Question

Since the computer hard drive was invented in 1956, a con- stantly increasing data storage capacity has been available at an ever-decreasing cost. Use the historical data of hard drive capacities and prices shown in Figure 3-29 (or download the Excel file named CH03Ex01). Modify the spreadsheet so that it includes a new column containing formulas that calculate a common measure of disk size (GB) and a second new column that computes the cost per GB for each year. (Recall 1 gigabyte = 1,024 megabytes; 1 terabyte = 1,024 gigabytes.) Now, create one line graph to show the cost per gigabyte from the period 1995 to 2016. Create a second line graph to show changes in the size of hard disks across the same period. (Tip: Use the “Hide” function to cover the columns you don’t need for each graph.) Write a brief summary of the trends you found. What factors have contributed to these trends? What are the implications of these trends? 1980 26 MB $5,000 1981 63 MB $2,895 1983 20 MB $3,495 1984 20 MB $2,399 1987 40 MB $1,799 1989 20 MB $899 1995 1.7 GB $1,499 1996 3.2 GB $469 1997 7.0 GB $670 1998 8.4 GB $382 1999 19.2 GB $512 2000 27.3 GB $375 2001 40 GB $238 2002 100 GB $230 2003 120 GB $168 2004 250 GB $250 2006 390 GB $106 2008 1 TB $200 2010 1.5 TB $220

Answer 1

SOLUTION

The trend shows that the cost per GB has been reducing exponentially and also, the size of hard disks went through a phenomenal change (increase). Factors contributing would be new technological advancements like silicon chips, semiconductors etc which made hard disks compact and data storage easier. Also, ICs reduced the cost of hard disks too. Similar new advancements in the field will bring about bigger changes with larger sizes and much lower costs. We are already seeing a shift from hard disks to cloud storage which has no limits on the storage size. Such advancements can rejig the hard disk space.