Worldwide demand for is far exceeding supply as music burning and large file exchanges become increasingly popular, says managing director Guy Whitcroft.
According to him, the CD-RW device is fast becoming the media of choice for storage and file exchange purposes - and may well replace the dated but ubiquitous 1.44 floppy. Whitcroft notes that in the United States, mobile users are already feeling the effects of the shortage, with companies such as Dell, Compaq and Gateway confirming that there are very few slimline CD-RW drives available to incorporate into notebooks specced with this feature.
"While the pinch is being felt in the notebook CD-RW, the supply problem is not limited to these drives and their desktop counterparts are also difficult to source," continues Whitcroft.
He reveals that the shortage is largely due to a paucity of RF amplifiers - chips that boost radio signals that are an integral component of the drives. "Because cell phones and handheld computers also contain RF amplifiers, the supply problem has been exacerbated by the astronomical growth in popularity of these devices," he says.
But as the shortage problem in CD-RW components stymies demand, a new standard is emerging with recordable DVDs. "While the jury is still out on the best format for recordable DVD - the contenders include DVD-RW, DVD+RW and DVD-RAM - it is fairly certain that when the dust has settled, this will be the king of recordable media," says Whitcroft.
However, until the battle for the DVD standard (akin to the VHS/Betamax struggle of the early eighties) draws to a close, it is CD-RW that wears the crown - but the shortage of these may be prolonged, according to Dataquest analysts: "[The shortage of CD-RW drives] is not just an isolated problem, and there is no short-term relief, at least throughout the rest of the year and into next," is the low-down. Dataquest has projected sales of 29 million CD-RW drives for this year.
Consumer demand has been linked to the rising popularity of MP3 music, as well as the decline of magnetic recordable storage options such as the floppy disk. "These factors are rapidly transforming CD-RW drives from a luxury into a standard feature on the consumer PC, while the CD-ROM is expected to fade into relative obscurity in the next few years " concludes Whitcroft.
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