History 2001: WW Removable Media Shipments to Approach $5.8 Billion in 2004

The increasing popularity of CD recordable and the growth of higher- priced low-end magnetic media have sustained momentum in the WW optical/removable storage media market.

According to IDC in its recent Optical/Removable Storage Media Market Forecast and Analysis, 2000-2004, the street-equivalent value of shipments will increase from $2.8 billion in 2000 to $4.2 billion in 2004.

Shipments continued their aggressive surge, soaring 173% in 1999, and by 2004, IDC expects they will approach 5.8 billion.

“CD-R media is fueling the removable media market,” said Peter Brown, an analyst for IDC’s storage program. “CD-recordable will become the primary floppy replacement technology on the desktop.”

CD-recordable media will account for 97% of the market’s unit volume and 51% of its value in 2000.

“Despite DVD-recordable’s significant growth, technologies will be vying for widespread acceptance,” Brown said. “The lack of standard technology and small installed base of DVD-ROM drives capable of reading recorded DVD data will limit widespread adoption through 2004.”

This article is an abstract of news published on issue 156 on January 2001 from the former paper version of Computer Data Storage Newsletter.