The concept of storage devices encompasses two notions. The devices are machines or systems capable of developing certain actions and meet a target (are "ready" for that). The storage, meanwhile, is the action and effect of store (collect or store things, record information).
In this way, we can affirm that storage devices are devices that write and read data on a medium. These devices, therefore, work in conjunction with all the media where the files of a computer or other computer system are stored, both logically and physically.
A hard drive is a storage device. This type of device has one or more discs that are joined by the same axis and that rotate in a metallic structure. Each disc has read / write heads to work with the information.
The CD-ROM or DVD-ROM are also storage devices. These drives may be reader only or have the ability to record information in the corresponding format (CD or DVD). The immense popularity of devices CD-ROM and DVD-ROM, given its advantages over floppy drives, managed at the time that the last remain on disuse due to offer a very limited capacity and reading speed and transfer much less.
Among the storage devices that have grown the most in recent years, are memory card readers, which are part of computers through the USB port or some type of board. Memory cards are sturdier than CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMs, and due to their size and compact nature, they are easier to move.
If we travel to the eighties, for example, one of the storage devices used by some computers was cassettes, the same ones that were associated in the first place with music distribution. In order to store and read data in them, a device was necessary that at first glance looked like a tape player without speakers; It was connected by cable to the computer and not exactly known for its speed or reliability, but for its low cost.
The diskettes (also called floppy disks and English, diskettes or floppy disks) have enjoyed great popularity until they were replaced by rewritable CDs and USB flash drives (flash drives). Although their capacity was negligible compared to the later alternatives and they were very prone to failure or breaking, until the beginning of the 90's there was no one who did not collect them in piles tied with elastic bands to safeguard (or believe that they did) their data personal data, your documents and your favorite applications.
As difficult as it may seem today, many programs and video games were distributed on floppy disk packages, which very often exceeded ten. The Windows operating system, without going any further, until its version 95 was offered in this medium.
The current market demands with respect to storage devices are the following: that they offer a large capacity combined with high read and write speeds; that are light and small, to be able to move them comfortably; that have a compact design, which protects the product from falls and other accidents; that its manufacture is economical and, therefore, its sale price, accessible; that consumes little electricity.