Hitachi Drive in iPod Mini

After significant speculation on what storage technology would be used the new Mini iPods, CNet reports that Apple is now using a 1" 4GB Hitachi drive for its new iPods.

As CNet notes, "the process of elimination is also fairly straightforward on this issue, because there are only three companies with product plans in this area." (Note: Hitachi's microdrive technology was acquired from IBM in 2002)

Apple's standard iPods have used a 1.8" hard drive from Toshiba. Hitachi has recently introduced a similar 1.8" drive which is used in the Dell DJ. Toshiba will be manufacturing 0.8" drives but these will not see full production until 2005. This simply leaves Cornice as the final manufacturer of these mini drives. Their 2.0GB storage device was just introduced on Monday.