Apple’s New MacBook Air: The End of the Conventional Hard Drive?

Apple introduced the latest version of the MacBook Air today, and it’s a feat of miniaturization. Steve Jobs described it as “what would happen if a MacBook and an iPad hooked up.” Perhaps most intriguingly, the new MacBook Air replaces a traditional hard drive with solid state (read: Flash) storage. Is this the end of the hard drive?

A solid state hard drive means that the Air turns on instantly (much like the iPad), has a seven-hour battery life, and can live in standby mode for up to 30 days. The new flash drive is also a staggering 90% tinier and lighter than a standard laptop hard drive, and it’s more reliable than a hard drive, too (no moving parts).. Read More [via fastcompany]