What will be the data storage method of the future

06-01-11: Bob_reynolds
I've often wondered why cost effective RAID systems haven't become the norm for home PCs. It seems that hard drives are quite reliable these days. I can't recall the last failure I've had at either work or home. And the cost per byte is just plain ridiculous now.

Hi Bob,

Yes, you're certainly right that HDD cost/GB is incredibly low these days. But I'd imagine that the major reason for RAID not becoming the norm for home PC's is the perception by the major manufacturers (rightly or wrongly) that success or failure is determined by whether or not they are able to sell at a lower price than the competition. I recall once reading how eliminating a couple of screws from the design of some of their computers was considered to be a significant accomplishment at Dell.

And perhaps also the fact that the average home user does not know or care about the benefits RAID may offer, or about the need to back up, for that matter. And those who do will (correctly) recognize that RAID does not eliminate the need for a separate backup solution anyway, for anything important, since hardware failure or software issues could conceivably corrupt all of the drives in a RAID mirror simultaneously.

Best regards,
-- Al

Cloud is definitely the future, but it's not in the line of the progression of music storage. For those who already have music in digital format, the cloud storage is a no brainer. Even if the cloud is not the main storage, it will serve as a backup, relieving the users from the very important maintenance item which is backing up the music.

Those who listen to CD will eventually accept the computer based storage, and move to USB or other SSD based medium. Then they will realize the tremendous value of automated backup and convenience of the cloud.

Those who listen to vinyl will continue to use vinyl for the foreseeable future, or until they die. :)