitzes suggests that Apple may have more to say about its use of
flash drives at its Worldwide Developer Conference on June 11th, where
it's widely anticipated that redesigned MacBook Pros equipped with
flash storage and MacBook Airs with more flash storage could be
announced, also noting that that iPads and iPhones are being used for
more PC tasks, extending PC replacement cycles and in some instances
displacing some PCs altogether with inevitable adverse impact on hard
drive demand for PCs.
Publisher's note: Reitzes says nothing about the way Ultrabooks and
forthcoming Windows 8 tablets will further increase the move from
traditional spinning drives to solid state drives. One issue here is
that Apple's demand for flash memory may make it more difficult and
expensive for its competitors to obtain SSDs. dk
Link: AAPL's
Tablet Push Threatens Drive, PC Makers, Says Barclays
Rumor Roundup
Analysts Agree: We're Going to See Retina Macs in
June
9 to 5 Mac's Jordan Kahn reports that The Wall Street Journal
published a story last Friday
quoting analysts all now apparently in agreement that upgraded Macs are
coming this summer, Ben Reitzes of Barclays Capital in particular
predicting a new Retina Display equipped Mac lineup will be unveiled at
WWDC in June and suggesting that it's likely the new Macs will feature
the Retina-display technology used in the iPad, and also that Apple's
new OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion
and new MacBook Airs should be on the market before the first Ultrabook
laptops with Windows 8 arrive in the fall.
Link: WSJ: Analysts Now
Agree We're Going to See New Retina Macs in June
New MacBook Production Causing Upstream Labor
Shortages
DigiTimes' Aaron Lee and Joseph Tsai report that with Apple's new
MacBooks expected to launch in the near future, the company's upstream
supply chain players are reportedly experiencing labor shortages in
their effort to fill Apple's orders - some even outsourcing orders to
meet shipment schedules.
The article notes that component manufacturing plants in eastern
China have been suffering structural labor shortages for some time, but
May and June are usually an IT industry slow season when shortage
issues are usually not a major problem - but not this year, with
Apple's new MacBook orders leaving many upstream suppliers unable to
satisfy demand.
Lee and Tsai say the new MacBook supply chain started delivering
product in April with chassis shipments seeing obvious growth in May
and are expected to continue to rise in June for a possible July
launch.
Link: New Apple MacBook
Production Causing Labor Shortages - Report (subscription
required)
Tech Trends
Samsung's Second-Generation Chromebook and the
World's First Chromebox
PR: Samsung Electronics America, Inc. has announced two new
products featuring Google's Chrome OS
operating system: the Samsung Series 5 Chromebook laptop and the
Samsung Series 3 Chromebox desktop.
"The new Samsung Series 5 Chromebook and Series 3 Chromebox provide
the rapid, convenient, 
and ever-improving computing
experience that was so well-received in our first Chromebook," says
Todd Bouman, vice president of marketing at Samsung Enterprise Business
Division. "As the world's first Chromebox, the Series 3 provides users
with the Chromebooks ease-of-use in a compact desktop product, which
easily integrates with their existing accessories. The second
generation Chromebook features powerful components housed in a slim,
lightweight body, thanks to Samsung's advanced hardware
engineering."
"This is the next step in our journey toward an always-new computing
experience focused on speed, simplicity, and security," comments Caesar
Sengupta, Director of Product Management at Google. "This
next-generation hardware from Samsung based on Intel processors and
hardware-accelerated software delivers nearly three times the
performance of the first-generation Chromebooks. With a new,
app-centric user interface rolling out today and thousands of available
web apps, we couldn't be more excited about this evolution."
Elegant Design
Weighing just over three pounds and measuring less than an inch
thick, the Series 5 Chromebook features a full-sized keyboard and a
12.1" SuperBright LCD display, while the new Samsung Series 3 Chromebox
is a compact home or office computer, offering the Chrome operating
system in a desktop form factor. At 7.6" x 7.6" x 1.3" [remarkably
close to the Mac mini's 7.7"
x 7.7" x 1.4" - ed], the matte black finish Chromebox with
silver accents is small enough to put on a desk, a bookshelf, or next
to the couch, and it's also easy to transport between the home and
office if needed.
Powerful Performance
Samsung says the Series 5 Chromebook boots up in as little as seven
seconds, enabling users to dive into work or play nearly instantly and,
unlike traditional computers, it doesn't slow down over time. A 1.3 GHz
Intel Celeron 867 Dual Core with a 16 GB SSD and 4 GB of RAM
provide the computing power, and an optional built-in 3G wireless from
Verizon Wireless allows connectivity just about anywhere 3G is
supported. With the 3G option, Verizon will also provide up to 100 MB
per month of Mobile Broadband service included with the device for two
years.
Like the Chromebook, the Samsung Series 3 Chromebox features a 16 GB
SSD and 4 GB of RAM, as well as an Intel Celeron B840 Dual Core
(1.9 GHz) processor. Built-in 2x2 WLAN WiFi enables wireless
connectivity throughout the home or office, and the Series 3 Chromebox
supports monitors up to 30" in size, a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse,
and HDTV via the Display Port output. Users can also connect up to six
USB devices to upload photos or save files.
Simple, Secure, and Improving User Experience
Google says it developed the Chrome OS operating system with three
key factors in mind: speed, simplicity, and security, and that it has
improved on these factors since the launch of the first Chromebook in
2011. With the Chrome operating system, you can get online in seconds,
load web pages speedily and access your favorite apps in one click
through the app launcher.
Automatic updates mean that Chromebook and Chromebox users always
enjoy the latest functionality without any hassle. Security features
are also built-in and updated to defend against the ongoing threat of
malware and viruses, reducing the need for users to install antivirus
software.
Built-in cloud storage enables both Chromebook and Chromebox users
to access their files securely from anywhere they can access Internet
service, and sync technology backs up all of your preferences,
bookmarks and apps, so you can access them from a Chrome browser on
another device. Both new Samsung products also come equipped for Google
Cloud Print for web printing to any Samsung Google Cloud Print ready
laser printer.
The Samsung Series 5 Chromebook and the Samsung Series 3 Chromebox
will be available beginning May 30th. The Series 5 Chromebook WiFi
model will retail at $449.99 while the 3G model will retail at $549.99.
The Series 3 Chromebox WiFi model will retail at $329.99. The
Chromebook and Chromebox are only available at Amazon.com,
Tiger.com, NewEgg.com,
BestBuy.com, and BHPhoto.com.
Link: Samsung Chromebook
(black WiFi version, $349.99
at Amazon.com; titan silver 3G version, $379.99;
Link: Samsung
Series 3 Chromebox ($329.99
at Amazon.com)
Toshiba to Launch Hybrid Hard Drive in
September
Hardmac's Lionel reports that by next September, Toshiba should
launch a hybrid hard drive, similar to Seagate's Momentus XT. Hybrid
drives use a small flash memory module to boost boot and transfer
speed, especially for small files, while offering a better
cost/capacity ratio and a larger storage space then most SSDs.
Lionel says the new Toshiba hybrid hard drive will fit well in thin
and light laptops like Ultrabooks, as it will be cheaper than SSDs, and
since Toshiba is able to manufacture its own SSD and Flash memory, it
should have an advantage over Seagate in that context.
Link: Toshiba Will
Launch a Hybrid HD in September
Hard Drive Densities to Double by 2016: 10 to 20 TB
2.5" Hard Drives Possible
PR: IHS iSuppli's Fang Zhang reports that maximum areal
densities in hard disk drives (HDD) are expected to more than double
during the five-year period from 2011 to 2016, spurring continued
growth for hard drives in storage-intensive applications such as video
and audio systems, according to an IHS iSuppli Storage Space Market
Brief report from information and analytics provider IHS.
Hard drives areal densities measuring data-storage capacities are
projected to climb to a maximum 1,800 Gigabits (Gb) per square inch per
platter by 2016, up from 744 Gb per square inch in 2011, as shown in
the figure below. This means that from 2011 to 2016, the five-year
compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for HDD areal densities will be
equivalent to 19%. For this year, HDD areal densities are estimated to
reach 780 Gb per square inch per platter, and then rise to 900 Gb per
square inch next year.
"The rise in areal density will pave the way for continued growth of
the HDD industry," says Fang Zhang, analyst for storage systems at IHS.
"Densities will double during the next five years, despite technical
difficulties associated with the perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR)
technology now used to create higher-areal-density hard disks. In
particular, growth opportunities will lie in applications associated
with mass enterprise storage requirements, gaming, and in digital video
recorders (DVRs) where massive capacity is required to store
high-definition video."
Density on the Rise
Areal density is the amount of data that can be physically stored in
a given amount of space on a platter inside a hard drive. Higher areal
densities mean that data can be packed more tightly onto the surface of
a disk, resulting in overall greater storage capacity. Areal density
equals bit density, or bits of information per inch of a track (BPI),
multiplied by tracks per inch (TPI) on a platter.
This measure of density is distinct from actual hard drive capacity,
because hard drives commonly use multiple platters.
HDD areal density topped the 4 TB mark for the first time in
September 2011 with the introduction of an external hard drive from
Seagate Technology that was designed for desktop applications. The
Seagate drive had five platters, each with an areal density of 625 Gb
per square inch, equivalent to more than 1 TB per platter.
Only a year earlier in 2010, the highest areal density that could be
achieved for a platter amounted to 550 Gb per square inch. While no
forecast is yet available for the newly minted 4 TB hard drive
segment of the storage industry, the current 4 TB products on the
market will surely prove welcome for users hoping to accommodate
copious and ever-increasing amounts of data, including
storage-intensive formats like gaming, music, and videos.
A tale of the Tape: Storage Capacity Explodes as HDDs Increase
Areal Densities
A comparison of higher-areal-density hard drives provides a clear
picture of exponentially greater storage capacity.
For instance, 1 TB of storage can hold approximately 350,000 MP3
songs at an estimated 2.85 megabytes per song, or up to 1 million
photos at an estimated 1 megabyte per 2.4 megapixel JPEG-format photo,
or up to 76 hours of uncompressed digital video at a data rate of 13
gigabytes per hour. With a 4 TB hard drive, that capacity
quadruples to roughly 1 million songs, or 1,000 hours of
high-definition video, or 4,000 hours of standard video, or 1,400
movies.
Just five years ago, storage capacity per platter was at a maximum
of 180 gigabits per square inch. Platters crossed the terabyte level
for the first time in 2007, with hard disk drives comprising two or
more platters becoming more common as HDD storage capacities increased.
Now with the 1 TB per-platter milestone already reached, 5 TB
hard disk drives using five platters could be available on the market
later this year.
Following Seagate's 4 TB external hard disk drive product for
the desktop HDD consumer market, a 4 TB enterprise HDD suitable
for business applications was released in April by Hitachi GST; Hitachi
GST has since been acquired by Seagate archrival Western Digital
Corp.
Hard drives with more than 1 TB in density per platter have also
been released by the industry for the mobile market, with Toshiba's
2.5" 1 TB version boasting the highest areal density for drives
targeting the portable PC and consumer electronics space.
New Developments on the Horizon
All hard drive manufacturers currently use PMR technology for
existing products, but the industry consensus is that existing PMR
technology has two to three generations left before reaching its areal
density limit at about 1 terabit (Tb) per square inch. In fact,
despite the solid five-year CAGR for higher-density drives, growth
rates could have been much higher were it not for PMR technology
nearing its limit.
Nonetheless, new developments are on the way. For instance, Seagate
in March announced it had achieved in its research lab 1 Tb per
square inch of areal density - 30% higher than what could be achieved
through PMR technology - by using heat-assisted magnetic recording
(HAMR) technology, a promising approach to enable large increases in
the storage density of hard disk drives.
HAMR technology is likely to lead the way in creating
next-generation HDDs, even though satisfactory costs via HAMR
comparable to those of PMR have yet to be seen. In theory, however,
advanced technologies like HAMR could extend HDD areal density to a
range spanning 5 to 10 Tb per square inch.
The highest capacity for 3.5" HDDs could then reach 30 to 60 TB,
while the smaller and thinner 2.5" HDDs used in increasingly popular
thinner notebooks could reach 10 to 20 TB.
Such lofty heights represent approximately 10 to 20 times the
capacity of current drives, with the new theoretical levels having a
capacity equivalent to those of conventional small and medium business
(SMB) storage systems currently on the market, marking a major leap in
electronic storage for more common, non-enterprise uses.
Link: HDD Industry
Enjoys Best Performance Despite Volume Fluctuation
Toshiba America Says No to New Netbooks
The Register's Tony Smith says another sure sign the netbook's day
is done is that Toshiba's US wing has confirmed it will no longer offer
new versions of the diminutive laptop machines. Smit says Toshiba US
will be promoting Ultrabooks instead, according to a report.
Link: Toshiba America
Says No to New Netbooks
Asustek to Launch 3 New ZenBook Ultrabook Models in
June with Near-'Retina' Resolution
DigiTimes' Rebecca Kuo and Steve Shen report that PC-maker Asustek
Computer (a.k.a. Asus) will launch three new models to its ZenBook
Prime Ultrabook lineup - the UX21A, UX31A, and UX32VD - in June,
featuring full HD IPS panels from Chimei Innolux, reputed to be almost
twice as expensive as comparable LED slim HD panels, and with a target
of shipping 100,000 units initially, according to industry sources.
The new Ultrabooks' wide viewing angle IPS panels, will reportedly
be available in 11.6" or 13.3" sizes with a display resolution of 1920
x 1080 pixels, and priced beginning at $1,000. Interestingly, that
display resolution almost satisfies or slightly exceeds one calculated criterion for "Retina"
status.
The UX32VD is to be Intel Ivy Bridge powered and to feature a hybrid
hard drive system with a 24 GB SSD boot volume and 500 GB SATA hard
drive storage capacity, as well as a discrete Nvidia GeForce GT620M
graphics card.
Link: Asustek to Launch
Three New ZenBook Ultrabook Models in June with Near-'Retina' Display
Resolution (subscription required)
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