Currently most computers are shipped with CD-RW drives, but the follow up of the CD-R, the DVD is also starting to make it's way to home users. As they become more and more affordable, more consumers are buying them.
Besides that the DVD-ROM is becoming mainstream and it's for that that optical storage manufacturers are expecting larger demand for drives that combine CD-RW writing and DVD-ROM reading. Also Taiwanese companies are entering this market, lowering the price of the units:
A host of Taiwanese companies, including Lite-On IT, Behavior Tech Computer (BTC), Benq, AOpen and Ultima Electronics, have recently begun or plan to soon start combo drive shipments, expanding competition in a market dominated by South Korea and Japan. |
Currently, the unit contract price of a combo drive ranges from US$80-90 at major makers like Ricoh, Toshiba, Samsung and LG Electronics, but it is bound to fall below US$80 to match prices from Taiwanese competitors. The price declines will accelerate in the future, with prices possibly falling to US$45 next year, according to Taiwanese industry estimates.
Will you currently buy a faster burner, or do you prefer to wait till there are affordable combo drives ? I would go for a combo, saves some space in your case too...
Source: Digtimes.com
