Memory Stick
Media type | Flash memory card |
---|---|
Capacity | 128 MB (Original) 32 GB (PRO series) 2 TB (XC series) |
Developed by | Sony |
Extended to | Memory Stick PRO, Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick PRO Duo, Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo, and Memory Stick Micro |
The Memory Stick is a removable flash memory card format, originally launched by Sony in late 1998.[1] In addition to the original Memory Stick, this family includes the Memory Stick PRO, a revision that allows greater maximum storage capacity and faster file transfer speeds; Memory Stick Duo, a small-form-factor version of the Memory Stick (including the PRO Duo); the even smaller Memory Stick Micro (M2), and the Memory Stick PRO-HG, a high speed variant of the PRO to be used in high-definition video and still cameras.
As a proprietary format, Sony exclusively used Memory Stick on its products in the 2000s such as
History
The original Memory Stick, which was launched in October 1998, was available in capacities up to 128 MB.[a]
In October 1999, Sony licensed the technology to Fujitsu, Aiwa, Sanyo, Sharp, Pioneer and Kenwood, in a bid to avoid a repetition of the Betamax failure.[5] Other companies were also licensees to the format. Some early examples of Memory Stick usage by third-party companies include Sharp's MP3 players, Alpine's in-dash players, and Epson's printers.[6]
Initially the format had a lukewarm reception, but it soon increased in popularity, especially after the licensing deal. In spring 2001, Memory Stick attained 25% market share (against CompactFlash's 40% and SmartMedia's 32%), up from 7% a year earlier. By May 2001, total shipment of Memory Stick units surpassed 10 million.[6]
However the SD card, jointly developed by Toshiba, Panasonic and SanDisk, became widely popular among companies and soon became the most popular flash format – by November 2003 it held 42% market share in the United States, ahead of CompactFlash's 26% and Memory Stick with 16%.[7] Eventually Sony itself became the only company to support the format. Sony was often criticized for the Memory Stick, as they were deemed to be expensive compared to other formats.[8]
As of January 2010[update], it appeared that Sony had begun to combine support for
Sony's first significant migration away from Memory Stick did not come until 2019, when it introduced the
Applications
Typically, Memory Sticks are used as storage media for a portable device, in a form that can easily be removed for access by a personal computer. For example, Sony
A special Memory Stick can be inserted in the hindquarters[23] of Sony's AIBO robot pet, to enable the use of Aiboware—software intended for use on AIBOs. The Sticks include a copy protection mechanism used by the robot, allowing users to write programs. These are referred to as programmable or programming. Only 8 MB and 16 MB versions are available.
An adapter was made[24] for the original Memory Stick that allowed them to be used in later Sony Mavica models. This adapter, which took CR2016 cells for power, served a dual purpose of expanding storage capacity of the Mavica and giving those who did not have an existing Memory Stick drive a means of computer interfacing. With the Mavica FD92 and FD97 dedicated Memory Stick slots were added.
Formats and form factors
Memory Sticks include a wide range of actual formats, including three different form factors.
Memory Stick
Introduced in July 1998. The original Memory Stick is approximately the size and thickness of a stick of chewing gum. It was available in capacities from 4 MB to 128 MB (1 MB = one million bytes). It was available both with and without MagicGate support. The MagicGate-capable memory sticks were white-colored, while the standard version was purple. The original Memory Stick is no longer manufactured.[citation needed]
Memory Stick Select
In response to the storage limitations of the original Memory Stick, Sony introduced the Memory Stick Select at CES 2003 on January 9.[25] The Memory Stick Select contained two separate 128 MB partitions which the user could switch between using a physical switch on the card. This solution was fairly unpopular, but it did give users of older Memory Stick devices more capacity. Its physical size remained the same as the original Memory Stick.
Memory Stick PRO
The Memory Stick PRO, introduced on January 9, 2003, as a joint effort between Sony and SanDisk,[26] would be the longer-lasting solution to the space problem. Most devices that use the original Memory Sticks support both the original and PRO sticks since both formats have identical form factors. Some readers that were not compatible could be upgraded to Memory Stick PRO support via a firmware update. Memory Stick PROs have a marginally higher transfer speed and a maximum theoretical capacity of 32 GB,[b] although GB-sized capacities of more than 2GB are only available in the PRO Duo form factor.[27] High Speed Memory Stick PROs are available, and newer devices support this high-speed mode, allowing for faster file transfers. All Memory Stick PROs larger than 1 GB support this high-speed mode, and High Speed Memory Stick PROs are backwards-compatible with devices that don't support the high-speed mode. High-capacity Memory Sticks such as the 4 GB versions are expensive compared to other types of flash memory such as SD cards and CompactFlash. As of 2020[update], 512 MB Memory Stick PRO can be bought. [citation needed]
Memory Stick Duo
Introduced in July 2002. The Memory Stick Duo was developed in response to Sony's need for a smaller flash memory card for pocket-sized digital cameras, cell phones and the
A simple adapter allows Memory Stick Duo to be used in devices designed to accept the original Memory Stick form factor.
Memory Stick PRO Duo
The Memory Stick PRO Duo (MSPD) quickly replaced the Memory Stick Duo due to the Duo's size limitation of 128 MB and slow transfer speed. Memory Stick PRO Duos are available in all the same variants as the larger Memory Stick PRO, with and without High Speed mode, and with and without MagicGate support.
Sony has released different versions of Memory Stick PRO Duo. A Memory Stick PRO Duo with MagicGate was released as a 512 MB stick.[citation needed] Additionally, a 16 GB version in March 2008 and another a 32 GB version on August 21, 2009.[28] In 2009, Sony and SanDisk also announced the joint development of an expanded Memory Stick PRO format tentatively named "Memory Stick PRO Format for Extended High Capacity".[29] Sony has since finalized the format and released its specification under the new name, Memory Stick XC (see below).[30]
There exist adapters for those who want to use microSD cards, on devices that only support Memory Stick PRO Duo cards, that allows those to use the storage on a microSD for files on the device in question.
Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo
On December 11, 2006, Sony, together with SanDisk, announced the Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo. While only serial and 4-bit parallel interfaces are supported in the Memory Stick PRO format, an 8-bit parallel interface was added to the Memory Stick PRO-HG format. Also, the maximum interface clock frequency was increased from 40 MHz to 60 MHz. With these enhancements, a theoretical transfer rate of 480 Mbit/s (60 MB/s) is achieved, which is three times faster than the Memory Stick PRO format.
Memory Stick Micro (M2)
In a joint venture with SanDisk, Sony released a new Memory Stick format on February 6, 2006. The Memory Stick Micro (M2) measures 15 × 12.5 × 1.2 mm (roughly one-quarter the size of the Duo) with 64 MB, 128 MB, 256 MB, 512 MB, 1 GB, 2 GB, 4 GB, 8 GB, and 16 GB capacities available. The format has a theoretical limit of 32 GB and maximum transfer speed of 160 Mbit/s. However, as with the PRO Duo format, it has been expanded through the XC series as Memory Stick XC Micro and Memory Stick XC-HG Micro, both with the theoretical maximum capacity of 2 TB.[30][c]
The M2 comes with an adapter, much like the Duo Sticks, to ensure physical compatibility with Memory Stick PRO devices. However, not all devices with a PRO slot are compatible with the M2/Adapter combination, as the firmware of older devices don't support the higher capacity of some M2 cards. One example is certain
Sony announced on June 1, 2009, that M2 support in
The Sony DSC-RX0 Mark II made a revived usage of M2 slots.
Memory Stick XC
On January 7, 2009,
Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo HX
Sony announced the release of the Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo HX on May 17, 2011, which was considered the fastest card ever made by the manufacturer. It measures 20 × 31 × 1.6 mm, with 8 GB, 16 GB, or 32 GB versions available. Also, the format offers a maximum transfer speed of 50 MB/s.[38]
Mark 2 certification
As of early 2008, Mark 2-certified versions of the Memory Stick PRO Duo became available. The Mark 2 designation indicates the Memory Stick is suitable for use with AVCHD recording products or other faster Memory Stick enabled devices by providing appropriate minimum write performance.[39]
See also
- CompactFlash Card
- Comparison of memory cards
- Format war
- MultiMediaCard
- SD Card
- SmartMedia Card
- SxS
- xD Picture Card
- USB flash drive
Notes
References
- ^ "Sony Global – Press Release – Sony Announces 'Memory Stick' Recordable IC Memory Card Products New Format Supports Recording and Playback of Audio/Video Content". Sony.net (Press release). Retrieved November 13, 2011.
- ^ "The worst storage mediums of all time - Page 3 of 4 - ExtremeTech". extremetech.com. May 15, 2014.
- ^ "The Beginning of the End of Memory Stick? Hope So!". technologizer.com. January 6, 2010.
- ^ "MS-A16G - Accessories Compatibility Information". support.d-imaging.sony.co.jp. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
- ^ "Sony To License Memory Stick to 6 Firms". dpreview.com.
- ^ a b "News-Latest publications from CST". www.simmtester.com. Archived from the original on July 17, 2001. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
- ^ Taub, Eric A. (February 2, 2004). "TECHNOLOGY; Memory Evolution: Survival of the Smallest". The New York Times.
- ^ "Behind the smiles at Sony". The Economist. March 10, 2005. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
- ^ "Sony.com". News.sel.sony.com. January 6, 2010. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
- ^ "Sony.com". News.sel.sony.com. January 6, 2010. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
- ^ "Sony.com". News.sel.sony.com. January 6, 2010. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
- ^ "Sony.com". News.sel.sony.com. January 6, 2010. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
- ^ "Sony.com". News.sel.sony.com. January 6, 2010. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
- ^ "Sony.com". News.sel.sony.com. January 6, 2010. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
- ^ Taub, Eric A. (January 7, 2010). "Sony's Memory Stick: Bowing to Reality". The New York Times. Retrieved May 12, 2010.
- ^ Velocity. "Forbes.com". Forbes. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
- ^ "FT.com". Blogs.ft.com. January 7, 2010. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
- ^ "Endgadget.com". Engadget.com. January 6, 2010. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
- ^ "IEEE.org". Spectrum.ieee.org. January 7, 2010. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
- ^ McCracken, Harry (January 7, 2010). "PCworld.com". PCworld.com. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
- ^ "APCMAG.com". APCMAG.com. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
- ^ "Sony introduces the a7R IV with 61 Megapixel full-frame sensor". Digital Photography Review. July 16, 2019. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
- ^ "CBS News, 48 Hours – AIBO, The Digital Wonder Dog: Sony Spends Millions On Robotic Canine". Cbsnews.com. February 11, 2009. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
- ^ "Floppy Disk Adaptor for Memory Stick - MSAC-FD2M" (PDF). Sony. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 23, 2020. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
- ^ "Sony Memory Stick Pro and Select". dpreview.com.
- ^ "Sony.net". Sony.net. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
- ^ "Sony Compatibility Chart - Digital Still Camera". Sony-asia.com. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
- ^ "Crunchgear.com". Crunchgear.com. August 21, 2009. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
- ^ "SanDisk, Sony to Expand Memory Stick PRO, Memory Stick Micro Formats". Nikkei Business Publications. January 8, 2009. Retrieved January 5, 2010.
- ^ a b MacManus, Christopher (August 5, 2009). "Sony Finalizes Backwards Compatible Memory Stick XC With 2TB Maximum Capacity". Sonyinsider.com. Retrieved January 5, 2010.
- ^ "Sony Compatibility Chart – Clie Handhelds". Sony-asia.com. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
- ^ "Trusted Review – Sony Ericsson Dropping Memory Stick Micro". Trustedreviews.com. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
- ^ "Sandisk and Sony to expand "Memory stick pro" and "Memory stick micro" formats". SanDisk. January 7, 2009. Retrieved August 12, 2009.
- ^ Christopher MacManus. "Sonyinsider.com". Sonyinsider.com. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
- ^ "Windows FAT32 Formatting". Microsoft. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
- ^ "SanDisk exFAT KB". Kb.sandisk.com. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
- ^ "Oss-formats.org". Oss-formats.org. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
- ^ "Sony UK - Press Centre". Presscentre.sony.co.uk. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
- ^ "Sony's new 16GB Memory Stick Pro Duo media [...] Mark2 Certification". News.sel.sony.com. January 6, 2008. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
External links
- Sony's official One Stop Site for Formats, with some specifications of the electrical interface.
- Memory Stick products at Sony Singapore.
- SanDisk and Sony develop “Memory Stick Micro” (M2) format – SanDisk/Sony press release, September 30, 2005.
- SanDisk and Sony announce "Memory Stick Pro-HG" (HG) format – December 1, 2006.
- Complete Memory Stick® Media Compatibility Information for Sony® Digital Cameras Sony eSupport July 2011.