Although Sony Corp. plans to cancel production of 3.5” floppy diskettes by March, 2011, Verbatim, a well-known storage media specialist, said that it would continue to make floppy disks going forward since apparently European sales totalled around 50 million units in 2009.

“Almost 30 years after the 3.5-inch disk’s launch in 1981, the floppy remains a widespread data storage medium despite the advent of powerful rivals such as the CD and USB stick. According to the market leader Verbatim’s own figures, European sales totalled around 50 million units in 2009, with demand especially strong in Eastern Europe and the CIS states,” a statement by Verbatim reads.

In 2010 the floppy is still used in a wide range of applications as it is especially easy to use to store small amounts of data and is also cheap. The large installed base of floppy disk drives means that the floppy continues to be used in home and professional spheres, including authorities and industry (e.g. machine control, keyboards). Accordingly, demand remains steady, the company indicated.

“Nonetheless it comes as no surprise to Verbatim that in a shrinking market segment the number of suppliers of this product is diminishing. As a leading storage media specialist, however, Verbatim will continue to supply the floppy worldwide,” Verbatim said.

Tags: Diskette, Verbatim