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Joyce Winslow
jwins@uoregon.edu
In March of this year, Dell Computer stopped installing floppy drives as a standard feature on its high-end Dimension 8250 desktops. Other vendors are expected to quickly follow suit (Apple was the first to abandon floppy drives, when it introduced the iMac in 1998).
This move comes as no surprise, as floppies' limited storage capability has rendered them increasingly less useful in recent years. With the advent of affordable CD-RW drives and keychain-sized, "plug and go" USB storage devices*, floppies are losing the last vestiges of their utility as a small, portable file transport medium.
Although the phase-out of floppies will be gradual (Dell is still including them as an option), analysts predict their days are numbered.
For details on Dell's decision, including its implication for the future of floppies, see the February 6 article, "Dell ready to flip the floppy" by John Spooner of CNET News.com at http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1103-983596.html