This IDC study examines the market opportunity for hard disk drives (HDDs) in the following applications: portable and desktop PCs, personal storage, traditional workstations, enterprise storage systems, and various consumer electronic applications. The HDD market opportunity is described in terms of units, exit factory revenue, and terabytes shipped. Additionally, various metrics, significant trends, and related vendors are analyzed in an attempt to give the reader a solid indication of the current situation of and future outlook for the worldwide HDD industry.

"2005 was a year for breaking several records within the disk drive industry. Over the next several years, the industry is poised to surpass these new records - even in the midst of difficult technology transitions, further consolidation, and perplexing adoption patterns in consumer electronic markets." - John Rydning, IDC research manager, Hard Disk Drives and Components