IBM makes biggest ever hard disk claim

High-end computer users -- and those who just want more storage than really necessary -- will be delighted to hear that IBM has just launched a whopping 73.4GB hard drive which it claims breaks all storage records.

The Ultrastar 72ZX runs at 10,000rpm and boasts a data density of 35.3 billion bits per square inch on a magnetic hard disk, a world record say officials at IBM.

These bits are written at the staggering rate of 18 billion bytes per second with an equally impressive error rate of less than one in every 100 million bits. To put this in perspective, IBM claims this is like recording a daily newspaper for a thousand years before making a single mistake.

The new drive will sadly not be available until the first quarter of 2000.