History of modern automobile industry teaches us that at some point there was a three-way crossroad objectifying three possible ways of further evolution. Back then it was uncertain what propelling power will by employed: petrol, steam or electricity. What's more, all three concepts were already up and running in different regions. The reason why I bring this up is what IBM and Fujifilm have recently unveiled. That is the next iteration of their linear magnetic tape storage device development that has been going strong since year 2006 when IBM and Fujifilm presented an 8TB magnetic tape cartridge. This time though it has 35TB of storage capacity.Linear magnetic tape was the only storage device at its time, so having it back today is much like having an electric motor back under the hood, but only with much more promise as I see it. The secret of recording 35TB is that the latest technology used delivers unseen areal data density - 29.5 billion bits per inch squared. Achieved results lie on materials and a new recording method. Speaking of materials, it's BaFe2O4 (Barium ferrite) that has been aligned by a specifically developed technology in a way to provide above named data density. The good thing about BaFe2O4 is that it is impact- and corrode-resistant.
Performance figures as well as approximate price and availability date are, of course, kept in secret. But the single fact that IBM and Fujifilm have been working on it for such a long time does mean that magnetic tape still has a lot of potential left in it. However, come to think of it, plenty of storage capacity and hopefully lifespan can be a trade-off affecting reading/writing speeds. That said, I imagine a future computer will still need an SSD for better operating system and games performance. In rest, the concept is very promising.
