The Serial ATA International Organisation (SATA-IO) announces a new Universal Storage Module (USM) standard-- USM Slim, a thinner specification ideal for ultrabooks, tablets and "other mobile devices."
Part of the SATA 3.2 Revision, USM Slim trims the port to 9mm (down from 14.5mm) in order to allow integration with thinner devices.
The SATA interface supports transfer speeds of up to 6GB/s, providing HDD levels of speed and reliability.
Seagate is already shipping a 500GB Slim external HDD based on the standard.
The USM Slim specification is available free of charge for SATA-IO members, and should be part of the SATA Revision 3.2 release later this year.