No you’re right. You’ve uncovered a massive conspiracy where they’re out to get you.

> No one from the manufacturers tells them that the "more storage" - multiplicatively more - lasts exponentially less. For the same price, would you rather have a 1TB drive that will retain data for 10 years after having written 100PB, or a 4TB one that will only hold that data for 3 months after having written 2PB?

These numbers seem completely made up since these come with a 1 year warranty and such a product would be a money loser.

> Also consider that SLC drives should cost a little less than 4x the price of QLC ones of the same capacity, given the lower costs of developing controllers and firmware, and the same price of NAND die, yet those rare SLC drives which are sold cost much more --- they're trying to price them out of reach of most people, given how much better they actually are.

You have demonstrated a fundamental lack of understanding in economics. When there’s less supply (ie these products aren’t getting made), things cost more. You are arguing that it’s because these products are secretly too good whereas the simpler explanation is just that the demand isn’t there.

When there’s less supply (ie these products aren’t getting made), things cost more.

SLC and QLC is literally the same silicon these days, just controlled by an option in the firmware; the former doesn't even need the more complex sense and program/erase circuitry of the latter, and yields of die which can function acceptably in TLC or QLC mode are lower. If anything, SLC can be made from reject or worn MLC/TLC/QLC, something that AFAIK only the Chinese are attempting. Yet virgin SLC die are priced many times more, and drives using them nearly impossible to find.

such a product would be a money loser.

You just admitted it yourself - they don't want to make products that last too long, despite them actually costing less.

Intel's Optane is also worth mentioning as another "too good" technology.