Several years ago, at the computer trade show, COMDEX, Bill Gates’ keynote speech announced the future demise of the 3.5 inch floppy in favor of the new CD discs, just then coming on the market. Each blank CD would hold as much data as about 500 floppies! The early generation of computer CD reading (playing) drives were slow and expensive, with a typical speed of about 150 kb/sec, and costing hundreds of dollars. CD readers then came on the market with faster speeds listed in multiples of 150 kb/sec, such as the 300-kb/sec 2x drives, and the 600-kb/sec 4x drives. Now CD readers for computers are on the market that can read at speeds in excess of 50x for under $20, but are functionally obsolete.

CD players for computers were replaced by expensive CD writers, which would read recorded CDs at higher speeds, and write to blank CDs at slower speeds. The blank CDs came in two generally compatible formats, playable in most players, the “write once” CD-R discs, and the rewritable CD-RW discs. When they first became available, blank CD discs were expensive, typically well in excess of $2 each, with the CD-RW discs selling for several dollars more. Along with the abundance of CD “burners”, came a dramatic decline in prices. My first CD burner, a Ricoh, played prerecorded CDs and wrote CD-R discs at the then fast rate of 6x, or 900 kb/sec, and could write and rewrite expensive CD-RW discs at 4x, or 600 kb/sec. This drive was a bargain at around $200. In the current Sunday ads, local electronics and office supply stores have CD burners that are more than 10 times faster than my now antique drive, for about a tenth of the price, often with rebates. To put the technological change in colloquial terms, a user can now get about 100 times the bang for a buck. Blank CD discs have declined dramatically in price. As I type this, one of our local electronics stores has a spindle of 50 (bulk quantity, without individual cases) of premium brand CD-R discs for about $3 after rebate, and an office supply store has a spindle of 100 generic no-name CD-R discs that are free after rebate. Blank CDs are selling today in quantities and prices reminiscent of what floppies sold for three years ago.

As evidence of the pending obsolescence of the floppy is the fact that some of the major computer manufacturers, such as Dell, are no longer including a floppy drive on their new machines as standard equipment. While floppy drives can be included as an option, either internal or as an external drive, many buyers are forgoing the option and purchasing floppy-less computers. Dell, among others, in addition to including fast CD burning drives as standard equipment, are also including a handy device referred to as a USB drive, thumb drive, or similar term. These once expensive (I paid $79 for my first one) USB drives have now become very reasonably priced. Typically plastic, they are about 3 inches long, about half-inch wide, quarter-inch thick, and weigh about an ounce. In the Sunday ads, our local stores have the 64meg USB drive for as little as $9 after rebates, and the 128meg drives for as low as $20 after rebates. Usually interchangeable between MACs and PCs, these tiny drives are common in 64mb and 128mb sizes, but available in other capacities. These small devices hold the equivalent of 46 floppies (64mb), or 91 floppies (128mb). With a USB connector on one end, they allow for fast non-volatile storage of data that can easily be moved. Containing a memory chip, USB drives can be written, erased, and rewritten an unlimited amount of times. They can be used on almost all MACs, and most Windows computers with 98, ME, 2000, or XP. Older computers with Win95 will probably not support USB, and NT lacks USB support.

The now common CD burner may be on the way out, as it too is approaching obsolescence. Most new computers now include a DVD burner that can read and write DVD discs, as well as CDs. While there are currently two incompatible formats fighting for dominance, DVD+R/RW and DVD-R/W, similar to the old VHS vs. BETA battle, the price of DVD burners have plunged, now priced similar to CD burners three years ago. Some newer DVD drives are universal, using both formats. DVD discs have plunged in price, now priced where blank CDs were three years ago. With a typical DVD disc storing more than six CDs, and speeds approaching CDs, it is only a matter of time until the current CD goes the way of the floppy.

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