Microsoft may be planning to phase out its use of hard disk drives (HDDs) among its primary storage components on PCs running Windows 11, according to a recent report by industry analyst firm Trendfocus, as reported by Tom’s Hardware.
If Microsoft goes through with its plans, consumers could start seeing solid-state hard drives (SSDs), with the exception of dual-drive desktops and gaming laptops, which require multiple types of storage. as noted by Tom’s Hardware.
Although Microsoft declined to comment on the matter, current trends point to a full market transition to SSD by 2023. Many PC manufacturers already use SSD as their primary storage option; however, this is still not an established standard, especially in emerging markets.
Trendforce says Microsoft is pushing internally for SSD to be the primary storage standard for Windows 11 PCs; however, the brand has not put in place any requirements for computer or laptop manufacturers to follow.
Tom’s Hardware noted that Windows 11 requires PCs to have at least 64GB of storage for installation, but doesn’t specify a hard drive type. The operating system has of course been available since last October for HDD and SSD devices.
However, the post questions whether Microsoft requiring Windows 11 PCs to have SSDs in 2023 will lead to a list of minimum specs for computers as a whole, and further, whether device makers would be penalized for not following the listing.
Overall, analysts note that Microsoft’s decisions are driven by financial reasons, with SSDs costing more per unit than HDDs. With the PC pandemic boom shrinking and the price of computer components rising due to inflation. Manufacturers remain uncertain about how they will be affected by global rankings, in addition to business.
Trendfocus VP John Chen told Tom’s Hardware that 2023 is still not a tough date for the transition to SSD. Some suggestions being considered in discussions with Microsoft include delaying the emerging markets transition until 2024 or suspending the office change until then.
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