SanDisk has revealed a new class of solid-state drives that supposedly offers more speed and storage than any competing solution. The firm's integrated SSD or "iSSD" crams up to 64GB of memory into a BGA package measuring 16mm x 20mm x 1.85mm and weighing less than one gram. In more relative terms, SanDisk says that's about the size of a postage stamp and lighter than a paperclip.
Performance-wise, the iSSD peak at 160MB/s sequential read and 100MB/s sequential write rates, which isn't far behind most full-size 2.5-inch SSDs. It actually surpasses a handful of the budget drives listed on Newegg, and it's rather speedy for storage that is largely aimed at compact devices such as smartphones as well as tablets, portable media players, netbooks and smartbooks.
Samples of the iSSD are currently shipping to OEMs in capacities from 4GB to 64GB. The press release notes that pricing is dependent on the order quantity, but avoids mentioning any numbers. The company didn't say when its new drive will enter mass production, nor did it spill the names of any buyers, but you can bet Apple and other large players are preparing their checkbooks.