According to research outfit iSuppli, 2010 will bring a boost in hard drive and optical drive sales, following a dry spell in 2009. The firm believes global HDD revenue will climb 18.4% to $27.7 billion this year, from $23.4 billion last year. Similarly, ODD revenue will amount to $14.8 billion in 2010, a 7.6% increase from $13.7 billion in 2009. By comparison, revenue from HDD and ODD shipments declined by 11.7% and 6.3% in 2009.


"The 2010 economic recovery will bring rising sales of PCs," said analyst Fang Zhang. He continued by saying the notebook sector is expected to be particularly strong, with sales outgrowing those of desktops, which will fuel the rise in HDD shipments. New server purchases along with the migration to 2.5-inch HDDs will also drive sales. Not to mention the adoption of Windows 7 by businesses and the increasing demand for external media storage.