SSDs in 2008: fast speeds (200MB/sec) over price cuts

As we recently discussed, Intel has big plans for the SSD market in 2008 that could rapidly turn today's top-end drive into tomorrow's midrange model. According to Intel CEO Paul Otellini, the company will launch 80GB and 160GB SSDs later this year. These new drives will utilize the Open NAND Flash Interface 2.0 and should be capable of a sustained 200MB/100MB read/write speed. This type of rapid-pace development isn't bad for OCZ and other players—it'll actually allow them to sell more drives at a variety of price points. Consumers, meanwhile, will benefit as well, particularly if the rapid pace of development pushes first-gen drives into the "genuinely affordable" market.