Trends in recording and control technologies and evolution of subsystem architectures for data storage

The author describes past progress in technologies important to data storage and their application in the latest products. He examines future storage trends and the key technical challenges involved in extending recording technologies. He also briefly contrasts magnetic and optical storage devices and suggests how they can be best applied. It is suggested that optical storage technology will initially establish itself in applications which can capitalize on a single removal disk with very high capacity. In a broader sense, both technologies will coexist, with magnetic recording remaining the dominant technology for the foreseeable future