Toshiba "Auto Tech" News Issued Today - Storage In The Car

IRVINE, Calif., Oct. 2, 2006 - Solidifying its leadership in the mobile hard disk drive (HDD) market, Toshiba Storage Device Division (SDD) today announced it has surpassed worldwide cumulative production of one million HDDs based on perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR). Toshiba has been a driving force for the industry's transformation to this next-generation recording technology, which is propelling storage capacity increases to further enable the digital world.

The company continues to be the world leader in the 1.8-inch HDD category and is surpassing the milestone of 40 million HDDs shipped since Toshiba introduced the form factor in 2000. In addition, Toshiba has now shipped more than four million 2.5-inch automotive-class HDDs, far out-pacing other industry players in this emerging market.

"These significant milestones demonstrate Toshiba's technology leadership in pioneering new markets for HDDs," said Scott Maccabe, vice president and general manager, Toshiba Storage Device Division. "We are enabling an expanding digital frontier with the integration of mass storage in devices from portable media players to PCs to in-car infotainment systems."

According to leading research firm IDC, Toshiba led worldwide mobile HDD (2.5-inch and smaller) shipments with a 27 percent share of the market in the second quarter of 2006.1 The company was the first HDD manufacturer to announce perpendicular magnetic recording in 2004 and ship PMR drives in volume beginning in June 2005, after more than 20 years of HDD industry development around this technology.

Toshiba first integrated PMR into the 1.8-inch form factor, a category the company solidified with introduction of its first 1.8-inch drives in 2000. Today, Toshiba's 1.8-inch HDDs are used in portable media players, mobile computers, handheld GPS systems, digital camcorders and other portable devices, thanks to the capacity increases afforded by PMR. Toshiba is currently shipping an 80GB2 1.8-inch HDD, as well as a 200GB 2.5-inch HDD based on PMR, with the industry's highest areal density of 178.8 gigabits per square inch.

Toshiba was the first company to recognize the emerging market for mass storage in the car and has worked with major automobile manufacturers and aftermarket suppliers for nearly 10 years to develop and design digital systems for enhanced navigation, multimedia entertainment and other infotainment applications. According to Techno Systems Research (TSR) Co., Ltd., Toshiba has more than 85 percent share in the auto HDD market.3 The company is currently shipping a 40GB automotive-class HDD with an expanded temperature specification range of -30o to 85o Celsius to meet the stringent requirements of the automobile.

About Toshiba Storage Device Division:

Toshiba SDD, a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., leads the market in the development, design and manufacturing of small form factor 2.5-inch, 1.8-inch and 0.85-inch hard disk drives. Toshiba SDD markets high-quality peripherals to original equipment manufacturers, value-added resellers, value-added dealers, systems integrators and distributors in the United States. Inherent in the Toshiba storage family are the high-quality engineering and manufacturing capabilities that have established Toshiba products as worldwide leaders. For more information, visit www.sdd.toshiba.com.

About Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. (TAIS)

Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., TAIS is comprised of four business units: Digital Products Division, Imaging Systems Division, Storage Device Division and Telecommunication Systems Division. Together, these divisions provide mobile products and solutions, including industry-leading portable computers; projectors; imaging products for the security, medical and manufacturing markets; storage products for automotive, computer and consumer electronics applications; and telephony equipment and associated applications.

TAIS provides sales, marketing and services for its wide range of information products in the United States and Latin America. TAIS is an independent operating company owned by Toshiba America, Inc., a subsidiary of Toshiba Corporation, which is a global leader in high technology and integrated manufacturing of electrical and electronic components, products and systems, as well as major infrastructure systems. Toshiba has worldwide sales of over $54 billion and approximately 300 subsidiaries and affiliates worldwide. For more information visit the company's Website at www.toshiba.com.