SSD - A Must Have For Mobile Ruggedness

Upon learning that Apple will be going all out with SSD instead of traditional hard drives has me thinking that that the era of power efficient and relatively safer memory storage is upon us for every day mobile warriors and corporate drones.

Apple wasn't the first to come out with SSD but does that matter? Nor was Apple the first to have USB in the iMacs but that didn't matter either.

However, Apple made it okay to have USB in PCs and it was quickly adopted as a standard. And for SSD adoption, The MacBook Airs with SSD only options made it okay for for mass adoption for even consumer lines.

I imagine that by this time next year, Apple will have moved a majority of its macBook lines with SSD options. This will be followed by other PC makers, like Sony and its Vaio laptops.

Keep in mind though that hard drives are not going to go away for a long time. But for folks whose data are very important and requires more insurance from accidents, these excellent prices from Apple are welcoming news.

Personally, I think I've got another year left in my late-2008 unibody MacBook before I find that I need to move on. Plus, I've got my wonderful iPad that has quickly become my main go-to mobile device for work and play.

But if you're in The market now or will be soon, consider SSD options whether it's the MacBook Air or a Windows machine like the Viao.

Note: SSD while great still has issues with degradation over time. TRIM is built into Windows 7 while this support is still lacking in OS X. Perhaps Apple might have something coming in way of this beginning with SSD implementation in the new MacBook Airs.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPod touch

Wide-Spread SSD Deployment in 2009?

While many of us who watch Steve Jobs and Apple, among other companies and mobile characters, mourn the passing of an annual event where Mac faithfuls gather in SF for the Macworld keynote, it was at Macworld 2008 that Steve introduced to us the Macbook Air with a 64GB of SSD as its main storage.

Now, Apple is by no means the first company to put an SSD in its laptops.  XO and EEE PC all came out with SSD as their storage.  I think even Dell also had SSD options for its laptop lines.

Then 32GB and 64GB.  The 64GB option from Apple originally cost $1000.  Today, Apple is offering the 128GB option for $500.  Half the price and double the storage.  Now, Toshiba is offering a 512GB SSD option with 240MB a sec read and 200MB a sec write.  Oh, did I mention that its suppose to last over a hundred years?  I wonder what the warranty will be like.

Speed, sturdiness, and power efficiency are all why SSD will likely play in important role in future laptops and mobile devices.  Not only that, it's a backup option making its way into servers as well.  In recent tests by some blogs, the speed and power efficiency are not quite there yet but for studiness alone, it's worth it.

Besides, it's a natural evolution from regular hard drives.  With SSD prices dropping so fast, I'm willing to call 2009 year of SSD.  A cursory check of some online stores show a big drop in SSD prices.  Some are low enough (but nowhere near the price of regular HD) that it is an option for people who are data worth protecting.

Now, I'm not saying SSD drives will overtake regular HD in 2009.  But I certainly do see more SSDs offered as an option.  Besides, with the recession...anyway.

Here are just some examples:

• 32GB - $75 and up
• 64GB - $135 and up
• 128GB - $249 and up
• 256GB
• 512GB - From Toshiba.  No price yet.  Samples will be available for testing in Q1.  

What do you think?  Is there an SSD in your future?

Via Electronista, Toshiba

SSD Pricing Drop

Less than a year ago when Apple introduced the Macbook Air, the 64GB SSD was priced at about $1000.

There were a lot of discussion about the worth of such storage devices and whether these drives will ever complete with traditional hard drives.  Then a mere seven weeks ago, we reported that Dell was offering the 128GB SSD, twice the storage of the Macbook Air, for $450.

At that time, Apple was still pricing the 64GB option at $500.

Today, we are excited to tell you that at least one SSD model from Super Talent launched the 64GB and 128GB SSDs at $179 and $299 respectively.

What?!  You didn't read wrong nor did we mistyped.  While these are low-end drives (slower read/write), they are a perfect option for anyone interested in solid-state storage.  Now, if you're interested in making sure your data has the best protection, these SSDs may be what you're looking for.

For executives, managers, or even students who have a lot to lose if your data is lost, the premium is well worth it.  We thought so when the Dell's 128GB SSD costed 50% more than these drives, and we certainly believe it more so now.

For someone who is interested in getting a new Macbook when Apple refreshes its line-up, I am seriously contemplating replacing the stock hard drive for one of these SSDs either as backup or the primary drive.

Plus, there may be added savings in battery life.

Related SSD posts:

• SSD Drive Is Worth It 
• Tom's Hardware on SSD
• Sandisk - What to do next?
• 256GB SSD - A Gamer Changer -Still no info on pricing.

256GB SSD - Definitely A Game Changer

We've talked about game changers a lot this summer.  Here's another:  Toshiba's 256GB

It offers 120MB per sec read and 80MB per sec write.  Not bad.  At the same time, they also came out with 8-32GB models as well.

The 256GB model offers much improvements include wear over earlier models.  Electronista has no info on price and availability just yet but we're sure this is not just for any averge Joe mobile warrior like myself.

However, just as we've said before, it's worth it if you've got deep pockets.  A month ago, we reported Dell offer the 128GB SSD option for $450.  We don't claim to know what Toshiba's 256GB version will cost but data is data.

When the Macbook Air was released, the 64GB option was about $1000 that dropped to $500 in months.  We'll have a better picture of performance and costs once more and more laptops sport SSD.

64GB SSDs can be purchased for $210.  Prices are dropping rather quickly.  Definitely a worth consideration.

Tom's Hardware on SSD

I like the fact that SSD is catching up so quickly.  Tom's Hardware is comparing 14 of them.  Here at Onxo, we believe it's good to stay ahead of the curve especially if your data is very dear to you.  And what data isn't?

They broke it down to into three categories:  performance, mainstream, and premium.  While the sizes vary as far as the SSD capacity, performance are not always the same.  This is a fact with regular hard drives as well.

What you will have to decide for yourself is if performance is more important or capacity.  Personally, I like capacity.

For the Samsung SSD recommended by Tom's, Extremetech also has a more indepth review.

There is a way to get certain SSD cheaper than just going out there and picking up one up yourself.  More tier one computer makers are now offering SSD as an option, and the price is usually cheaper by a couple of hundred dollars.  Last week, we noted Dell was offer a 128GB SSD for about $500.

So far, Apple, Dell, and Lenovo are pushing these drives (if you don't count the netbook manufacturers).  There is also rumblings that Apple will start offer SSD as an option across their whole line.

Related Onxo reading:

• SSD is Worth It
  
• Effectiveness on School Laptop Programs
• Intel's Next Generation Mobile Platform