According to Fox News, scientists at International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE: IBM) have found "a new type of digital storage which would enable a device such as an MP3 player to store about half a million songs and cost far less to produce." The development was first published in last week's Science magazine and if implemented would allow for devices that could last more than the "standard" service we see now. The technology, called "racetrack memory" is currently only "exploratory", but IBM hopes to have it in devices within ten years time.

As nice as it sounds, it's hard to see manufacturers or production companies seeking to use technology that would allow for devices that "run on a single battery charge for 'weeks at a time,' and last for decades." Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL)'s most spacious iPod has a 160 gigabyte hard drive and can store 40,000 songs. If the new technology was used it would mean more than a 10-fold increase in songs but that is still less than the current iPod's more than "32 times the amount of storage the first iPod had when it debuted in late 2001."

The new memory is reportedly also a major improvement over flash, "the most advanced type of memory for small devices", since it has no moving parts, can write data very fast, and will not "wear out" after countless uses. Stuart Parkin, the lead researcher for IBM, also hinted that "the promise of racetrack memory could unleash creativity leading to devices and applications that nobody has imagined yet." In ten more years maybe we can look back and think about the next step, but until then the prospect of many more small numerous portable devices is exciting and distressing.