How big is your iPod? Bet it’s not 500 terabytes, but it soon could be, thanks to researchers at the University of Glasgow.
The clever Scots have created new nanotechnology that’ll cram 500,000 GB (or just under 500 terabytes) onto a single chip just one inch square.
That’s enough space to store a mind boggling 127 million songs on a device as small as an iPod shuffle.
Explaining the science behind it all, Professor Lee Cronin said: “What we have done is find a way to potentially increase the data storage capabilities in a radical way. We have been able to assemble a functional nanocluster that incorporates two electron donating groups, and position them precisely 0.32 nm apart so that they can form a totally new type of molecular switching device.
“Molecule sized switches would lead to increasing data storage to say 4 Petabits per square inch… The fact these switches work on carbon means that they could be embedded in plastic chips so silicon is not needed and the system becomes much more flexible both physically and technologically.”
There’s no word on when (or even if) the new technology will go into production, but you can bet Apple’s already eyeing it, along with armies of other tech firms. Watch this space.
TBC | £TBC
(via Nature Nanotechnology)
hi there lets see ipod nano 16 pb ipod touch and iphone 48 pb computers 500 pb ssd up too 8 exabyte or 8 eb then super massive black hole ssd and hdd with infinity data
hi there well your right i have the 64 gb ipod touch and only used 2.7 gb 135 songs 35 apps and 10 games even if non aple i always pick the largest capacity soo i am ready for 500 tb ipods 48 pb ipod touch and super massive black hole ipod too
hi there some one said there is a yotabyte ipod coming out i am woundering when
hi there you are right 48 petabytes will take 69,600 years and if go beyong 1,000,000 years do you know humman max life cycle 100 years soo the ipod would out last humans by 10,000 life cycles or 10,000 generations
hi there you are right if ipod touch and iphone 3 gs holds 48 petabyes then a larger ipad can hold up to a whopping 144 petabytes