latmo said:
hm ...
even the newer version of 4GB muvo2 cant take out the MD and use on camera
i dun think the new 5GB version can be use ....
but if creative want to push up there sales then ...... :bsmilie: POSSIBLE ~~
It is not that the newer 4GB cannot be taken out, they can still be taken out and be used on PC with a card reader like any other CF card/microdrive.
The 4GB microdrives of newer MuVo2 just don't support one of the operating mode, either the IDE mode or PCI mode or whatever mode, which is the mode that all camera communicate with the CF cards. So if camera makers make newer cameras with ability to write to CFs with other modes, it is possible that these "disabled" 4GB microdrive can be used in digital cameras, just as they are usable on PC with card reader.
Creative have no interest(i.e. $$$) in disabling the microdrives. It is Hitachi that modified the firmware (rather than hardware, I believe) of the supply of microdrives to creative in the hope that some of the people turned away will go and buy their retail ver at much higher price like S$700+ - S$800.
If you look deeper into it, the reason that allow Hitachi to sell the retail microdrive at a that much higher price is due to the production of microdrive (until the recent seagate product Hitachi was the sole manufacturer of 1" harddrive) cannot meet the world demand for it. That's why you don't see this special phenomena of a product containing a HDD selling for much lesser than the HDD alone in HDDs of any other dimention (be it 1.8", 2.5" or 3.5").
With seagate entering the market, it is very possible that the total supply of 1" HDD will be able to meet the world total demand. Thus there is less of a need for seagate to make "disabled" microdrive for creative.
Seagate may also sell a retail version for higher price (a lot of demand will never get things by unofficial ways) but allow microdrive to be taken off MoVo2 at a cheaper cost. By doing so, is allows photographers to obtain its microdrive at a lower cost while still able to milk other niche markets.
The reason that Seagate might want to sell Microdrives to photographer at a lower price is that Seagate's microdrive is less proven (i.e. compatibility and reliability) than Hitachi's competing microdrive. And since both compatibility and reliability are Key factor to photographers, Seagate will never be able to compete with Hitachi in the phtographic storage market if their Microdrives are comparablily priced to photographers.
above are the theories. let's wait for the first brave guy to try it out.
