Data storage has evolved since the IBM punch card in 1928. Datastickies, DNA storage and helium drives are just some of the possibilities for the future of data storage.
Cassette Tapes
Surely cassette tapes have had their day? Not according to Sony. The company has recently developed a new magnetic cassette tape that can hold 148 GB per square inch of tape. The new technique uses a type of vacuum-forming called sputter deposition; argon ions are shot at the polymer film to create a layer of fine magnetic crystals with an average size of 7.7 nanometers. However, the re-birth of cassettes isn't intended to replace Blu-rays and CDs. The tapes are developed for long-term storage of industrial-sized data.