Seagate's Drive Plans Include 500GBs, Encryption

[Thugilex]

Seagate Technology unveiled its 2005 lineup on Wednesday, which takes drives to the half-terabyte level and introduces a product family that encrypts data. Over the course of the year, Seagate will unveil 12 new products, executives said, incorporating the company's shift to perpendicular recording, a technique of aligning the magnetic grains within the drive to increase its storage density.

That technology will have far-reaching effects, as Seagate transitions its Barracuda desktop and external drives to a top capacity of 500GB and increases its Momentus line of 2.5-inch drives to 160GB. A spokeswoman for Maxtor Corp. also said the company plans 500GB drives, a tactic likely to be followed by the rest of the hyper-competitive drive industry.

News source: eWeek