Overpriced Storage

Straight from the press release:

Memorex, the leading retail provider of digital media in North America, today announced the availability of the world’s first shareable, flash-based USB storage media. The Memorex FlashDisc™ offers a high-capacity alternative to the floppy diskette and low-cost alternative to personal USB flash drives, bringing to market a re-useable storage medium that’s simple for anyone to use and affordable enough to share. The versatile FlashDisc combines low-density flash memory chips - encased in lightweight but protective plastic - with a USB connector and protective cap, creating a cost-effective way to share files, photos or music with co-workers, classmates, family and friends.

The USB-compatible Memorex FlashDisc is an easy way to share data between any PC or Mac with a USB port. At 2.3 inches in diameter and 0.3 inches high, the FlashDisc’s thin, round design is durable and portable like a floppy diskette, yet delivers more than 10 times the capacity. Each FlashDisc can store up to 400 text documents, 10 presentations, 40 digital photos or 15 minutes of music. Simply plug the Memorex FlashDisc into any computer’s USB port to save, delete, rewrite and share files using the easy drag and drop process - without requiring software or a special drive. Unlike USB flash drives, the Memorex FlashDisc is sold in multi-packs that can be purchased for the office, classroom or home. For easy identification of contents, each FlashDisc comes with a write-on adhesive label. Additionally, each package of FlashDiscs sports a mix of color schemes to allow for color-coding of files; combinations include black and red, black and blue, and black and yellow.

What a great idea! As less, and less computers come with floppy drives, it would be great to be able to send a file on some type of "disposable" USB key. you know, something cheap enough that it would be ok if you didn't get it back.

However, I don't know where they got the "low cost" part. Twenty bucks for 48 megs of storage? Are they kidding me? That works out to an ultra expensive 41 cents per megabyte. Just about any other option will be less expensive with 700 MB CD's around 10 cents (around 14 cents per gigabyte), DVD's that hold 4.7 GB around 50 cents (around 11 cents per gigabyte), and hard drives consistently less than a dollar per gigabyte.

While cute and chic always get someone to buy one, I'll pass on this. The Memorex FlashDisc doesn't even start to come close to affordable storage. Any other option would be better. Emailing the file as an attachment is free after all!

--Jonas

Memorex Press Release.