The Indian external data storage market is estimated at roughly Rs 900 crore, growing at over 20 per cent since 2007. The mid-tier segment occupies almost one-third of the total market.
Growth in internet surfing and content building has contributed to an increasing demand for high-storage external devices. External hard disks of 250 GB and 320 GB capacities capture 75 per cent of the market demand, followed by portable pen drives, MP3 players and flash drives.
Storage capacity, speed of transfer, reduction in noise and portability are the main drivers for the demand for external storage devices. Of late, many companies have been able to cater to this demand, with storage capacities going higher (above 250 GB in a pen drive) and the devices becoming smaller in size.
A recent trend witnessed is that these devices have become commodity products sold through regular retail channels apart from specialised outlets.
