100GB iPod

Toshiba announced a new 100GB model of its 1.8-inch hard drive on Tuesday. And although Apple Computer strenuously declines to comment on what it calls rumor and speculation, it doesn't take a genius to extrapolate that a 100GB iPod model might follow suit. Most recently, Apple added an 80GB version of its video iPod in September. Toshiba's new drives, like predecessors, use two platters to store data and perpendicular recording technology to increase the amount of data that can be stored in a given surface area. They spin at 4,200rpm and can transfer 100 megabytes of data per second. Toshiba dominates the market for the hard drive those gadgets often use. According to IDC, Toshiba has an 80 percent share of the market in the third quarter of 2006 and has shipped 40 million 1.8-inch drives since they were launched in 2000.