12Tb eh?
I've got a few old RL02's in the cupboard - each 14" in diameter storing all of 10Mb - these babies were fast, the "Ready" light would come on about 20 seconds!
I wonder how long it will be before 12Tb seems too small.
Seagate is seeing the storage market shift from client server to mobile cloud applications and storage environments. Although responding to this, it is encouraged by the capacity needs of the remaining PC client as well as significant growth in non-PC-client devices and applications. It talks of a new customer base that …
Luckily the name is only a marketing ploy if the article is to be believed:
"air-filled 8TB drive has fewer heads and platters than WD's 8TB helium-filled drive."
I would be much more worried about the guarantee on the WD drives. Not only will the thermal properties of the drive change as the helium diffuses out but that same diffusion causes embrittlement (admittedly less than hydrogen) of most metals and alloys. I believe some copper and aluminium alloys are less susceptible but I wouldn't hold out much hope for the permanent magnets or the rust on the platters.
Hydrogen embrittlement is one reason I think pressurised hydrogen will never really catch on as a means of energy storage.
So seagate moves to helium drives at long last and follows Western Digitals move, have they ditched shingling technology on these, if so it might be the first good drive (in my own opinion) seagate has made in a long time.
Whats going to be the warranty length on this, as when seagate went from 5 to 2 then to 1 years on most drives it does make suspect they dont have that much faith in their own products.
@Roj, 6 months, i suspect your being optimistic there...