SIZE DOES MATTER?

PC Makers are getting sued over the advertised size of their drives

Are the size of hard drives really getting as large as they are advertised? A group suing PC makers doesn't think so. According to ZDNet, a Los Angeles based group is filing a "class action" lawsuit claiming that hard drives don't have the capacity they are advertised as having.

And it's true. An 80 GB hard drive, for example, may only have about 78 gigs of available capacity. The difference is largely due to hard drive capacities being listed in decimal notation, but actually, a PC functions in a binary system. The difference leaves users with less capacity than is advertised.

The lawsuit - filed against Apple, Dell, Gateway, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Sharp, Sony and Toshiba - asks for an injunction against the current "unfair" marketing practices, restitution, and attorneys' fees.

But don't cash that check yet. Chances are the attorney's will get the lions share of any settlement with the all plaintiff's getting a small cash refund or "coupon" for a percentage off a future purchase.