Over at
DigiTimes today we can read that those of us that purchase
notebooks are in luck. It seems that the prices for slim drives are on a
downward trend, at least for the 4x flavor. We already know that if your
notebook does not have a DVD burner, that it's becoming increasingly rare.
 With
more vendors set to begin producing 8x slim-type DVD burners, OEM prices
for 4x slim-type DVD burners have fallen to US$60-70 and for slim-type
Combo drives to US$45-50, as makers clear out their inventories, according
to Taiwan makers of optical disc drives.
OEM quotes for 8x slim-type DVD burners stand at US$70-80.
Currently, Matsushita Electric (Panasonic), Sony, Pioneer,
TEAC, Hitachi-LG Data Storage (HLDS) and Quanta Storage are producing 8x
slim-type DVD burners in volume. However, other makers, including BenQ and
Lite-On IT, are beginning to produce in volume this quarter.
With competition for 8x slim-type DVD burners set to increase,
the makers have begun clearing out their inventories of 4x slim-type DVD
burners, resulting in lower OEM prices. OEM prices for slim-type Combo
drives have also been cut and are expected to fall another 10% by the end
of the year, the makers pointed out. |
Source: DigiTimes
