Lake Forest-based Western Digital Corp. unveiled a line of 1-inch disk drives for digital music players and other hand-held consumer electronics.
The move is Western Digital’s entry into the gadget market. Most of the company’s drives go into computers. Others go into digital video recorders and Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox video game console.
Western Digital is playing catch-up. Rival Seagate Technology of Scotts Valley already is shipping more than 1 million minidrives per quarter for Apple Computer Inc.’s iPod music player.
Toshiba Corp. and Samsung Electronics Co. also make drives for handheld devices.
Western Digital hopes to land the new drives in music players, personal digital assistants, wireless phones and digital cameras.
By 2008, about 10 of wireless phones could have a drive in them, according to market tracker Gartner Inc.
Western Digital’s 1-inch drives are expected to start shipping next quarter.
