[misanthropian00]

Only if Western Digital was dumb enough to kill the golden egg laying goose. If I were they I would try to keep the Hitachi manufacturing just as it was when they bought it. They do seem to still brand them differently than their own drives and charge a hefty premium and market them to data centers rather than individuals. For me they are way too expensive now. So for me the only Japanese option is Toshiba. I have had much better luck with Toshiba than with Seagate and would easily pay 25% or more of a premium to avoid Seagate. It is so sad because I remember when Seagate was a great and very reliable brand so many years ago.