Re: Apple2 USB Stick interface with Vinculum chip

["Michael J. Mahon" <mjmahon@aol.com>]

William Garber wrote:
> "Paul Schlyter" <pausch@saaf.se> wrote in message news:f17dsd$2rk6$1@merope.saaf.se...
> :
> : [snip]
> :
> : That's obviously the case -- but they are still not
> : difficult to find if you really need one - right?
>
> If you don't mind brands other than Sandisk, then you
> can find smaller CF and SD cards on eBay. I found lots
> of 10 of 128MB CF cards at around $5 each card. I'm
> considering picking up 10 of them in a few days.

Unless I really needed them to be under a gig (for the reasons
Paul noted), I'd have a hard time paying $5 for a 128MB card
when I can find 1GB cards for under $10...(and 2GB cards for
under $15!).

Just like hard drives, as densities increase relentlessly, the
smallest device you can make economically rises.  Combine that
with the near-50% drop in spot market prices of NAND flash, and
you have a buyer's market.  ;-)

BTW, this kind of undercapacity-->overcapacity-->undercapacity
instability in the memory markets is standard behavior, so you
should expect the rest of 2007 to have very good prices, then
starting in 2008, flash prices will firm (because of supply
reductions, combined with continued cost reductions) before
another quick drop a couple of years out.

A big change in market structure, say, because of phase-change
memories entering the "flash" market, would, of course, cause
other disruptions.

-michael

NadaNet file server for Apple II computers!
Home page:  http://members.aol.com/MJMahon/

"The wastebasket is our most important design
tool--and it's seriously underused."