Based on that schedule, the drive could be available in computers for end users this year. That's earlier than Fujitsu predicted last year, when it said such drives wouldn't be available until 2007.

The current highest-capacity 2.5-in. drive from Fujitsu can accommodate up to 160GB of data, so the new drive will represent an increase in storage capacity of 25%. Like the 160GB drive, the new model will have a Serial ATA (SATA) interface and is primarily aimed at entertainment and multimedia laptops, which often need a large storage area for video files.

Drives with 2.5-in. diameter recording platters are typically used in laptop computers and some consumer electronics products. Fujitsu is an aggressive competitor in the market. It has succeeded in expanding its market share for 14 consecutive quarters, according to figures from the company. Part of its success has come from the 2.5-in. SATA products.

The market for laptop PCs and non-IT products, such as music players and digital video recorders, is expected to see strong growth over the next few years and will become a focus of Fujitsu's efforts in the hard disk drive market, the company said in January.

The 2.5-in. laptop hard-disk drive market saw 81 million units shipped in 2005. That market is expected to grow to more than 150 million units in 2008, and to 210 million drives in 2010, Fujitsu stated.

In the same period, the desktop PC drive market, which has been a mainstay of Fujitsu's drive business, is expected to shrink from 240 million units in 2005 to 190 million units in 2010.