Colegio de San Juan de Letran

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION AND ACCOUNTANCY

1.5 History of the Flash Drive

A flash drive is an electronic storage device that is used by people to store
electronic data such as documents, music files, videos and applications. The flash drive is
often as small as a pen cap or it can be as small as your thumb.
USB is an abbreviation of Universal Serial
Bus,

it

is

an industry

standard developed in the mid-1990s that

defines
Figure 1.1

the

cables,

connectors

and communications protocols used in a bus for connection,

communication, and power supply between compu ters and electronic devices. Early USB
Flash Drives called NAND flash memory was developed in the mid 80s by Toshiba, and
USB flash drives were developed in the late 90s. There is still some dispute about who
created the first version, but most credit M-Systems Company, which was eventually
bought by Sandisk. The break-though was the ability to connect flash memory to a
computer without the need for drivers or special software. In the United States, IBM sold
the earliest 8 Mbyte version in 2001 under the product name of Memory Key, and it
quickly followed with a 16 Mbyte version. By 2003, IBM sold a 64 Mbyte version
manufactured by M-Systems. Other versions from various manufacturers were soon
available as well. By the time USB flash drives began to really catch on with computer
users, the 128 Mbyte versions was the most common.
A USB flash drive, also known under a variety of other names, is a data storage
device that includes flash memory with an integrated Universal Serial Bus (USB)

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COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION AND ACCOUNTANCY

interface. USB flash drives are typically removable and rewritable, and physically much
smaller than an optical disc. Most weigh less than 30 grams (1.1 oz).
The Computer users have come to rely on USB flash drives for data storage thus
rendering floppy disk useless. Whether they call them jump drives, thumb drives, or pen
drives, they have become an invaluable tool for storing and transporting data. No more
clumsy floppy disks prone to failure. USB flash drives have made them obsolete. It has
been used to standardize the connection between computer peripherals and devices
(Keyboard, pointing devices, and disk drives) to personal computers.
The size variations from 1 gigabyte (GB) to 64 GB have invaded the market and
the information technology scene. Today, many companies that claim to have invented the
USB flash drive have been unable to protect their intellectual property. Currently, there are
numerous producers of USB flash drives from Asia to Europe. Their storage capacity
continues to increase. While the early versions could hold 8-128 MB, now 32 and 64 GB
flash drives are common and 128 GB drives are available. As of January 2013, drives of
up to 512 gigabytes (GB) were available. A one-terabyte (TB) drive was unveiled at the
2013 Consumer Electronics Show and became available later that year Prices have fallen
rapidly as well due to the increase in supply as they too follow the law of supply and
demand. When introduced, a 1 GB flash drive would cost around Php 500. Now you can
buy a 32 GB USB Flash Drive for around Php 700. A rapid change in prices that can be
compared through the years since the technology industry is very volatile in nature. Now
not

only

are

flash

drives

available

in

all

colors

and

styles,

they

are

frequently customized with company logos, or they appear as novelty items like troll dolls
and animal shapes. In any shape or size, USB flash drives have become as much a part of
computing as the keyboard. The essential components of the flash drive are; Standard-A

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COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION AND ACCOUNTANCY
USB plug which provides a physical interface to the host computer; The USB mass
storage controller, it is a small microcontroller with a small amount of on-chip ROM and
RAM; NAND flash memory chip(s) it stores data; Crystal oscillator this component
produces the device's main 12 MHz clock signal and controls the device's data output
through a phase-locked loop; Cover it is typically made of plastic or metal, protecting the
electronics against mechanical stress, physical damage and possible short circuits.