Solid-state drives to become 'cost effective' in 2009

Solid-state hard drives will become cost-effective for many enterprise users in 2009, a report by a US analyst has suggested. Jack Gold, proprietor of J Gold Associates, believes that solid-state drives (SSDs) — hard drives based on non-volatile flash memory, rather than moving parts — will have a 15 percent share of the notebook market by 2011. SSDs are a relatively new technology and still command a significant premium over the cost of a traditional hard drive. However, they are faster, of higher capacity, better for battery life and far more resistant to shock than traditional drives.