I am trying to find a way to indirectly invest in SSD technology since we are right on the verge of those hitting mainstream and mainstream prices for use in desktops. Given how dramatic a difference these things make in speed, I think it really is the "next big thing" for computers.
Right now, Intel OWNS the performance space, but I think Intel (INTC) is a bit ripe in terms of valuation right now. Plus with such a large bag of goodies that they sell (CPU's, motherboards, graphics cards, etc), it's hard to invest in core SSD with them.
So who is second best? Well, the end manufacturer of the SSD is not as important as the company that makes the controller imo...this is where the "magic" of SSD lies...and what makes the difference between a crappy, not THAT much better than the fastest "old" hard drive, and one that blows the doors off (like 16x faster than a Velociraptor) the place.
Enter
http://www.indilinx.com/, a small startup located in Silicon Valley, (factory in S Korea), that is currently being funded by venture capital (not public currently). I wouldn't be surprised to see WD or Seagate or even a Marvell buy them out before they get that far, to be able to compete with Intel.
Turns out not only can SSD's using Indilinx controllers compete with the previously untouchable Intel G2 drives, but in some cases they can OUTperform them, at much less cost.
So these are the top two players (in terms of PERFORMANCE) when it comes to mainstream SSD, but obviously that is not necessarily the best investment strategy as things such as cost, availability, marketing, etc come into play.
Any thoughts/experience in this area, OIC'ers?
