Egham, UK, 4th May 2010 – 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. 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.

04/05/2010