Seagate to Launch 5GB Compact Flash Hard Disk

L AS VEGAS, NV -- Hard disk drive manufacturer Seagate Technology LLC will ship a 5 gigabyte (GB) hard disk drive in a Compact Flash (CF) size form-factor that will ship next month for US$229, the company announced Wednesday at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The product will be targeted at digital photographers looking for high capacity at a much lower price than its competitors, company spokesman John Paulsen told The Mac Observer.

"The advantages of this product are its sheer capacity and its price," Mr. Paulsen told TMO. "This product is for the professional photographer who doesnit want to carry around lots of small compact flash cards on multiple photo shoots."

A 2.5GB version will also be available later this year at around $200, Mr. Paulsen said.

The Seagate announcement now begins a product fight with Hitachi, who has sold a similar type drive for almost two years, but at a much higher price. Hitachiis Microdrive has dominated the miniature drive space, but Mr. Paulsen said Seagate feels they will now be able to compete formidably.

"We have a cheaper solution, period," Mr. Paulsen commented. "And we feel we have a much better distribution system for this product than Hitachi. We have heard from consumers and retailers that the Hitachi product is difficult to find. Weive solved that problem already by making sure this drive will be available at mass merchandisers like Best Buy, CompUSA and Fryis.