IBM and Hitachi have decided to combine their hard disk businesses into a single company; Hitachi will have a 70% stake. IBM: "Size is the answer. We've got the technology and the people. We've got to get an economy of scale. Merging these businesses will give us the size we're looking for." Say goodbye to your "IBM"-branded disk drives. A couple of years ago, PC Magazine predicted that within five years, market pressure would force mergers that result in a single global manufacturer of hard disk drives. This is one more (small) step in that direction. | 
