The storage capacity of an iPod could increase by a remarkable 150,000 times following a breakthrough by scientists.
Nanotechnology researchers announced that they had developed a molecule-sized switch that creates the possibility of dramatically increasing memory without the need to change the size of devices. In future, a new generation of iPods and similar devices would allow 500,000 gigabytes to be squeezed on to one square inch (allowing space for millions of songs), compared to the current limit of around 3.3 gigabytes.
Professor Lee Cronin and Dr Malcolm Kadodwala said that by placing the molecular switches on a surface made of gold or carbon, they can fit up to one billion transistors - the building blocks of computers - on a single chip. “What we have done is find a way to potentially increase the data storage capabilities in a radical way.
"This is unprecedented and provides a route to produce a molecule-based switch that can be easily manipulated using an electric field.”
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