New Magnetic Material Could See Even More Music Jammed into Your Phone

I’m one of those music nerds who fret about storage space.  Every year I have to perform some sort of upgrade so I have enough room for all my digital files.  And when I’m finished, my reaction is always “That should do it. I shouldn’t ever need any more storage capacity.”  And I’m always wrong.

If you follow such things, you’ll know that engineers are worried about how much storage can be crammed onto a hard drive platter before the laws of physics give them a big “Uh-uh! No you d’dn’t!”  But every time they reach theoretical limits, they discover something new.

The latest thing is a new, extremely sensitive bimetallic concoction involving thin layers of nickel and vanadium oxide.  (If you want to get all scientific about it, go here.)  Suffice to say, though, that this could transform not only storage capacity but electronics in some pretty exciting ways.

A one petabyte drive in my iPhone?  Yes, please.