Study paves way for 500,000-song MP3 player

Researchers for the computer giant IBM say they have invented a new type of computer memory which could boost storage capacity by a hundred times.

Called racetrack memory, the new storage medium could allow personal music players to store up to 500,000 songs, according to a study published in Science magazine.

The racetrack memory stores data in the boundaries, known as domain walls, between magnetic regions in nanowires.

The medium gets its name because the data races around the wire, or track, as it is read or written.

The technology could take up to four years to produce and a further three or four to refine for commercial use.