It seems that Hard disk drives (HDDs) may face a worthy opponent in the mass storage arena. The possible giant slayer-- flash-based solid state drives (SSDs) which will particularly be suitable for laptops and notebooks. That seems to be the case if we are to believe the findings of a study done by market research firm, In-Stat.

In its findings, the market research firm projects that come 2013 (which is approximately 7 years from now), solid-state drives will be used by 50% of mobile computers. If Solid-State Drives seems like hieroglyphics to you, then let me tell a little something about it so that you won't remain in the dark about it. A solid-state drive is a data storage device that uses memory chips, such as SDRAMs, to store data, instead of the spinning platters found in conventional hard disk drives.

While not technically "disks" in any sense, these devices are so named because they are typically used as replacements for disk drives in situations where space, power supply, or ruggedness concerns would make conventional drives impractical. Thus making them really good for laptops.

When asked on how they come up with this projection, In-Stat analyst Frank Dickson said that "the HDD industry has done a phenomenal job of driving areal densities; however, it is clear that there are user segments for which drive capacities far exceed the user's need...When one examines the declining cost trends for flash, the user's need for storage and the premium that consumers place on the benefits provided by SSDs, it is easy to see that there will be a clear demand for SSDs."
 
Aside from that, the study also showed that most of their respondents are willing to shell out more cash to be able to use SSDs in their laptops. The survey further added that respondents believe power savings is the most important aspect of flash drives