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Yev from Backblaze here -> They are run as separate entities: "It was agreed that WD would operate with WD Technologies and HGST as wholly owned subsidiaries an

by atYevP 11y ago

Yev from Backblaze here -> They are run as separate entities: "It was agreed that WD would operate with WD Technologies and HGST as wholly owned subsidiaries and they would compete in the marketplace with separate brands and product lines.[4][5][6]" So, they compete with each other and use different supply-chains, so they are quite different, even if the money eventually flows in to the same conglomerate.

frik 11y ago
From where is your quote? If you read my explanation, and the wiki article you would see it is wrong. "Some of the HGST drives listed were manufactured under their previous brand, Hitachi. We’ve been asked to use the HGST name and we have honored that request." As I mentioned even if backblaze honors a request of Western Digital, it doesn't make the claim true. I researched on this topic some months ago, after I read backblaze previous article from late 2014 and bought several Toshiba (former HGST) drives. http://www.anandtech.com/show/5635/western-digital-to-sell-hitachis-35-hard-drive-business-to-toshiba-complete-hitachi-buyout http://www.anandtech.com/show/5635/western-digital-to-sell-h... mentions it too: "Western Digital will be allowed to acquire Hitachi’s 2.5” and SSD businesses, but not the 3.5” business. Instead Western Digital will be selling that business to Toshiba – factories and all – along with granting licenses for the necessary patents, which would allow Toshiba to effectively continue in the 3.5” market from where Hitachi left off. This would firmly establish Seagate, Western Digital, and Toshiba as the 3 major players in the hard drive business across all product segments." Confirmation is the press release by WD: http://www.wdc.com/en/company/pressroom/releases/?release=f8697da0-111a-49e8-a484-5266d18526ab http://www.wdc.com/en/company/pressroom/releases/?release=f8... So former Hitachi and HGST 3.5" drives are now Toshiba drives. "The 3.5" desktop and server Hitachi drives are all manufactured by Toshiba. WD wanted to buy Hitachi's drive division so there would be a WD/Seagate drive duopoly, European regulators said they had to sell Hitachi's 3.5" to someone else before they would approve the merger. Toshiba stepped up and got it. So yes it is somewhat confusing. You buy one of these drives and it will say "HGST a Western Digital company" on the box, when in reality it's all made by Toshiba, probably in an old Hitachi factory." -- a comment, from backblaze HN post in Sept 2014: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8355860 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8355860
- atYevP 11y ago
  I got the quote from the same wikipedia article ;-) Plus HGST has always been quite vocal about the companies being separate. We stopped calling them Hitachi drives as a result, since the new entity is called HGST.

by atYevP 11y ago

frik 11y ago

From where is your quote? If you read my explanation, and the wiki article you would see it is wrong. "Some of the HGST drives listed were manufactured under their previous brand, Hitachi. We’ve been asked to use the HGST name and we have honored that request." As I mentioned even if backblaze honors a request of Western Digital, it doesn't make the claim true. I researched on this topic some months ago, after I read backblaze previous article from late 2014 and bought several Toshiba (former HGST) drives. http://www.anandtech.com/show/5635/western-digital-to-sell-hitachis-35-hard-drive-business-to-toshiba-complete-hitachi-buyout http://www.anandtech.com/show/5635/western-digital-to-sell-h... mentions it too: "Western Digital will be allowed to acquire Hitachi’s 2.5” and SSD businesses, but not the 3.5” business. Instead Western Digital will be selling that business to Toshiba – factories and all – along with granting licenses for the necessary patents, which would allow Toshiba to effectively continue in the 3.5” market from where Hitachi left off. This would firmly establish Seagate, Western Digital, and Toshiba as the 3 major players in the hard drive business across all product segments." Confirmation is the press release by WD: http://www.wdc.com/en/company/pressroom/releases/?release=f8697da0-111a-49e8-a484-5266d18526ab http://www.wdc.com/en/company/pressroom/releases/?release=f8... So former Hitachi and HGST 3.5" drives are now Toshiba drives. "The 3.5" desktop and server Hitachi drives are all manufactured by Toshiba. WD wanted to buy Hitachi's drive division so there would be a WD/Seagate drive duopoly, European regulators said they had to sell Hitachi's 3.5" to someone else before they would approve the merger. Toshiba stepped up and got it. So yes it is somewhat confusing. You buy one of these drives and it will say "HGST a Western Digital company" on the box, when in reality it's all made by Toshiba, probably in an old Hitachi factory." -- a comment, from backblaze HN post in Sept 2014: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8355860 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8355860

atYevP 11y ago
I got the quote from the same wikipedia article ;-) Plus HGST has always been quite vocal about the companies being separate. We stopped calling them Hitachi drives as a result, since the new entity is called HGST.