The projected launch of SanDisk’s new Ultra Backup USB drive with a maximum capacity of 64 GB is part of the company’s positive evaluation of the flash memory market in India, according to Manisha Sood, country head, SanDisk India and SAARC Region.
Digital cameras, DVD players, computers and mobile phones — flash memory has become an important common denominator of all of these products. And SanDisk is planning to expand its Indian market significantly in tune with the growth in the market for consumer electronics, says Ms. Sood.
“Around 1 million units of cameras with memory slots were sold last year. We forecast the number of units of cameras being sold in India going up in 2009 to about 1.5 million. In the mobile market, as of December 2008, around 100 million handsets sold had memory slots. We can already see mobile phones priced as low as Rs. 4,000 having multimedia functionalities and a memory slot which will provide further impetus to the mobile memory card market,” she says.
In spite of the economic downturn which could see a decrease in the spending on consumer electronics, the increased functionalities of the new products augur well for the flash memory market, she says.
This has spurred recent developments with SanDisk unveiling the new 64 GB X4 flash memory chip based on the latest 43 nanometre technology, which it claims will revolutionise storage applications for movies, games and music with its 7.8 MB/second write speeds.
While the X4 chip will not be immediately available in India, SanDisk’s Ultra Backup USB drive, which allows backup of files at the touch of a button, is scheduled to hit the market soon, Ms. Sood says. Available in 8 GB, 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB capacities, the USB drive allows backup of key information at the touch of a button, the first drive with such a facility according to SanDisk. It also boasts AES hardware encryption and password protection to keep “critical business files safe,” according to the product fact sheet.
Lifestyle storage
“A USB drive today goes beyond just data storage to ‘lifestyle storage.’ A USB allows a consumer to save any kind of data and use it anywhere he or she wants it. A USB plugged into a DVD player lets consumers watch movies, plugged to the car audio is an MP3 player and plugged into the laptop is a reservoir of information and backup data,” Ms. Sood says.
Priced between $39.99 and $199.99 for different capacities in the U.S. market, she says the Ultra Backup USB drive is set for its Indian launch by March-end, when Indian pricing details will be provided. The X4 chip, which is yet to start commercial production, will also make its entry as soon as feasible.
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