Maxtor Corp. announced that its hard disk drives with 500GB capacity would be shipping in the Q3 this year for different types of systems. The introduction is likely to put Maxtor inline with its rivals from companies like Hitachi GST and Seagate, who have already been shipping 500GB hard drives for months.

Maxtor’s 3.5” hard disk drive with 500GB capacity and 7200rpm motors will be available for Serial ATA II (Serial ATA-300) as well as Parallel ATA-133 interfaces. Maxtor did not reveal any additional specs for the hard disk drives.

“We are committed to supporting the needs of all our customers around the world - from global manufacturers and regional distributors to individual consumers. Maxtor will continue to deliver advanced technologies, innovative products and solutions to both traditional and emerging markets,” stated Mike Wingert, Maxtor president and COO.

“The Maxtor 500GB hard drive underscores the company's emphasis on differentiation across all of its product lines, and reflects competitiveness within market segments demanding the highest capacity drives,” said David Reinsel, director of storage research at IDC.

The Maxtor 500GB hard drives will be available and shipping in Q3 2005.