Tarabyte Tarabyte | Computer Science for Class 7 PDF Download

Introduction

A Terabyte is a unit of digital data equivalent to approximately 1 trillion bytes. In the metric system, a terabyte is exactly 1 trillion bytes, whereas in the binary system, it is equivalent to 2⁴⁰ bytes, or 1,099,511,627,776 bytes (1024⁴ bytes). A terabyte consists of numerous bytes, which store digital information and represent data size. A byte, in turn, is composed of 8 bits.

Since the binary system is based on powers of two, 1 terabyte is expressed as 2⁴⁰ bytes. However, in the metric system, 1 terabyte is defined as precisely one trillion bytes.

1TB = 10¹² Bytes
1TB = 1000GB

History of the Terabyte

• In the 1950s, storage capacities were measured in kilobytes (KB) and megabytes (MB). In 1956, IBM introduced the first hard disk drive (HDD), the IBM 305 RAMAC, which had a storage capacity of 5 megabytes, far below the terabyte range. Later, the IBM 1301 Disk Storage offered 28 MB of storage.
• By the 1970s, the IBM 3330 subsystem was a breakthrough, storing 100 MB. As personal computers gained popularity in the early 1980s, the demand for more storage increased. IBM introduced the IBM 3380 Storage Device, which had a capacity of 2.5 GB.
• In the 1990s, with the rise of digital data, especially multimedia files, the need for larger storage units increased. The term terabyte started being used in the late 1990s, as high-end servers began approaching terabyte-level storage. Advances in HDD technology soon led to the production of terabyte-level drives.
• In the early 2000s, Hitachi released the first 1 terabyte hard drive for consumer use. The rise of high-definition video, large-scale databases, and digitization further pushed the demand for terabyte storage. The development of solid-state drives (SSDs) also contributed to this growth.
• By 2010, storage technology had expanded further. SSDs, with faster data access speeds, became more prominent. In 2012, Western Digital Ultrastar He10 was introduced, offering 10 TB of storage. Today, terabyte storage is widely available, with various devices and cloud storage options meeting consumer demands.

Cost of a Terabyte

The cost per terabyte has significantly decreased over the years. For example:

• The IBM 350 RAMAC (1956) cost $35,000 to store just 5 MB of data.
• In 2006, a SanDisk 2GB microSD card cost $99.
• The Hitachi Deskstar 7K1000, the first 1TB drive, released in 2007, cost $399.

Today, the price of storage is much more affordable:

• Internal HDDs range from $30 to $50 (₹2500 – ₹6000), depending on brand and performance.
• External HDDs range from $40 to $80 (₹3500 – ₹9000), depending on features like portability.
• SSDs are more expensive than HDDs, with internal SSDs costing between $80 to $150 for 1TB.

Cloud storage services also offer terabyte storage at reasonable prices:

• Services like Google Drive and Dropbox charge around $10 per month or $99.99 per year for 1TB.
• OneDrive offers a lower price at $69.99 per year for 1TB.

Overall, the price of storage has dropped significantly due to technological advancements and increased production.

Major Vendors Offering Terabyte Storage

• Western Digital
• Seagate
• Toshiba
• SanDisk
• Intel
• Cloud services like Google Drive and Dropbox

Conclusion

The terabyte (TB) has become a fundamental unit of digital storage in today's data-driven world. Over the past few decades, advancements in storage technology have made terabyte-level storage accessible and affordable, from high-end enterprise systems to everyday consumer devices. As data demands continue to grow, understanding terabyte storage is essential for effectively managing and utilizing digital information.