Computers and their applications have evolved along with storage media and their capabilities. Every time the storage density increased, it resulted in new applications with better and better facilities for the users. While the first computers occupied the space of a room with very few arithmetic and logical functions, the latest personal computers with portability (less than the size of a briefcase) can do better than big minicomputers.

The following table provides a summary of some of the characteristics of personal computer storage media, both currently available and under development. But it is to be noted that no one medium suits all applications, nor can one generalise the suitability of a particular medium to a specific environment. Each has its own advantages and limitations.