Western Digital Corp. today reported revenue of $1.6 billion, on shipments of approximately 31.6 million units and net income of $50 million, or $0.22 per share, for its fiscal third quarter ended Mar. 27, 2009. The company's results include charges of $14 million for in-process research and development related to the SiliconSystems, Inc. acquisition and $4 million associated with the restructuring plan announced Dec. 17, 2008. Excluding these charges, non-GAAP net income was $68 million or $0.30 per share. In the year-ago quarter, the company reported revenue of $2.1 billion, unit shipments of 34.5 million and net income of $280 million, or $1.23 per share.
The company generated $355 million in cash from operations during the March quarter, ending with total cash and cash equivalents of $1.6 billion.

Western Digital Corp. today expanded its enterprise family of hard drives to include the next-generation 2 TB capacity, the largest and only 2 TB enterprise-class hard drive shipping today. Combining industry-leading 64 MB cache, dual processors, and increased areal density, WD RE4-GP hard drives yield twice the processing power resulting in as much as 25 percent performance improvement over the previous generation.
WD's GreenPower technology platform is the first 3.5-inch hard drive platform designed with power savings as the primary attribute. These drives reduce average drive power consumption by up to 50 percent over currently available competitors' drives and are ultra-cool and quiet, all while delivering solid performance.

Western Digital Corp., a world leader in hard drive storage for computing and consumer electronics applications, today announced that it has completed a $65 million cash acquisition of SiliconSystems, Inc., Aliso Viejo, Calif., a leading supplier of solid-state drives for the embedded systems market.

Since its inception in 2002, SiliconSystems has sold millions of SiliconDrive products to meet the high performance, high reliability and multi-year product lifecycle demands of the network-communications, industrial, embedded-computing, medical, military and aerospace markets. These markets accounted for approximately one third of worldwide solid-state drive revenues in 2008. SiliconSystems' product portfolio includes solid-state drives with SATA, EIDE, PC Card, USB and CF interfaces in 2.5-inch, 1.8-inch, CF and other form factors. SiliconSystems has developed extensive intellectual property to address the stringent embedded systems market requirements to ensure data integrity, eliminate unscheduled downtime, protect application data and software and provide for data security and protection through its patented and patent-pending PowerArmor, SiSMART, SolidStor and SiSecure technologies.

WD, the world's leader in external storage solutions, today expanded its My Book family of external hard drives to include a 2 TB capacity, the largest available capacity in a single-drive system. With its wide variety of models, WD offers a solution for every type of user, whether they're a creative power user on a Mac or a home user on a PC. The new 2 TB My Book family includes: My Book Studio Edition, My Book Mac Edition, My Book Home Edition and My Book Essential Edition models.

Market research shows that consumer creation and acquisition of digital media is growing rapidly, driving demand for increasing storage capacities. According to market research firm IDC, the number of digital cameras and camera phones in the world surpassed 1 billion (Mar. 2008). Separately, market research firm GfK reports that HD (high definition) video camcorders are experiencing record growth and now account for 42 percent of total camcorder sales (Aug. 2008). HD video requires massive amounts of drive space: at least 8 GB per hour of video. Since 2006, when Apple began offering movie downloads, the Apple store has already sold more than 250 million TV episodes and sold or rented more than 33 million movies (Apple, Mar. 2009).

QNAP Systems, Inc. is pleased to announce Western Digital Caviar Green 2TB (WD20EADS) SATA hard drive is now supported by the entire TS-109/ 209/ 409/ 509/ 439/ 639/ 809 /809U-RP and the latest TS-119/ 219 Turbo NAS series.

'The latest 2TB Caviar Green hard drives from Western Digital consume up to 70% less power than two 1TB hard drives and are relatively quiet in operation. These hard drives are ideal for customers requiring higher capacities and the right balance of energy conservation and ensured reliability. The maximum capacity can be extended up to a total of 16TB now on a TS-809 or 809U-RP' says Andy Chuo, Product Manager from QNAP. The complete HDD compatibility list is available here.

Western Digital (WD), seems to have matched rival Seagate's per-platter storage density mark, with its 500GB platter technology. What's more, WD is planning to release a quad-platter hard drive totaling two terabytes of unformatted capacity before Seagate could achieve that feat with its Barracuda 7200.12 series. Seagate was the first to come out with a 1.5TB hard drive with four 375GB platters.

The 2TB hard drive by WD (model: WD20EADS) lists under the company's Caviar Green series. It makes use of a 32 MB cache. Its access time is rated at 8.9ms, though its spindle speed is variable, between 5400 and 7200 rpm. The variable speed brings in power savings. It uses the standard SATA II interface. European online retailer Czech Computer started listing the drive, though its price isn't announced just as yet.

Without any official release from Western Digital, a new product of theirs has emerged on Best Buy called the WD TV HD Media Player. It is a very small device not much bigger than the remote it comes with, but what is unique about this gadget is that it allows you to plug in a USB flash drive or USB hard disk drive (HDD), and play full 1080p high definition videos, pictures and music, on to your TV. It supports two USB2.0 devices simultaneously, measuring only 1.6x4.9x3.9 inches and weighing a mere 10.7 oz, it could be the answer for many people instead of having HTPC's or trailing cables from their main PC's. The RRP of the device appears to be $129.99, however it is currently on sale at Best Buy for $99.99.

WD today added a high-speed FireWire 800 interface to its popular My Passport Studio portable drive to give Mac computer users and creative professionals the fast performance they need. The new interface also makes this drive a perfect storage companion for the newly introduced Apple MacBook Pro computer. With FireWire 800/400 and USB interfaces, the new My Passport Studio portable drives offer up to 500 GB of storage capacity, are formatted for Mac computers and weigh less than 7 ounces.

As the enterprise market for highly reliable, high-capacity storage continues to grow, WD today added 750 GB and 1 TB WD RE3 SATA hard drives to its successful family of WD RE hard drives. Perfect for demanding server and storage application environments, WD's RE3 750 GB and 1 TB high-capacity enterprise SATA hard drives combine 32 MB cache, enhanced vibration and shock tolerance, and deploy new electronics to increase performance approximately 20 percent and by as much 60 percent in high-vibration environments. WD RE3 enterprise hard drives also include improved reliability features that help protect the drive and the data stored on it, and run cooler and quieter than previous generation enterprise drives.

Western Digital has released a new model of its fastest performing "prehistoric" VelociRaptor hard drives. The new backplane version is specifically designed for 3.5-inch drive-based servers, PC and Mac computer enthusiasts and professional workstations that require the need for a backplane structure. "We designed the latest version of the WD VelociRaptor due to the increasing amount of systems that require a backplane mounting system. We have had overwhelming demand of our WD VelociRaptor as it provides enthusiasts with the computing speed and capacity they thirst for," said Tom McDorman, vice president and general manager of WD's enterprise solutions storage business unit. "The new WD VelociRaptor further demonstrates WD's commitment to the enthusiast and server market by delivering the greatest performance, compatibility, and reliability of all SATA hard drives currently on the market." Except the backplane mounting system, the updated VelociRaptors remain the same in specs which include: the 2,5-inch hard drive itself, 300GB of space, 10,000 rpm, SATA 3 Gb/s interface, 16MB cache and 1.4 million hours MTBF. WD VelociRaptor model WD3000HLFS and WD1500HLFS are available through select resellers and distributors. Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) for the WD VelociRaptor 300GB and 150 GB are $319.00 and $229.00 respectively.

WD announced today the WD VelociRaptor 10,000 RPM enterprise SATA hard drives in an enterprise-class 2.5-inch form factor for blade servers and 1U and 2U rack servers. The newest WD VelociRaptor hard drive is built for business-critical applications with enterprise-class mechanics and packs up to 300 GB of capacity into the enterprise small form factor bays, while consuming 35 percent less power than the previous-generation WD Raptor drive.

Addressing the growing enterprise market for highly reliable high-capacity storage, WD today announced it is now shipping the new WD RE3 SATA hard drives, the company's latest generation of "RE" family drives. As data centers become larger and more complex, WD's third-generation high capacity enterprise SATA hard drives enhance vibration and shock tolerance and deploy new electronics to increase performance approximately 20 percent and by as much 60 percent in high-vibration environments.

WD today launched its new line of WD Caviar Black 7200 RPM 3.5-inch SATA (Serial ATA) hard drives for high-performance desktop, workstation and multi-drive systems. Available in capacities of 750GB and 1TB, WD Caviar Black hard drives are part of a new family of WD product categories designed to simplify the buying experience for customers worldwide.

Sources close to bit-tech.net and the hard drive industry have revealed information that Western Digital is working on a 20,000 RPM Raptor hard drive to counter SSD drives. Just like the company's latest 10,000 RPM VelociRaptor (300GB, SATA 3Gb/s, 16MB Cache), the 20,000 RPM unit will come in a 2.5-inch form factor with custom 3.5-inch enclosure. Other details are still unknown, since the drive is still in development stage. No release date has been unveiled, too.

Western Digital Corp. today announced it is now shipping its new line of WD Scorpio Black 7200 RPM 2.5-inch SATA (Serial ATA) hard drives for high-performance notebook computers and portable storage devices. Available in capacities up to 320GB, WD Scorpio Black hard drives are designed with ruggedness, reliability, and data-protection features that actively monitor and protect valuable data.

Watch.impress.co.jp is reporting that Western Digital has quietly updated its Caviar GP line of drives in Asia with a platter density of 334GB in the 1TB capacity drive. Currently WD is offering two 334GB-per-platter hard drives, the 320GB (only the latest generation) and 640GB WD Caviar SE16 models. The 1TB to join with three 334GB platters is WD Caviar GP (Green Power) model number WD10EACS-00D6B0. The drive is manufactured on 12 May, 2008. Presumably, all 1TB Caviar GP drives manufactured after this date will use 334GB platters. Other specs of the drive remain the same with 16MB buffer size and 7200 rpm spindle speed.

Expanding on its popular portable storage offerings, WD today introduced its new Mac-formatted My Passport Studio Portable Drives. The newest members of the My Passport family are designed for Mac users on-the-go and are equipped with both FireWire 400 and USB 2.0 interfaces, a clever capacity gauge, and include a soft drawstring carrying bag for protection from scratches and dirt. Available now at select retailers and at WD's online store, the My Passport Studio portable drives are offered in capacities of 320GB and 250GB.

WD today introduced its new My DVR Expander USB Edition external hard drives that are verified compatible with DISH Network Corporation's ViP Series HD DVRs (digital video recorders). The new 500 GB external drive increases the recording capacity of the DISH HD DVRs by storing up to 300 hours of digital standard-definition (SD) or up to 60 hours of high-definition (HD) television programming1. Users can instantly increase2 their recording storage capacity by simply attaching the My DVR Expander USB Edition drive to their DISH Network ViP Series HD DVRs.

WD announced today that it is now shipping WD VelociRaptor hard drives, the next generation of its 10,000 RPM SATA "Raptor" series of drives. Designed with an enterprise-class foundation, the new WD VelociRaptor hard drive is modified specifically for PC and Mac enthusiasts and professional workstations. Destined to become the new high-performance favorite of these groups, the WD VelociRaptor hard drive comes packed with twice the capacity and a 35 percent performance increase over the previous generation.

Just in time to make a perfect gift for Mother's Day, WD today introduced 10 fresh new colors for its My Passport Essential Portable USB Drives. Weighing in at less than 5 ounces, My Passport Essential USB Drives put almost a third of a terabyte of digital storage in the palm of your hand and are available now at select retailers.

WD today introduced its My Book Studio Edition II high-performance dual-drive storage systems which are designed to seamlessly work with Mac computers and provide an ideal blend of power savings and high performance. Available now at select retailers and the WD online store, the new My Book Studio Edition II dual-drive storage systems are available in capacities of 1TB and 2TB.

Expanding on its popular portable storage offerings, WD today introduced its new My Passport Elite Portable USB Drives which are designed to make it easy to securely carry thousands of songs, videos or photos in style. Available now at select retailers and at WD's online store, the new fully-featured My Passport Elite Portable USB Drives include a luxurious, soft-touch finish that makes these drives easy to grip, comfortable to hold, and fashionable to carry.

WD announced today that it is now shipping in volume its WD Caviar SE16 640 GB 3.5-inch hard drives based on 320 GB-per-platter technology -- a platform that it has been shipping since January 2008 and is serving as the foundation of all of the company's 3.5-inch drive families. Ideal for data-intensive applications, high-performance computing and multimedia systems, the WD Caviar SE16 640 GB drives deliver high performance with their extreme areal density, 3 Gb/s transfer rate, and Native Command Queuing (NCQ). Its two-platter design promotes cool, quiet operation in a high-capacity drive.

WD today introduced its new My Passport Essential Portable USB Drives. Redesigned to complement WD's popular My Book family of external drives, the drives introduce a sleek new form that feels good in your hand and fits neatly in a pocket or purse. Available now at select retailers and at WD's online store (www.shopwd.com), the new My Passport Essential USB Drives feature a beautiful glossy black finish and put almost a third of a terabyte of digital storage in the palm of your hand.

WD announced today that it is now shipping in volume its WD Caviar family of 3.5-inch hard drives based on 320 GB-per-platter technology, the same industry-leading storage areal density that the company has been shipping in its 160 GB-per-platter (320GB capacity) 2.5-inch WD Scorpio drives since October 2007. "Our technology investments and product roadmap execution have resulted in WD shipping the industry's highest areal densities in the industry's two highest volume markets," said Hossein Moghadam, chief technology officer of WD. "Our 250 gigabits-per-square-inch technology already has been reliably serving our 2.5-inch customers, and now it will benefit customers in the 3.5 inch desktop and other product areas."