Availability
As of 2006 the most commonly seen microdrives are the smaller sizes, up to 1GB. Larger (2GB to 8GB) drives, such as the 4GB and 6GB Hitachi models, the 5GB and 8GB Seagate models and the 2.2GB Magicstor drive are also available but are often embedded in Pocket hard drives, "high end" mobile phones, music players, and other entertainment devices. Such embedded devices are far more popular than the loosely sold Microdrives intended as a CompactFlash card alternative.
In the United States most electronics shops do not sell separate Microdrives, as they may find it economically unviable to stock them due to the fast-moving nature of the market; however, they are readily available on several websites. But in most developed Asian cities, such as Hong Kong and Tokyo, an 8GB version of the Seagate ST1 are selling at the price (as of second quarter 2006) as low as US$220 in retail shops, and under US$50 on eBay.
As of 26 August 2012, the only Microdrive available on the large electronics store Newegg.com was a refurbished 6 GB Hitachi. Its price was only $3.99, a testament to its limited capacity in the face of flash based CF cards.
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