HDD vendors to offer low-cost 2.5-inch HDDs for netbooks

From Digitimes -

Major hard drive manufacturers Seagate Technology, Western Digital and Hitachi Global Storage Technologies are all now developing low-cost 2.5-inch hard disk drives for use in netbooks and other low-cost PCs. The HDDs are targeted to be 40-50% less expensive than existing 2.5-inch entry-level HDD models. Initial storage capacity will be 80GB based on a single platter and may be increased to 100GB or 120GB if cost control proves effective.

Availability could start as early as the Q2 2009. Their availability is expected to have a negative impact on the promotion of SSDs.