Samsung Replaces PC Hard Disks In A Flash By David Utter Expert Author Article Date: 2005-05-23 The CEOs of Maxtor, Western Digital, and Seagate just received an unwelcome wakeup call from the Korean electronics powerhouse. Mass production of the solid-state disk, which replaces the mechanical platters in hard drives with memory chips, will begin in August, according to Samsung. The price barrier has kept flash-based drives from being mass-produced. But Samsung, with its existing internal flash memory production capabilities, should be able to do so at a lower cost. That cost will have to be dramatically lower than what industry analysts believe. A price point of around $200 for a 30GB drive exists now. A Samsung spokesperson cited tablet PCs or laptops as the initial places likely to house the new flash drives. The initial cost will probably restrict initial adoption to the military, or to certain industries. Currently, 4GB, 8GB, and 16GB versions have been planned. If Samsung can beat the existing price point, which could happen in a few years according to industry analysts, the era of the hard disk may come to an end. About the Author: David Utter is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business. Email him here.