Rare Earth Restrictions To Raise Hard Drive Cost 254
MojoKid writes "Multiple manufacturers in the IT industry have been keeping a wary eye on China's decision to cut back on rare earth exports and the impact it may have on component prices. There have been reports that suggest we'll see that decision hit the hard drive industry this year, with HDD prices trending upwards an estimated 5-10 percent depending on capacity. Although rare earth magnets are only a small part of a hard drive's total cost, China cut exports last year by 40 percent, which drove pricing for these particular components up an estimated 20-30x. China currently controls 97 percent of the rare earth elements market for popular metals like neodymium, cerium, yttrium and ytterbium."
A solution. (Score:5, Funny)
That's okay. With the economy where it is, we can replace the magnets with interns.
5% increase on hard drives... (Score:4, Funny)
Pffft. This isn't news worthy.
Re:Too important (Score:4, Funny)
I don't want any kind of 'reluctance' motor in my car, switched or otherwise.
When I step on the pedal, I want the damn thing to go, not to complain about the traffic or the pollution or how much weight I've stuffed in the car.
Re:inquiring mind I see... (Score:4, Funny)
why do i even bother trying to make an honest living...
Re:The obvious first question... (Score:2, Funny)
Remember, this is not a "command economy" but a "free market", and in these "free market" economies, corporations are encouraged (if not legally required) to do anything they can to maximise profits for their shareholders, not to pay an empty piss-bucket worth of attention to petty-minded parochial desires of employees.
Doesn't it feel liberating to experience what the rest of the world has been feeling for decades? I did SO enjoy being treated as a "fucking tartan arab" by Septic Tanks when I started in the international labour market, and it is just so distressing to now see the Septics complaining about being treated like unimportant commodity labourers.
There is a word for the emotion I'm feeling at the moment, but it's German and I wouldn't like you to feel that I was trying to confuse you.