内容来源：https://www.engadget.com/2237555/flash-drive-size-keep-going-up-why-small-rarely-sold-today/

内容总结：

闪存盘容量为何一路飙升？小容量U盘渐成历史

曾几何时，1GB的闪存容量堪称“大肚量”，价格也不菲。2002年初，JMTek公司推出的USBDrive以最高1GB的容量引发行业轰动。而如今，这一容量在消费市场早已微不足道——金士顿目前在售的DataTraveler系列U盘起步容量即为64GB，部分型号高达512GB。

存储成本一路暴跌，价格降幅同样惊人。USB闪存盘的价格从早期每GB超过8000美元，降至2013年的每GB约94美分。U盘的基本构造并未大变——仍需USB接口、主控芯片、电路板、外壳及一颗或多颗存储芯片。1GB容量的U盘并非造不出来，而是已沦为“鸡肋”产品，难以卖动。

NAND技术跃升：容量翻倍，成本大降

真正的变革发生在存储芯片内部。数十年来，NAND制造商不断缩小存储单元尺寸，让每个单元容纳更多比特，并通过3D NAND技术垂直堆叠单元，从而在不大幅增加体积的前提下，实现容量激增。

一个典型案例是2005年，东芝与闪迪联合推出8Gb（吉比特）NAND芯片，单颗芯片即可存储1GB数据，体积仅比上代4Gb产品大不到5%，容量却翻倍。两家公司当时宣称，该芯片将成为“生产主力，大幅降低闪存产品成本”。

容量数字随后飞速攀升：2004年，威宝一款2.1GB的Store 'n Go U盘售价高达250美元；2013年，金士顿发布1TB DataTraveler，同期512GB版本售价高达1750美元。如今，TLC（三层单元）NAND每个存储单元可容纳3比特，广泛用于U盘等对成本敏感的消费级存储产品。容量与速度均不断提升，但容量大并不等于速度快——NAND类型、主控芯片及USB接口标准同样关键。

小容量U盘并不省成本

将64GB U盘缩减至1GB，并不会让其余硬件凭空消失。低容量版本依然需要主控、接口、电路板、外壳和包装，同样要经历组装、运输和上架销售。当高密度NAND因大规模生产而成本大降时，削减存储容量并不能等比例地降低成品总成本。

究竟多大容量才是“盈亏平衡点”，并无明确界限，因此制造商并未在某一天集体宣布“8GB淘汰1GB”，但行业趋势已然清晰。微软Windows安装介质制作工具要求空白U盘容量至少8GB，这使1GB U盘连最常见的系统重装任务都无法胜任。

此外，MLC（多层单元）NAND在生产端也面临压缩。预计2026年全球MLC NAND产能将同比下滑41.7%，主要供应商减产或停产，并将资源转向更新工艺。这可能导致一个略显奇特的现象：随着供应收缩，老一代NAND价格反而上涨。

当然，小容量U盘并未彻底消失。在工业与嵌入式应用中，兼容性、耐用性或固定硬件配置往往比大容量更重要，部分产品仍在服役。例如，Delkin的工业级U盘起步容量为1GB，而Apacer更低至256MB。

中文翻译：

闪存盘容量为何持续攀升（以及如今为何很少见到小容量产品在售）
更高密度的NAND闪存让昔日的小容量产品越来越难以自圆其说。
曾几何时，1GB的闪存容量堪称“大户人家”（而且价格也一点都不便宜）。2002年初，业界对JMTek的USBDrive及其最高1GB的容量议论纷纷。而如今，这一容量在消费者眼中已是微不足道。金士顿目前大多数DataTraveler系列产品从64GB起步，部分型号甚至达到512GB。
与此同时，存储价格也跌到了令人匪夷所思的地步，价格崩盘幅度同样剧烈。USB闪存存储从早期每GB超过8000美元，一路降到2013年的每GB 94美分。基本制造配方并没有太大变化，因为闪存盘仍然需要USB接口、主控芯片、电路板、外壳以及一颗或多颗存储芯片。1GB的闪存盘并非做不出来了，而是它已经变成了一个非常难卖的东西。
NAND学会了塞进更多数据
真正的门道出在这些存储芯片内部。几十年来，NAND制造商不断想办法把存储单元做得更小，在每个单元中塞入多个比特，最终还通过3D NAND技术将这些单元垂直堆叠起来。这样一来，无需把闪存盘做得大到需要背包装着走，就能在同样体积内容纳多得多的数据。
一个典型的例子出现在2005年，当时东芝和闪迪发布了一款8Gb（吉比特）NAND芯片，单片即可存储1GB数据。该芯片的尺寸比两家公司上一代4Gb产品仅大了不到5%，容量却翻了一倍。两家公司在发布时表示，这款芯片将成为“量产主力……为公司的闪存存储产品带来显著的成本下降”。
数字随后飞速攀升，2004年一款2.1GB的Verbatim Store 'n Go售价为250美元。到了2013年，金士顿推出了1TB的DataTraveler系列，而当时已经在售的512GB版本价格相当惊人，高达1750美元。TLC NAND在每个存储单元中压缩进三个比特，通常用于对成本敏感的消费级存储产品，比如U盘。容量和速度都在不断提升，但容量更大并不自动意味着速度更快。NAND本身很关键，主控芯片和USB接口同样重要。
做小容量盘也省不了多少钱
把64GB的盘缩水成1GB，并不会神奇地省掉其余硬件。毕竟，低容量版本仍然需要主控芯片、接口、电路板、外壳和包装。它同样需要组装、运输，还要摆上商店货架。一旦高密度NAND在大规模生产下变得足够便宜，削减存储容量未必能让成品的成本有同等幅度的下降。
并不存在某个泾渭分明的容量节点让这门生意突然做不下去，因此也没有哪一天制造商集体拍板说8GB已经取代了1GB，但行业确实在随着时间推移而转变。微软的Windows安装介质工具要求至少8GB容量的空白U盘，这让1GB的小盘连最普通的用途——给闲置U盘做系统安装盘——都派不上用场了。
MLC（多层单元）NAND在生产端也面临挤压。随着主要供应商减少或停止MLC NAND产出、将更多资源投入更新制程，全球MLC NAND产能预计将在2026年同比下降41.7%。这可能造成一个略显奇怪的结果：较老类型的NAND因供给萎缩而价格反而走高。
小容量U盘并没有完全消失。在工业及嵌入式应用中，它们仍然有一席之地，因为在这些场景里，兼容性、耐久性或固定硬件配置往往比堆容量更重要。戴尔金销售从1GB起步的工业级U盘，而宇瞻则更进一步，其工业级闪存盘最低容量为256MB。

英文来源：

Why flash drive capacity keeps increasing (and why small drives are rarely sold today)
Denser NAND has made yesterday's tiny capacities increasingly hard to justify.
Once upon a time, 1GB of flash memory was serious capacity (and it wasn't cheap either). In early 2002, the industry was abuzz about JMTek's USBDrive and its up-to-1GB capacity. Today, that same capacity is tiny by consumer standards. Most of Kingston's current DataTraveler models start at 64GB, with some reaching 512GB.
Storage got ridiculously cheap along the way, and the price collapse was just as dramatic. USB flash storage went from more than $8,000 per gigabyte in its early years to 94 cents per gigabyte by 2013. The basic recipe didn't change much, since a flash drive still needs a USB connector, controller, circuit board, casing and one or more memory chips. The 1GB drive didn't become impossible to make. It became a pretty lousy thing to sell.
NAND learned to cram in a lot more data
The real trick happened inside those memory chips. For decades, NAND manufacturers have found ways to make memory cells smaller, cram multiple bits into each one and eventually stack those cells vertically with 3D NAND. That lets them pack far more into a flash drive without making the thing so large that you'd need a backpack to carry it.
One neat example came in 2005, when Toshiba and SanDisk announced an 8Gb (gigabit) NAND chip capable of storing 1GB on a single chip. It was less than 5 percent larger than the companies' previous-generation 4Gb part but offered twice the capacity. In the announcement, the companies said it would become the "production workhorse ... bringing significant cost reductions" to the companies' flash storage products.
The numbers escalated quickly, with a 2.1GB Verbatim Store 'n Go priced at $250 in 2004. By 2013, Kingston had unveiled a 1TB DataTraveler, while the already available 512GB version cost a fairly brutal $1,750. TLC NAND squeezes three bits into each memory cell and is commonly used in cost-sensitive consumer storage like USB drives. Capacity and speed have both climbed, but larger does not automatically mean faster. The NAND matters, as do the controller and USB interface.
Making tiny drives doesn't save much
Shrinking a 64GB drive to 1GB doesn't magically eliminate the rest of the hardware. After all, the low-capacity version still needs a controller, connector, circuit board, casing and packaging. It still has to be assembled, shipped and put on a store shelf too. Once high-density NAND gets cheap enough at scale, cutting storage capacity doesn't necessarily cut the finished product's cost by nearly as much.
There's no neat capacity where the economics suddenly stop working, so there was no magic day when manufacturers decided en masse that 8GB had killed 1GB, but the industry shifted over time. Microsoft's Windows installation-media tool requires a blank flash drive with at least 8GB of space, making a 1GB stick too small for one of the most ordinary jobs you might give a spare USB drive.
MLC (multi-level cell) NAND is getting squeezed on the production side, too. Global MLC NAND capacity is expected to fall 41.7 percent year over year in 2026 as major suppliers reduce or halt output and put more resources into newer processes. That can create the slightly odd result of an older NAND type getting pricier as supply shrinks.
Small drives haven't completely vanished. Some survive in industrial and embedded applications where compatibility, endurance or a fixed hardware configuration can matter more than piling on capacity. Delkin sells industrial USB drives starting at 1GB, while Apacer goes lower, with industrial USB flash drives starting at 256MB.