Nothing gets your product into the hands of your customers faster than cutting prices. Apparently, Hitachi understands this and has made moves to cut their prices on Microdrives. It looks that this move was brought on by an increase of competition. Man, you just have to love that competition!

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies has begun shipping a new version of its 1-inch Microdrive hard drive that can hold 50 percent more data than the company’s current highest capacity model, it says.

The 6GB version of the drive is notable not just for its higher capacity but also because it marks a shift in Hitachi’s pricing for the diminutive drive family. The new drive will cost $299, which is a 40 percent reduction from the $499 price at which Hitachi has introduced new Microdrive products in the past, says Bill Healy, senior vice president of product strategy and marketing at Hitachi. The company is also lowering the price of its 4GB Microdrive to $199.

Customers who buy Hitachi’s drive in bulk for use in their own products have been enjoying regular price cuts for sometime, says Healy. Hitachi’s customers include Apple Computer, which uses the 4GB Microdrive in its IPod Mini music player. Earlier this week, Apple announced a 6GB version of the player.