Western Digital 10Q 2005 Q3 Quarterly report

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q


(Mark One)

þ		QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the quarterly period ended April 1, 2005

OR

o		TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from ____ to_____

Commission file number 1-8703

WESTERN DIGITAL CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)


Delaware		33-0956711
(State or other jurisdiction of		(I.R.S. Employer
incorporation or organization)		Identification No.)

20511 Lake Forest Drive
Lake Forest, California		92630
(Address of principal executive offices)		(Zip code)

(949) 672-7000
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes þ No o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes þ No o

As of the close of business on April 29, 2005, 212.9 million shares of common stock, par value $.01 per share, were issued and outstanding.

WESTERN DIGITAL CORPORATION
INDEX


	PAGE NO.
PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Item 1. Financial Statements
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income — Three Months and Nine Months Ended April 1, 2005 and March 26, 2004		3
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets — April 1, 2005 and July 2, 2004		4
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows — Nine Months Ended April 1, 2005 and March 26, 2004		5
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements		6
Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations		12
Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk		30
Item 4. Controls and Procedures		31
PART II. OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1. Legal Proceedings		32
Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds		32
Item 6. Exhibits		33
Signatures		34
EXHIBIT 10.23.1
EXHIBIT 10.23.2
EXHIBIT 10.30.6
EXHIBIT 10.32
EXHIBIT 31.1
EXHIBIT 31.2
EXHIBIT 32.1
EXHIBIT 32.2

Western Digital Corporation (the “Company”, “Western Digital” or “WD”) has a 52 or 53-week fiscal year, which typically ends on the Friday nearest to June 30. However, approximately every six years, the Company reports a 53-week fiscal year to align its fiscal quarters with calendar quarters by adding a week to its fourth fiscal quarter. Unless otherwise indicated, references herein to specific years and quarters are to the Company’s fiscal years and fiscal quarters, and references to financial information are on a consolidated basis.

The information on the Company’s web site, http://www.westerndigital.com, is not incorporated by reference in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

Western Digital® is a registered trademark, and the Western Digital logo is a trademark, of Western Digital Technologies, Inc. and/or its affiliates. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners.

PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

WESTERN DIGITAL CORPORATION

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME

(in millions, except per share amounts; unaudited)


	THREE MONTHS ENDED				NINE MONTHS ENDED
	APR. 1,		MAR. 26,		APR. 1,		MAR. 26,
	2005		2004		2005		2004
Revenue, net	$	919.9	$	748.9	$	2,698.4	$	2,297.9
Cost of revenue		752.9		626.3		2,268.1		1,937.2

Gross margin		167.0		122.6		430.3		360.7

Operating expenses:
Research and development		60.7		46.5		174.4		154.2
Selling, general and administrative		35.6		27.2		97.4		81.4

Total operating expenses		96.3		73.7		271.8		235.6

Operating income		70.7		48.9		158.5		125.1
Net interest and other income		1.9		0.1		2.7		0.3

Income before income taxes		72.6		49.0		161.2		125.4
Income tax provision		1.8		1.1		4.0		3.7

Net income	$	70.8	$	47.9	$	157.2	$	121.7

Income per common share:
Basic	$	.34	$	.23	$	.76	$	.59

Diluted	$	.32	$	.22	$	.73	$	.56

Weighted average shares outstanding:
Basic		208.8		206.7		206.4		205.4

Diluted		218.7		217.5		215.0		217.1

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.

WESTERN DIGITAL CORPORATION

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(in millions, except par values; unaudited)


	APR. 1,			JUL. 2,
	2005			2004

ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	461.1		$	345.5
Short-term investments		113.2			32.3
Accounts receivable, net		398.6			313.1
Inventories		135.5			148.6
Other		18.3			17.8

Total current assets		1,126.7			857.3
Property and equipment, net		347.2			274.7
Intangible and other assets		16.2			27.2

Total assets	$	1,490.1		$	1,159.2


LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable	$	551.0		$	434.9
Accrued expenses		118.5			90.4
Accrued warranty		69.6			46.4
Current portion of long-term debt		19.9			15.2

Total current liabilities		759.0			586.9
Long-term debt		37.7			52.7
Other liabilities		30.6			32.0
Commitments and contingent liabilities
Shareholders’ equity:
Preferred stock, $.01 par value; authorized — 5.0 shares; issued — none		—			—
Common stock, $.01 par value; authorized — 450.0 shares; issued — 212.4 shares		2.1			2.1
Additional paid-in capital		700.1			698.9
Deferred compensation		(13.5	)		(1.3	)
Accumulated deficit		(25.7	)		(182.9	)
Treasury stock — common shares at cost 0.0 and 2.7 shares, respectively		(0.2	)		(29.2	)

Total shareholders’ equity		662.8			487.6

Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity	$	1,490.1		$	1,159.2

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.

WESTERN DIGITAL CORPORATION

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(in millions; unaudited)


	NINE MONTHS ENDED
	APR. 1,			MAR. 26,
	2005			2004
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net income	$	157.2		$	121.7
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization		97.2			74.0
In-process research and development expense		—			25.6
Changes in:
Accounts receivable		(85.8	)		(62.0	)
Inventories		13.1			(42.3	)
Accounts payable		116.1			40.0
Accrued expenses		56.5			(25.8	)
Other		(6.7	)		(14.2	)

Net cash provided by operating activities		347.6			117.0

Cash flows from investing activities:
Capital expenditures, net		(153.0	)		(90.5	)
Short-term investments		(80.9	)		—
Asset acquisition, net of cash acquired		—			(94.8	)

Net cash used for investing activities		(233.9	)		(185.3	)

Cash flows from financing activities:
Proceeds from shares issued under employee plans		39.8			21.2
Repurchase of common stock		(23.3	)		—
Repayment of long-term debt		(14.6	)		—
Net proceeds from long-term debt		—			13.8

Net cash provided by financing activities		1.9			35.0

Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents		115.6			(33.3	)
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period		345.5			393.2

Cash and cash equivalents, end of period	$	461.1		$	359.9


Supplemental disclosures of cash flow information:
Cash paid during the period for income taxes	$	2.6		$	2.5
Cash paid during the period for interest	$	1.6		$	0.9
Supplemental disclosures of non-cash investing and financing activities:
Equipment additions funded by capital lease obligations	$	4.3		$	—
Liabilities assumed in asset acquisition	$	—		$	77.2

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.

WESTERN DIGITAL CORPORATION

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(unaudited)

1. Basis of Presentation

The accounting policies followed by the Company are set forth in Note 1 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K as of and for the year ended July 2, 2004. In the opinion of management, all adjustments necessary to fairly state the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been made. All such adjustments are of a normal recurring nature. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in the consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America have been condensed or omitted pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K as of and for the year ended July 2, 2004. The results of operations for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected for the full year. Certain prior periods’ amounts have been reclassified to conform to current period presentation.

Company management has made estimates and assumptions relating to the reporting of certain assets and liabilities in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles. These estimates and assumptions have been applied using methodologies that are consistent throughout the periods presented. However, actual results could differ from these estimates.

2. Supplemental Financial Statement Data (in millions)


	APR. 1,		JUL. 2,
	2005		2004
Inventories:
Finished goods	$	68.0	$	70.6
Work in process		52.7		51.6
Raw materials and component parts		14.8		26.4

	$	135.5	$	148.6


	THREE MONTHS						NINE MONTHS
	ENDED						ENDED
	APR. 1,			MAR. 26,			APR. 1,			MAR. 26,
	2005			2004			2005			2004
Net Interest and Other Income:
Interest income	$	2.7		$	0.6		$	5.2		$	1.8
Interest and other expense		(0.8	)		(0.5	)		(2.5	)		(1.5	)

	$	1.9		$	0.1		$	2.7		$	0.3

The Company records a provision for estimated warranty costs as products are sold to cover the cost of repair or replacement of the hard disk drive during the warranty period. This provision is based on estimated future returns within the warranty period and costs to repair, using historical field return rates by product type and current average repair costs. Changes in the warranty provision for the three months and nine months ended April 1, 2005 and March 26, 2004 were as follows (in millions):


	THREE MONTHS						NINE MONTHS
	ENDED						ENDED
	APR. 1,			MAR. 26,			APR. 1,			MAR. 26,
	2005			2004			2005			2004
Liability at beginning of period	$	81.5		$	53.2		$	56.8		$	52.9
Charges to operations		18.3			13.8			62.0			40.7
Utilization		(11.8	)		(14.7	)		(35.9	)		(39.2	)
Changes in estimate related to pre-existing warranties		(2.8	)		0.8			2.3			(1.3	)

Liability at end of period	$	85.2		$	53.1		$	85.2		$	53.1

Accrued warranty includes amounts classified in non-current liabilities of $15.6 million at April 1, 2005, $10.4 million at July 2, 2004 and $9.1 million at March 26, 2004.

3. Short-Term Investments

The Company’s short-term investments consist primarily of auction rate securities, which are short-term investments in bonds with remaining maturities greater than 90 days. The Company has classified these investments as trading securities. These investments are stated at cost, which approximates fair value. Realized gains and losses are not material for any period presented and are included in net interest income (expense).

4. Income per Share

The following table illustrates the computation of basic and diluted income per common share (in millions, except per share data):


	THREE MONTHS				NINE MONTHS
	ENDED				ENDED
	APR. 1,		MAR. 26,		APR. 1,		MAR. 26,
	2005		2004		2005		2004
Net income	$	70.8	$	47.9	$	157.2	$	121.7

Weighted average shares outstanding:
Basic		208.8		206.7		206.4		205.4
Employee stock options and other.		9.9		10.8		8.6		11.7

Diluted		218.7		217.5		215.0		217.1

Income per share:
Basic	$	.34	$	.23	$	.76	$	.59

Diluted	$	.32	$	.22	$	.73	$	.56

For purposes of computing diluted income per share, common share equivalents with an exercise price that exceeded the average fair market value of common stock for the period are considered anti-dilutive and have been excluded from the calculation for employee stock options. These antidilutive common share equivalents totaled 14.1 million and 19.1 million for the three months ended April 1, 2005 and March 26, 2004, respectively, and 15.8 million and 14.1 million for the nine months ended April 1, 2005 and March 26, 2004, respectively.

5. Stock Based Compensation

Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 123, “Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation” (“SFAS 123”), establishes the financial accounting and reporting standards for stock-based compensation plans. As

permitted by SFAS 123, the Company elected to continue accounting for stock-based employee compensation plans (including shares issued under the Company’s stock option plans and Employee Stock Purchase Plan (“ESPP”), collectively called “Options”) in accordance with Accounting Principles Board Opinion No. 25, “Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees” and its related interpretations (“APB Opinion No. 25”), and to follow the pro forma net income, pro forma income per share, and stock-based compensation plan disclosure requirements set forth in SFAS 123. The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted income per share for the three months and nine months ended April 1, 2005 and March 26, 2004 and illustrates the effect on net income and income per share as if the Company had applied the fair value recognition provisions of SFAS 123 to stock-based employee compensation.


	THREE MONTHS						NINE MONTHS
	ENDED						ENDED
	APR. 1,			MAR. 26,			APR. 1,			MAR. 26,
	2005			2004			2005			2004
Net income, as reported	$	70.8		$	47.9		$	157.2		$	121.7
Add: Stock-based employee compensation included in reported net income, net of related taxes		1.4			0.1			1.9			1.1
Deduct: Total stock-based employee compensation expense determined under the fair value based method for all awards, net of related tax effects		(7.2	)		(7.0	)		(20.4	)		(20.8	)

Pro forma net income	$	65.0		$	41.0		$	138.7		$	102.0

Basic income per share:
As reported	$	.34		$	.23		$	.76		$	.59

Pro forma	$	.31		$	.20		$	.67		$	.50

Diluted income per share:
As reported	$	.32		$	.22		$	.73		$	.56

Pro forma	$	.30		$	.19		$	.65		$	.47

The pro forma income per share information for all stock options granted on or prior to December 31, 2004 as well as ESPP shares granted in the third quarter of 2005 is estimated using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The Black-Scholes option-pricing model was developed for use in estimating the fair value of traded options that have no vesting restrictions and are fully transferable. This model also requires the input of highly subjective assumptions including the expected stock price volatility and expected period until options are exercised.

The fair value of stock options granted during the six months ended December 31, 2004, the nine months ended March 26, 2004, and the fair value of ESPP shares granted during the nine months ended April 1, 2005 has been estimated at the date of grant using a Black-Scholes option-pricing model with the following weighted average assumptions:


	STOCK OPTION
	PLANS						ESPP
	DEC. 31,			MAR. 26,			APR. 1,			MAR. 26,
	2004			2004			2005			2004
Option life (in years)		4.51			4.27			1.25			1.25
Risk-free interest rate		3.23	%		1.70	%		2.25	%		1.09	%
Stock price volatility		0.74			0.77			0.55			0.77
Dividend yield		—			—			—			—
Fair value	$	5.33		$	7.20		$	3.00		$	4.73

Effective for stock options granted in the third quarter of 2005, the pro forma income per share information is estimated using a binomial model. The binomial model requires the input of highly subjective assumptions including the expected stock price volatility, the expected price multiple at which employees are likely to exercise stock options and the expected employee termination rate.

The fair value of stock options granted during the three months ended April 1, 2005 has been estimated using the following assumptions.


		APR. 1,
		2005
Suboptimal exercise factor		2.01
Range of risk-free interest rates		3.34% to 4.46%
Range of expected stock price volatility		0.43 to 0.84
Post-vesting termination rate		15.2%
Dividend yield		—
Fair value		$5.25

During the three months ended April 1, 2005, the Company granted approximately 1.2 million shares of restricted stock. The restricted stock granted during the quarter vests annually over periods from two to three years. The aggregate market value of the restricted stock at the date of issuance was $12.4 million. This amount has been recorded as deferred compensation, a separate component of shareholders’ equity, and is being amortized to operating expense over the corresponding vesting periods.

6. Short-term Borrowings and Long-term Debt

Short-term borrowings and long-term debt consisted of the following as of April 1, 2005 (in millions):


Term loan	$	40.6
Capital lease obligations		17.0

Total		57.6
Less amounts due in one year		(19.9	)

	$	37.7

Line of Credit

The Company has a $125 million credit facility (“Senior Credit Facility”) that provides up to $75 million in revolving credit (subject to outstanding letters of credit and a borrowing base calculation) and a term loan of $50 million. Both the revolving credit facility and the term loan mature on September 19, 2008 and are secured by the Company’s accounts receivable, inventory, 65% of its stock in its foreign subsidiaries and other assets. For the three months ended April 1, 2005, the Company had no borrowings on the revolving credit line and the average variable rate on the Company’s term loan was 4.82%.

The Senior Credit Facility prohibits the payment of cash dividends on common stock and contains specific financial covenants. The Company is required to maintain an available liquidity level of $300 million at the end of each quarter. Available liquidity is defined as cash plus eligible trade receivables. As of April 1, 2005, the Company was in compliance with this covenant. Should the Company’s available liquidity be less than $300 million, the Company would then be subject to minimum EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) requirements and capital expenditure limitations.

The $50 million term loan requires quarterly principal payments of $3 million beginning in October 2004. Principal payments made on the term loan increase the amount of revolving credit available. At April 1, 2005, $82 million was available for borrowing and the Company had $3 million in outstanding letters of credit.

7. Read-Rite Asset Acquisition

In June 2003, Read-Rite Corporation (“Read-Rite”), then one of the Company’s suppliers of magnetic recording heads, commenced voluntary Chapter 7 bankruptcy proceedings. On July 31, 2003, Western Digital purchased substantially all of the assets of Read-Rite, including its wafer fabrication equipment in Fremont, California and manufacturing facility in Bang Pa-In, Thailand. The cost of the acquisition was $172.0 million and consisted of cash consideration of $94.8 million, assumed debt obligations of the Thailand operations of approximately $60.2 million, direct costs of the acquisition and other miscellaneous assumed obligations totaling $17.0 million. The Company accounted for this transaction as an asset acquisition. The estimated fair value of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed were as follows:


Current assets	$	17.4
Property and equipment		90.2
Purchased technology		38.8
In-process research and development		25.6

	$	172.0

As of the date of the acquisition, Read-Rite had two in-process research and development (“IPR&D”) projects: 120 gigabyte per platter and 160 gigabyte per platter products. The fair value allocated to these projects as part of the acquisition was $17.8 million and $7.8 million, respectively. The multi-period excess earnings method, a discounted cash flow income approach, was used to determine the value allocated to the IPR&D. The rate utilized to discount the cash flows to their present values was based on the weighted average cost of capital and an additional risk premium based on an analysis of the technology and the IPR&D stages of completion. Based on these factors, 27% was used as the annual discount rate. These acquired IPR&D projects had not reached technological feasibility and had no alternative future use. Accordingly, the Company recorded the $25.6 million as a charge to research and development expense at the time of the acquisition.

Approximately $38.8 million of the purchase price related to purchased technology, which is being amortized over a weighted average period of three years. During the three months and nine months ended April 1, 2005, the Company recorded $3.7 million and $11.1 million, respectively, of amortization expense related to these intangible assets. Amortization expense is estimated to be $14.4 million, $4.4 million, $3.4 million and $3.4 million for fiscal years 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008, respectively.

8. Legal Proceedings

In June 1994, Papst Licensing (“Papst”) brought suit against the Company in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, alleging infringement by the Company of five hard disk drive motor patents owned by Papst. In December 1994, Papst dismissed its case without prejudice. In July 2002, Papst filed a new complaint against the Company and several other defendants. The suit alleges infringement by the Company of seventeen of Papst’s patents related to hard disk drive motors that the Company purchased from motor vendors. Papst is seeking an injunction and damages. The Company filed an answer on September 4, 2002, denying Papst’s complaint. On December 11, 2002, the lawsuit was transferred to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana and included in the consolidated pre-trial proceedings occurring there. The lawsuit was stayed pending the outcome of certain other related litigation. The Company believes that the outcome of this matter will not have a material adverse impact on the Company’s financial statements. The Company intends to vigorously defend the suit.

In the normal course of business, the Company is subject to legal proceedings, lawsuits and other claims. Although the ultimate aggregate amount of monetary liability or financial impact with respect to these matters, including the matter described in the preceding paragraph, is subject to many uncertainties and is therefore not predictable with assurance, management believes that any monetary liability or financial impact to the Company from these matters, individually and in the aggregate, beyond that reserved for at April 1, 2005, would not be material to the Company’s financial condition. However, there can be no assurance with respect to such result, and

monetary liability or financial impact to the Company from these legal proceedings, lawsuits and other claims could differ materially from those projected.

9. New Accounting Standards

In November 2004, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No.151, “Inventory Costs, an Amendment of ARB No. 43, Chapter 4” (“SFAS No. 151”), which clarifies the accounting for abnormal amounts of idle facility expense, freight, handling costs and wasted material (spoilage). SFAS No. 151 is effective for inventory costs incurred during fiscal years beginning after June 15, 2005. The Company does not expect the adoption of SFAS No. 151 to impact its financial statements.

In December 2004, the FASB issued revised statement SFAS No. 123, “Share-Based Payment” (SFAS No. 123R), which supersedes APB Opinion No. 25 and replaces the current SFAS No. 123. SFAS No. 123R requires companies to expense the estimated fair value of employee stock options and similar awards and provides guidance on the valuation methods used in determining the estimated fair value. The provisions of SFAS No. 123R will be effective for annual periods beginning after June 15, 2005. Under SFAS No. 123R, compensation expense for existing awards where the requisite service period has not been completed by the effective date will be charged to expense over the remaining service period using the same cost currently calculated for pro forma disclosure purposes under SFAS No. 123. The Company is in the process of determining the impact of SFAS 123R on its financial statements relating to stock-based awards granted after adoption.


Item 2.	*MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS*

This information should be read in conjunction with the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, and the audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto and Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations contained in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K as of and for the year ended July 2, 2004.

Unless otherwise indicated, references herein to specific years and quarters are to the Company’s fiscal years and fiscal quarters.

Forward-Looking Statements

This report contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. The statements that are not purely historical should be considered forward-looking statements. Often they can be identified by the use of forward-looking words, such as “may,” “will,” “could,” “project,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “estimate,” “continue,” “potential,” “plan,” “forecasts,” and the like. Statements concerning current conditions may also be forward-looking if they imply a continuation of current conditions. Examples of forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements concerning growth in the demand for hard disk drives in the personal computer (“PC”) market; growth of the mobile computing market; the Company’s expansion into the consumer electronics (“CE”) market; the Company’s expected ship dates of 1.0-inch hard disk drives; the enterprise and desktop PC industries’ transition from the Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment (“PATA”) interface to the Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (“SATA”) interface; the Company’s transition to new enterprise resource planning software; the Company’s current expectations regarding June quarter seasonal trends in the desktop market; impact of new accounting standards on the Company’s financial statements; growth of the consumer market for multi-media applications, including audio-video products incorporating hard disk drives and drives for the CE sector; the Company’s current expectations regarding capital expenditures including expected investments in mobile hard disk drive manufacturing capacity and expansion of head manufacturing operations and information technology (“IT”) infrastructure upgrades, revenue for the June quarter and gross margin expectations in the current year,, gross margin percentage for the June quarter, cash conversion cycle, cash and cash equivalents, and utilization of liquidity and cash flows.

Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. Readers are urged to carefully review the disclosures made by the Company concerning risks and other factors that may affect the Company’s business and operating results, including those made in this report under the caption “Risk Factors That May Affect Future Results” as well as the Company’s other reports filed with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. The Company undertakes no obligation to publish revised forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

The Company

Western Digital designs, develops, manufactures and markets hard disk drives for digital information storage. A hard disk drive is a device that stores data on one or more rotating magnetic disks to allow fast access to non-volatile data. The Company’s hard disk drives are used in desktop PCs, notebook PCs, enterprise servers, network attached storage devices, an expanding list of CE products such as video game consoles, personal/digital video recorders and satellite and cable set-top boxes, and as external storage devices. WD markets its hard disk drives directly to PC manufacturers, including large, brand name PC manufacturers such as Dell and Hewlett Packard; to CE manufacturers; and to distributors, resellers and retailers that serve a wide range of end users.

Western Digital builds hard disk drives in assembly facilities in Malaysia and Thailand. The Company also builds hard disk drive components such as printed circuit board assemblies, head stack assemblies, and head gimbal

assemblies in its Malaysia and Thailand facilities. In July 2003, Western Digital acquired head manufacturing assets from Read-Rite Corporation (“Read-Rite”), a former supplier, enabling it to build a substantial portion of its recording head requirements. WD procures its other component requirements from industry-leading technology companies, many of which work with the Company from design and development through manufacturing. WD believes that its operating model allows it to access leading-edge component technologies and cost-saving innovations while minimizing investment expenditures.

Western Digital provides quality products, superior customer service and flexibility by managing its technology deployment, manufacturing, cost, delivery, quality and reliability. WD builds to market demand using a highly flexible manufacturing model that emphasizes financial and asset efficiency, enabling it to supply high-quality products at price points that allow mass-market adoption. The Company is a leader in the desktop hard disk drive market and leverages many of its existing resources and capabilities to satisfy the increasing demand for hard disk drives in new market areas. Concurrently, WD makes incremental investments in technologies unique to some of the newer markets.

Business and Market Overview

For calendar year 2004, the Company believes that the total market for hard disk drives was more than 300 million units, or almost $24 billion. Over half of these unit shipments were to the desktop PC market. Thus, total hard disk drive unit growth depends greatly on developments in the PC market. WD believes that the demand for hard disk drives in the PC market will continue to grow in part due to:

	•	The overall growth of PC sales;

	•	The increasing needs of individuals to store larger amounts of data on their PCs;

	•	The continuing development of software applications to manage multimedia content; and

	•	The increasing availability of broadband connections to the Internet, allowing for the downloading of content from the Internet onto PC hard disk drives.

The Company believes the rate of hard disk drive unit growth in the desktop PC market is affected by several factors, including maturing PC markets in North America and Western Europe, an increase in first-time buyers of PCs in Eastern Europe and Asia, the lengthening of PC replacement cycles and an increasing preference for notebook systems.

The mobile computing market, which includes notebook computers, is expected to grow faster than the desktop PC market as performance and price continue to improve. Western Digital entered the mobile hard disk drive market in September 2004, commencing volume production of its WD Scorpio™ family of 2.5-inch hard disk drives for notebook PCs.

Many consumer applications currently employ similar hard disk drive technology as is found in PCs. Western Digital currently ships 3.5-inch form factor hard disk drives to manufacturers of personal/digital video recorders and electronic game devices. WD presently believes it can continue to expand shipments into these markets using much of its existing hard disk drive technology.

As the market for consumer applications expands, additional investments by the Company will be required. For example, CE devices such as handheld digital audio players currently utilize sub-2.5-inch form factor hard disk drives. In January 2005, Western Digital announced its entry into the miniature hard disk drive market with a new 1.0-inch 6-gigabyte product. Volume shipments are expected in the second half of calendar 2005.

The enterprise market for hard disk drives focuses on customers that make workstations, servers, network attached storage devices, storage area networks, and other computing systems or subsystems. Western Digital serves this market through its application of the SATA interface. The SATA interface contains many of the same benefits

of the small-computer-systems-interface, or SCSI — the predominant interface currently used in most enterprise hard disk drive applications.

Third Quarter Overview

WD’s net revenue for the quarter ended April 1, 2005 totaled $920 million, an increase of 23% over the prior year and a decrease of 3.7% from the December quarter. WD shipped 15.3 million units during the quarter ended April 1, 2005, including approximately 1.7 million units to the CE market. Historically, industry desktop unit volumes decline on average by 5% in the first calendar quarter due to seasonal demand patterns. During the quarter ended April 1, 2005, the Company experienced a well-balanced supply-demand environment, which resulted in a better than expected pricing environment. Also, strong demand for higher capacity hard disk drives resulted in a richer mix of products. These factors partially offset the normal seasonal decline in demand. Gross margin percentage for the March quarter was 18.2% as compared to 15.7% for the December quarter and 16.4% for the quarter ended March 26, 2004. In addition to the factors described above, WD’s continuing improvements in manufacturing cost efficiencies and quality, including lower warranty costs due to improved projected product return rates, contributed to higher gross margins in the March quarter as compared to the December quarter. Operating income was $70.7 million in the March quarter compared to $56.6 million in the December quarter and $48.9 million in the quarter ended March 26, 2004. WD generated $348 million in cash flow from operations during the nine months ended April 1, 2005, finishing the quarter with a total of $574 million in cash and short-term investments, an increase of $196 million from the July 2, 2004 balance.

Historically, industry desktop unit volumes have declined by 5-10% from the March quarter to the June quarter. In the desktop PC space, the Company currently anticipates traditional June quarter seasonal demand trends. The impact of these trends will be somewhat tempered by WD’s growing participation in the CE market and the on-going volume ramp of the Scorpio™ family of 2.5-inch hard disk drives. Given these factors, the Company currently estimates revenue for the June quarter to be between $875 and $900 million. Seasonal trends typically result in lower gross margins in the June quarter as compared to the March quarter. For example, in 2004, WD’s gross margin percentage declined from 16.4% to 13.5% from the March to the June quarter. Given better supply-demand dynamics, a richer product mix and a more balanced revenue portfolio, WD anticipates a more moderate decline in the current year. WD currently estimates that its gross margin percentage will range from 16.5% to 17.0% for the June quarter.

Results of Operations

The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, summary information from the Company’s statements of income (dollars in millions):


	THREE MONTHS ENDED								NINE MONTHS ENDED
	APR. 1, 2005				MAR. 26, 2004				APR. 1, 2005				MAR. 26, 2004
Revenue, net	$	919.9	100.0	%	$	748.9	100.0	%	$	2,698.4	100.0	%	$	2,297.9	100.0	%
Gross margin		167.0	18.2			122.6	16.4			430.3	15.9			360.7	15.7
Total operating expenses		96.3	10.5			73.7	9.8			271.8	10.1			235.6	10.3
Operating income		70.7	7.7			48.9	6.5			158.5	5.9			125.1	5.4
Net income		70.8	7.7			47.9	6.4			157.2	5.8			121.7	5.3

Net Revenue

Net revenue was $920 million for the three months ended April 1, 2005, an increase of 23%, or $171 million, from the three months ended March 26, 2004. Total unit shipments increased to 15.3 million for the third quarter of 2005 as compared to 11.8 million for the third quarter of 2004. This unit increase resulted from the Company’s higher desktop market share, stronger overall demand for hard disk drives in the desktop PC market and WD’s increasing focus on the non-desktop PC market. For the three month period ended April 1, 2005, 23% of WD’s

revenue was derived from non-desktop PC sources including CE products, enterprise applications, notebook PCs and retail sales as compared to 14% for the third quarter of 2004. The growth in units was partially offset by a $4 per unit decline in average selling prices (“ASPs”) to $60 per unit for the third quarter of 2005 compared to $64 per unit for the third quarter of 2004. Historically, ASPs in the desktop hard disk drive industry have generally declined annually in the 10-20% range.

Western Digital increased sales to original equipment manufacturer (“OEM”) customers during the three months ended April 1, 2005 by 40% to $518 million, as compared to $371 million for the three months ended March 26, 2004. Revenue by sales channel for the third quarter of 2005 was 56% from OEMs, 37% from distributors and 7% from the retail channel, compared to 49%, 43% and 8%, respectively, for the third quarter of 2004. WD also continues to focus resources on emerging geographic markets such as Eastern Europe and Asia. Revenue by geographic region for the third quarter of 2005 was 36% from the Americas, 30% from Europe and 34% from Asia, compared to 42%, 30% and 28%, respectively, for the third quarter of 2004.

For the nine months ended April 1, 2005, net revenue was $2.7 billion, an increase of 17%, or $401 million, from the nine months ended March 26, 2004. During this period, total unit shipments increased to 45.7 million from 35.8 million during the same period last year, while ASPs decreased to $59 per unit from $64 per unit.

Gross Margin

Gross margin percentage increased to 18.2% for the three months ended April 1, 2005 from 16.4% for the three months ended March 26, 2004. The increase in gross margin percentage was primarily due to continuing improvements in quality, manufacturing cost efficiencies and a richer product mix, partially offset by modest price declines. For the nine months ended April 1, 2005, gross margin percentage was 15.9% as compared to 15.7% for the nine months ended March 26, 2004. Gross margin for the nine months ended March 26, 2004 included non-recurring charges of $18.1 million incurred in July 2003 relating to the head manufacturing asset acquisition.

Operating Expenses

Research and development (“R&D”) expense was $60.7 million for the three months ended April 1, 2005, an increase of $14.2 million, or 31%, from the three months ended March 26, 2004. This increase was due to new product development efforts, employee incentive compensation programs and head design activities. R&D expense for the nine months ended April 1, 2005 was $174.4 million, an increase of $20.2 million or 13%, from the same period last year. The increase in R&D was primarily due to the factors described above. R&D expense for the nine-months ended March 26, 2004 included $25.6 million of in process research and development charges incurred in the first quarter of 2004 related to the Read-Rite asset acquisition.

Selling, general, and administrative (“SG&A”) expense was $35.6 million for the three months ended April 1, 2005, an increase of $8.4 million, or 31%, from the three months ended March 26, 2004. The increase of $8.4 million in SG&A expense was primarily due to an expansion of sales resources to support geographic regions where PC demand is rapidly increasing, such as Eastern Europe and Asia, and the growing mobile and CE markets and an increase in employee incentive compensation programs. For the nine months ended April 1, 2005, SG&A expense was $97.4 million, an increase of $16.0 million, or 20%, from the comparable period of the prior year. The increase was a result of the factors described above. SG&A expense for the nine months ended March 26, 2004 included $1.4 million of non-recurring acquisition-related charges that occurred in the first quarter of 2004.

Income Tax Provision

The income tax provision was $1.8 million and $4.0 million for the three and nine months ended April 1, 2005, respectively. The effective tax rate was 2.5% for the three and nine months ended April 1, 2005. This differs from the U.S. federal statutory rate of 35% primarily because of tax holidays in Malaysia and Thailand. These tax holidays are in effect in Thailand through 2011 and in Malaysia through 2014.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Western Digital had total cash and short-term investments of $574 million at April 1, 2005 as compared to $378 million at July 2, 2004. Short-term investments consist primarily of auction rate securities, which are short-term investments in bonds with remaining maturities greater than 90 days. Net cash provided by operating activities during the nine-month period ended April 1, 2005 was $348 million as compared to $117 million for the same period last year. Net cash flows from operating activities resulted from net income, excluding depreciation and amortization and cash generated by working capital improvements. This represents the Company’s principal source of cash. Operating cash flows included net cash provided by working capital of $93.2 million for the nine months ended April 1, 2005 as compared to net cash used to fund working capital of $104 million for the same period last year. The improvement in working capital utilization was primarily due to improved accounts receivable, inventory and accounts payable management.

Western Digital’s working capital requirements depend upon the effective control of its cash conversion cycle. The cash conversion cycle for the nine month period ended April 1, 2005, which consisted of 40 days sales outstanding plus 16 days inventory outstanding less 64 days payable outstanding, was negative eight days as compared to negative one day for the nine months ended March 26, 2004. The improvement in the cash conversion cycle was due to more efficient working capital management. WD expects its financial business model will continue to generate a negative cash conversion cycle for the foreseeable future.

Net cash used in investing activities for the nine months ended April 1, 2005 was $234 million as compared to $185 million for the same period in the prior year. During the nine months ended April 1, 2005, cash used in investing activities consisted of $153 million of net capital expenditures and $81 million of short-term investments. The net cash used in investing activities for the first nine months of 2004 consisted of $94.8 million for the Read-Rite asset acquisition and $90.5 million of net capital expenditures. The increase in net capital expenditures in the nine month period ended April 1, 2005 was primarily a result of assets purchased to upgrade the Company’s head manufacturing capabilities, increased desktop and mobile hard disk drive production capabilities and for the normal replacement of existing assets. For 2005, capital expenditures are expected to increase to approximately $240 million from $150 million for 2004. The increase in capital expenditures is expected to consist primarily of investments in mobile hard disk drive manufacturing capacity, continued expansion of head manufacturing operations and IT infrastructure upgrades.

Net cash provided by financing activities for the nine months ended April 1, 2005 was $1.9 million as compared to $35.0 million for the same period in the prior year. The net cash provided by financing activities in the nine month period ended April 1, 2005 consisted of $39.8 million received upon issuance of stock under employee plans, partially offset by $23.3 million used in the Company’s stock repurchase program and $14.6 million in payments on outstanding debt. The net cash provided by financing activities for the nine months ended March 26, 2004 consisted primarily of $21.2 million received upon issuance of common stock under employee plans and $13.8 million in net proceeds from long-term debt.

Capital Commitments

Line of Credit— The Company has a $125 million credit facility (“Senior Credit Facility”) that provides up to $75 million in revolving credit (subject to outstanding letters of credit and a borrowing base calculation) and a term loan of $50 million. Both the revolving credit facility and the term loan mature on September 19, 2008 and are secured by the Company’s accounts receivable, inventory, 65% of its stock in its foreign subsidiaries and other assets. For the three months ended April 1, 2005, the Company had no borrowings on the revolving credit line and the average variable rate on the Company’s term loan was 4.82%.

The Senior Credit Facility prohibits the payment of cash dividends on common stock and contains specific financial covenants. The Company is required to maintain an available liquidity level of $300 million at the end of each quarter. Available liquidity is defined as cash plus eligible trade receivables. As of April 1, 2004, the Company was in compliance with this covenant. Should the Company’s available liquidity be less than $300 million, the

Company would then be subject to minimum EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) requirements and capital expenditure limitations.

The $50 million term loan requires quarterly principal payments of $3 million beginning in October 2004. Principal payments made on the term loan increase the amount of revolving credit available. At April 1, 2004, $81 million was available for borrowing and the Company had $3 million in outstanding letters of credit.

Purchase Orders— In the normal course of business to reduce the risk of component shortages, Western Digital enters into purchase orders with suppliers for the purchase of hard disk drive components used to manufacture its products. These purchase orders generally cover forecasted component supplies needed for production during the next quarter, become payable upon receipt of the components and generally may be changed or canceled at any time prior to shipment of the components. In some cases, WD may be obligated to pay for certain costs related to changes to, or cancellation of, a purchase order, such as costs incurred for raw materials or work in process. The Company has entered into long-term purchase agreements for components with certain vendors. Future purchases under these agreements are not fixed and determinable as they depend on WD’s overall unit volume requirements and are contingent upon the prices, technology and quality of the supplier’s products remaining competitive. See below under the heading “Risk Factors That May Affect Future Results” for a discussion of related risks.

Forward Exchange Contracts— WD purchases short-term, forward exchange contracts to hedge the impact of foreign currency fluctuations on certain underlying assets, liabilities and commitments for operating expenses and product costs denominated in foreign currencies. See Part I, Item 3, under the heading “Disclosure About Foreign Currency Risk,” for the Company’s current forward exchange contract commitments.

Stock Repurchase Program— WD announced a stock repurchase program on May 5, 2004. Under the program, the Company may purchase on the open market up to $100 million of its common stock depending on market conditions and other corporate considerations. Stock repurchases are expected to be funded by operating cash flow. Repurchased shares will partially offset the dilutive impact of common stock issued under employee stock option and share purchase programs. During the nine month period ended April 1, 2005, WD repurchased 3.1 million shares of common stock at a total cost of $23.3 million. In addition, between April 2, 2005 and May 5, 2005, the Company repurchased 0.8 million shares of common stock at a cost of $10.7 million. Since the inception of the program, through May 5, 2005, the Company has repurchased 5.9 million shares for a total cost of $49.9 million (including commissions). WD may continue to opportunistically repurchase its stock as it deems appropriate and market conditions allow.

Western Digital believes its current cash and cash equivalents will be sufficient to meet its working capital needs through the foreseeable future. There can be no assurance that the Senior Credit Facility will continue to be available to the Company. Also, WD’s ability to sustain its working capital position is dependent upon a number of factors that are discussed below under the heading “Risk Factors That May Affect Future Results.” The Company currently anticipates that it will continue to utilize its liquidity and cash flows to improve the efficiency and capability of its existing hard disk drive and head manufacturing operations.

Critical Accounting Policies

Western Digital has prepared the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States for interim financial information. The preparation of the financial statements requires the use of judgment and estimates that affect the reported amounts of revenues, expenses, assets and liabilities. Western Digital has adopted accounting policies and practices that are generally accepted in the industry in which it operates. The Company believes the following are its most critical accounting policies that affect significant areas and involve management’s judgment and estimates. If these estimates differ significantly from actual results, the impact to the condensed consolidated financial statements may be material.

Revenue and Accounts Receivable

In accordance with standard industry practice, Western Digital has agreements with resellers that provide limited price protection for inventories held by resellers at the time of published list price reductions. In addition, WD may have agreements with resellers that provide for stock rotation on slow-moving items and other incentive programs. In accordance with current accounting standards, the Company recognizes revenue upon shipment or delivery to resellers and records a reduction to revenue for estimated price protection and other programs in effect until the resellers sell such inventory to their customers. Adjustments are based on anticipated price decreases during the reseller holding period, estimated amounts to be reimbursed to qualifying customers, as well as historical pricing information. If end-market demand for hard disk drives declines significantly, the Company may have to increase sell-through incentive payments to resellers, resulting in an increase in price protection allowances, which could adversely impact operating results.

Western Digital establishes an allowance for doubtful accounts by analyzing specific customer accounts and assessing the risk of loss based on insolvency, disputes or other collection issues. In addition, the Company routinely analyzes the different receivable aging categories and its bad debt loss history and establishes reserves based on a combination of past due receivables and expected future losses. If the financial condition of a significant customer deteriorates resulting in its inability to pay its accounts when due, an increase in the Company’s allowance for doubtful accounts would be required, which could negatively affect operating results.

Western Digital records provisions against revenue and cost of revenue for estimated sales returns in the same period that the related revenue is recognized. The Company bases these provisions on existing product return notifications as well as historical returns by product type (see “Warranty”). If actual sales returns exceed expectations, an increase in the sales return provision would be required, which could negatively affect operating results.

Warranty

Western Digital records an accrual for estimated warranty costs when revenue is recognized. Warranty covers costs of repair or replacement of the hard disk drive over the warranty period, which generally ranges from one to five years. The Company has comprehensive processes with which to estimate accruals for warranty, which include specific detail on hard disk drives in the field by product type, historical field return rates and costs to repair. If actual product return rates or costs to repair returned products differ significantly from current expectations, a change in the warranty provision would be required. For a summary of historical changes in estimates related to pre-existing warranty provisions, refer to Part I, Item 1, Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements, Note 2 “Supplemental Financial Statement Data” included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

Inventory

Inventories are valued at the lower of cost (first-in, first-out basis) or net realizable value. Inventory write-downs are recorded for the valuation of inventory at the lower of cost or net realizable value by analyzing market conditions and estimates of future sales prices as compared to inventory costs and inventory balances.

Western Digital evaluates inventory balances for excess quantities and obsolescence on a regular basis by analyzing backlog, estimated demand, inventory on hand, sales levels and other information, and writes down inventory balances for excess and obsolete inventory based on the analysis. Unanticipated changes in technology or customer demand could result in a decrease in demand for one or more of the Company’s products, which may require an increase in inventory write-downs that could negatively affect operating results.

Litigation and Other Contingencies

Western Digital applies Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 5, “Accounting for Contingencies,” to determine when and how much to accrue for and disclose related to legal and other contingencies. Accordingly, the

Company accrues loss contingencies when management, in consultation with its legal advisors, concludes that a loss is probable and reasonably estimable. (Refer to Part I, Item 1, Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements, Note 7 “Legal Proceedings” included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q). The ability to predict the ultimate outcome of such matters involves judgments, estimates and inherent uncertainties. The actual outcome of such matters could differ materially from management’s estimates.

Deferred Tax Assets

Western Digital’s deferred tax assets, which consist primarily of net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards, are fully reserved due to management’s determination that it is more likely than not that these assets will not be realized. This determination is based on the weight of available evidence, the most significant of which is the Company’s loss history in the related tax jurisdictions. Should this determination change in the future, some amount of deferred tax assets could be recognized, resulting in a tax benefit or a reduction of future tax expense.

New Accounting Standards

In November 2004, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No.151, “Inventory Costs, an Amendment of ARB No. 43, Chapter 4” (SFAS No. 151), which clarifies the accounting for abnormal amounts of idle facility expense, freight, handling costs and wasted material (spoilage). SFAS No. 151 is effective for inventory costs incurred during fiscal years beginning after June 15, 2005. The Company does not expect the adoption of SFAS No. 151 to impact its financial statements.

Risk Factors That May Affect Future Results

Declines in average selling prices (“ASPs”) in the hard disk drive industry adversely affect our operating results.

The hard disk drive industry historically has experienced declining ASPs. Although the rate of decline has moderated in recent years, there can be no assurance that this trend will continue. Our ASPs tend to decline when competitors lower prices as a result of decreased costs or to absorb excess capacity, liquidate excess inventories, restructure or attempt to gain market share.

Our operating results depend on optimizing time-to-market and time-to-volume, overall quality, and costs of new and established products.

To achieve consistent success with our customers who manufacturer computers, systems and consumer electronic devices, we must balance several key attributes such as time-to-market, time-to-volume, quality, cost, service, price and a broad product portfolio. If we fail to:

	•	maintain overall quality of products on new and established programs,

	•	maintain competitive cost structures on new and established products,

	•	produce sufficient quantities of products at the capacities our customers demand while managing the integration of new and established technologies,

	•	develop and qualify new products that have changes in overall specifications or features that our customers may require for their business needs,

	•	obtain commitments from our customers to qualify new products, redesigns of current products, or new components in our existing products,

	•	qualify these products with key customers on a timely basis by meeting all of our customers’ needs for performance, quality and features,

	•	maintain an adequate supply of components required to manufacture our products,

	•	maintain the manufacturing capability to quickly change our product mix between different capacities, form factors and spin speeds in response to changes in customers’ product demands, or

	•	consistently meet stated quality requirements on delivered products,

our operating results could be adversely affected.

Product life cycles influence our financial results.

Product life cycles have been extending since the middle of calendar year 2002 due in large part to a decrease in the rate of hard disk drive areal density growth. However, there can be no assurance that this trend will continue. If longer product life cycles continue, we may need to develop new technologies or programs to reduce our costs on any particular product in order to maintain competitive pricing for such product. This may result in an increase in our overall expenses and a decrease in our gross margins, both of which could adversely affect our operating results. If product life cycles shorten, it may be more difficult to recover the cost of product development before the product becomes obsolete. Our failure to recover the cost of product development in the future could adversely affect our operating results.

Product life cycles in the desktop hard disk drive market require continuous technical innovation associated with higher areal densities.

New products in the desktop hard disk drive market may require higher areal densities than previous product generations, posing formidable technical and manufacturing challenges. Higher areal densities require existing head technology to be improved or new technology developed to accommodate more data on a single disk. In addition, our introduction of new products during a technology transition increases the likelihood of unexpected quality concerns. Our failure to bring high quality new products to market on time and at acceptable costs may put us at a competitive disadvantage to companies that achieve these results. In addition, technology improvements may require us to reduce the price on existing products to remain competitive.

The difficulty of introducing hard disk drives with higher levels of areal density and the challenges of reducing other costs may impact our ability to achieve historical levels of cost reduction.

Storage capacity of the hard disk drive, as manufactured by us, is determined by the number of disks and each disk’s areal density. Areal density is a measure of the amount of magnetic bits that can be stored on the recording surface of the disk. Generally, the higher the areal density, the more information can be stored on a single platter. Historically, we have been able to achieve a large percentage of cost reduction through increases in areal density. Increases in areal density mean that the average drive we sell has fewer heads and disks for the same capacity and, therefore, may result in a lower component cost. However, because increases in areal density have become more difficult in the hard disk drive industry, such increases may require increases in component costs. In addition, other

opportunities to reduce costs may not continue at historical rates. Our inability to achieve cost reductions could adversely affect our operating results.

Increases in areal density may outpace customers’ demand for storage capacity.

Historically, the industry has experienced periods of increased areal density growth rates. Although in recent years there has been a decrease in the rate of areal density growth, if industry conditions return to periods of increased growth rates, the rate of increase in areal density may exceed the increase in our customers’ demand for aggregate storage capacity. This could lead to our customers’ storage capacity needs being satisfied with more lower-cost single-surface drives, thereby decreasing our revenue. As a result, even with increasing aggregate demand for storage capacity, our ASPs could decline, which could adversely affect our results of operations.

Changes in the markets for hard disk drives require us to develop new products and new technology.

Over the past few years the consumer market for desktop computers has shifted significantly towards lower priced systems. If we are not able to offer a competitively priced hard disk drive for the low-cost PC market, our share of that market will likely fall, which could harm our operating results.

The market for hard disk drives is also fragmenting into a variety of devices and products. Many industry analysts expect, as do we, that as communications are increasingly converted to digital technology from the older, analog technology, the technology of computers and consumer electronics will continue to converge, and hard disk drives will be found in many CE products other than computers. For example, although general market acceptance remains in its early stages, the use of hard disk drives has expanded into the game console market. However, there can be no assurance that hard disk drives will continue to be incorporated into game consoles, or that the market for these products will grow.

In addition, we expect that the consumer market for multi-media applications, including audio-video products, incorporating a hard disk drive will continue to grow. However, because this market remains relatively new, accurate forecasts for future growth remain challenging. Moreover, some of the devices, such as personal video recorders and digital video recorders, may require attributes not currently offered in our products, which may result in a need to expend capital to develop new interfaces, form factors, technical specifications or hard disk drive features, increasing our overall operational expense. If we are not successful in using our hard disk drive technology and expertise to develop new products for the emerging CE market, or if we are required to incur significant costs in developing such products, it may harm our operating results.

If we do not successfully expand into new hard disk drive market segments, our business may suffer.

To remain a significant supplier of hard disk drives, we will need to offer a broad range of hard disk drive products to our customers. We currently offer a variety of 3.5-inch hard disk drives for the desktop computer and CE markets, and we are also shipping 2.5-inch form factor hard disk drives for the mobile market. However, demand for hard disk drives may shift to products in smaller form factors, which our competitors may already offer. We recently announced our entry into the sub-2.5-inch hard disk drive market with a family of 1.0-inch drives, which we expect to ship in the second half of calendar year 2005. We face various challenges in manufacturing a 1.0-inch hard disk drive because it requires the development of new manufacturing technologies and processes. If we are not able to adequately address these challenges, our expected shipment of this product may be delayed, resulting in a delay in our ability to realize revenue from this product.

In addition, the enterprise and desktop PC industries are transitioning from the PATA interface to higher speed interfaces such as SATA to handle higher data transfer rates. We currently offer SATA products; however, the transition of technology and the introduction of new products are challenging and create risks. For example, acceptance of the SATA interface may not continue to grow, or customers may choose to purchase alternative interfaces that may not be compatible with future generations of SATA hard disk drives. Moreover, our customers may require new SATA features that we may not be able to deliver in a timely and cost effective manner.

While we continue to develop new products and look to expand into other applications, the success of our new product introductions is dependent on a number of factors, including difficulties faced in manufacturing ramp, market acceptance, effective management of inventory levels in line with anticipated product demand, and the risk that our new products may have quality problems or other defects in the early stages of introduction that were not anticipated in the design of those products. If we fail to successfully develop and manufacture new products, customers may decrease the amount of our products that they purchase, and we may lose business to our competitors who offer these products or who use their dominance in the enterprise or mobile market to encourage sales of hard disk drives.

If we do not successfully expand into the 2.5-inch and sub-2.5-inch markets, our business may suffer.

We began shipping 2.5-inch form factor hard disk drives for the mobile market during calendar year 2004 and expect to ship 1.0-inch hard disk drives in the second half of calendar year 2005. Although many of our customers who purchase 3.5-inch form factor hard disk drives also purchase the 2.5-inch form factor drives, the markets are characterized by different competitors, different sales channels and different overall requirements. If we are unable to adapt to these differences, we would have a competitive disadvantage to companies that are successful in this regard, and our business and financial results could suffer. In addition, if we incur significant costs in manufacturing and selling the 2.5-inch and sub-2.5-inch form factor hard disk drives, and if we are unable to recover those costs from sales of the products, then we may not be able to compete successfully in this market and our operating results may suffer.

Selling to the retail market is an important part of our business, and if we fail to maintain and grow our market share or gain market acceptance of our retail products, our operating results could suffer.

We sell our retail-packaged products directly to a select group of major retailers such as computer superstores and CE stores, and authorize sales through distributors to other retailers. Our current retail customer base is primarily in the United States, Canada and Europe. We are facing increased competition from other companies for shelf space at major retailers, which could result in lower gross margins. If we fail to successfully maintain our market share in North America, our operating results may be adversely affected. In certain markets, we are trying to grow market share, and in the process may face strong competition, which could result in lower gross margins. We will continue to introduce new products in the retail market that incorporate our disk drives. There can be no assurance that these products gain market acceptance, and if they do not, our operating results could suffer.

To develop new products, we must maintain effective partner relationships with our major component suppliers.

Under our business model, we do not manufacture any of the component parts used in our hard disk drives, other than heads. As a result, the success of our products depends on our ability to gain access to and integrate parts that are “best in class” from reliable component suppliers. To do so, we must effectively manage our relationships with our major component suppliers. We must also effectively integrate different products from a variety of suppliers, each of which employs variations on technology, which can impact, for example, feasible combinations of heads and media components. In August 2003, we settled litigation we were engaged in with a supplier who previously was the sole source of read channel devices for our hard disk drives. As a result of the disputes that gave rise to the litigation, our profitability was at risk until another supplier’s read channel devices could be designed into our products. Similar disputes with other strategic component suppliers could adversely affect our operating results.

Dependence on a limited number of qualified suppliers of components and manufacturing equipment could lead to delays, lost revenue or increased costs.

Because we depend on a limited number of suppliers for certain hard disk drive components and manufacturing equipment, an increase in the cost of such components or equipment, an extended shortage of required components or equipment, failure of a key supplier’s business process, or the failure of key suppliers to remain in business, adjust to market conditions, or to meet our quality, yield or production requirements could significantly harm our operating results. Our future operating results may also depend substantially on our suppliers’ ability to timely qualify their components in our programs, and their ability to supply us with these components in sufficient volumes

to meet our production requirements. A number of the components that we use are available from only a single or limited number of qualified outside suppliers, and may be used across multiple product lines. In addition, some of the components (or component types) used in our products are used in other devices, such as mobile telephones and digital cameras. If there is a significant simultaneous upswing in demand for such a component (or component type) from several high volume industries, resulting in a supply reduction, or a component is otherwise in short supply, or if a supplier fails to qualify or has a quality issue with a component, we may experience delays or increased costs in obtaining that component. For example, the hard disk drive industry is currently facing a tightness in the availability of media (rotating magnetic disks) components. We may experience production delays if we are unable to obtain the necessary components or sufficient quantities of components. If a component becomes unavailable, we could suffer significant loss of revenue.

To reduce the risk of component shortages, we attempt to provide significant lead times when buying these components. As a result, we may be subject to cancellation charges if we cancel orders, which may occur when we make technology transitions. In addition, we may enter into contractual commitments with certain component suppliers in an effort to increase and stabilize the supply of those components, and enable us to purchase such components at favorable prices. These commitments may require us to buy a substantial number of components from the supplier or make significant cash advances to the supplier.

In addition, certain equipment we use in our manufacturing or testing processes is available only from a limited number of suppliers. Some of this equipment uses materials that at times could be in short supply. If these materials are not available, or are not available in the quantities we require for our manufacturing and testing processes, our ability to manufacture our products could be impacted, and we could suffer significant loss of revenue.

A fundamental change in recording technology could result in significant increases in our operating expenses and could put us at a competitive disadvantage.

Currently the hard disk drive industry uses giant magnetoresistive head technology, which allows significantly higher storage capacities than the previously utilized thin-film head technology. However, the industry is developing new recording technologies that may enable greater recording densities than currently available using magnetoresistive head technology, including perpendicular, current perpendicular-to-plane, and tunneling junction technology. If the industry experiences a fundamental shift in recording technology, hard disk drive manufacturers would need to timely adjust their designs and processes to accommodate the new technology in order to remain competitive. As a result, we could incur substantial costs in developing new technologies, media, and tools to remain competitive. We may also become more dependent on suppliers to ensure our access to components that accommodate the new technology. These results would increase our operating costs, which may negatively impact our operating results.

We experience additional costs and risks in connection with our head manufacturing operations.

Our vertical integration of head manufacturing has resulted in a fundamental change in our operating structure, as we are now manufacturing heads for use in the hard disk drives we manufacture. Consequently, we make more capital investments than we would if we were not vertically integrated and carry a higher percentage of fixed costs than assumed in our prior financial business model. If the overall level of production decreases for any reason, and we are unable to reduce our fixed costs to match sales, our head manufacturing assets may face under-utilization that may impact our results of operations. We are therefore subject to additional risks related to overall asset utilization, including the need to operate at high levels of utilization to drive competitive costs, and the need for assured supply of components, especially hard disk drive media, that is optimized to work with our heads.

In addition, we may incur additional risks, including:

•

we may not have sufficient head sources in the event that we are unable to manufacture a sufficient supply of heads to satisfy our needs;

	•	third party head suppliers may not work with us or may not work with us on the same terms and conditions we have previously enjoyed;

	•	we may be subject to claims that our manufacturing of heads may infringe certain intellectual property rights of other companies; and

	•	it may be difficult and time-consuming for us to locate suitable manufacturing equipment for our head manufacturing processes and replacement parts for such equipment.

If we do not adequately address the challenges related to our head manufacturing operations, our ongoing operations could be disrupted, resulting in a decrease in our revenue or profit margins and negatively impacting our operating results.

If we are unable to timely and cost-effectively develop heads with leading technology and overall quality, our ability to sell our products may be significantly diminished, which could materially and adversely affect our business and financial results.

As a result of our head manufacturing operations, we are developing and manufacturing a substantial portion of the heads used in the hard disk drives we manufacture. Consequently, we are more dependent upon our own development and execution efforts and less able to take advantage of head technologies developed by other head manufacturers. There can be no assurance, however, that we will be successful in timely and cost-effectively developing and manufacturing heads for products using perpendicular recording technology, or other future technologies. We also may not achieve acceptable manufacturing yields using such technologies necessary to satisfy our customers’ product needs, or we may encounter quality problems with the heads we manufacture. In addition, we may not have access to external sources of supply without incurring substantial costs. If we fail to develop new technologies in a timely manner, or if we encounter quality problems with the heads we manufacture, and if we do not have access to external sources of supply that incorporate new technologies, we would have a competitive disadvantage to companies that are successful in this regard, and our business and financial results could suffer.

We have two high-volume hard-drive manufacturing facilities and two facilities supporting our head manufacturing operations, which subjects us to the risk of damage or loss of any of these facilities.

Our hard disk drives are manufactured in facilities in Malaysia and in Thailand. In addition, we operate a head wafer fabrication and research and development facility in Fremont, California and a slider fabrication, head gimbal assembly, head stack assembly, and research and development facility in Thailand. A fire, flood, earthquake or other disaster, condition or event that adversely affects any of these facilities or our ability to manufacture could result in a loss of sales and revenue and harm our operating results.

Manufacturing our products abroad subjects us to numerous risks.

We are subject to risks associated with our foreign manufacturing operations, including:

	•	obtaining requisite United States and foreign governmental permits and approvals;

	•	currency exchange rate fluctuations or restrictions;

	•	political instability and civil unrest;

	•	transportation delays or higher freight rates;

	•	labor problems;

	•	trade restrictions or higher tariffs;

	•	exchange, currency and tax controls and reallocations;

	•	increasing labor and overhead costs; and

	•	loss or non-renewal of favorable tax treatment under agreements or treaties with foreign tax authorities.

Because we manufacture our products abroad, our operating costs are subject to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. Further fluctuations in the exchange rate of the Thai Baht, a floating currency, or a determination by the Malaysian government to repeg the Malaysian Ringgit or convert it to a floating currency, could result in an increase in our operating costs, which may negatively impact our operating results.

We have attempted to manage the impact of foreign currency exchange rate changes by, among other things, entering into short-term, forward exchange contracts. However, those contracts do not cover our full exposure and can be canceled by the issuer if currency controls are put in place. As a result of the Malaysian currency controls, we are no longer hedging the Malaysian currency risk. Currently, we hedge the Thai Baht, Euro and British Pound Sterling.

There has been a trend toward a weakening U.S. dollar relative to most foreign currencies. If this trend continues, the U.S. dollar equivalents of unhedged manufacturing costs could increase because a significant portion of our production costs are foreign-currency denominated. Conversely, there would not be an offsetting impact to revenues since revenues are substantially U.S. dollar denominated.

If we fail to qualify our products with our customers, they may not purchase any units of a particular product line, which would have a significant adverse impact on our sales.

We regularly engage in new product qualification with our customers. To be considered for qualification, we must be among the leaders in time-to-market with our new products. Once a product is accepted for qualification testing, failures or delays in the qualification process can result in our losing sales to that customer until the next generation of products is introduced. The effect of missing a product qualification opportunity is magnified by the limited number of high volume computer manufacturers, most of which continue to consolidate their share of the PC market. If product life cycles continue to be extended due to a decrease in the rate of areal density growth, we may have a significantly longer period to wait before we have an opportunity to qualify a new product with a customer, which could harm our competitive position. These risks are increased because we expect cost improvements and competitive pressures to result in declining gross margins on our current generation products.

The hard disk drive industry is highly competitive and can be characterized by rapid shifts in market share among the major competitors.

The price of hard disk drives has fallen over time due to increases in supply, cost reductions, technological advances and price reductions by competitors seeking to liquidate excess inventories or attempting to gain market share. In addition, rapid technological changes often reduce the volume and profitability of sales of existing products and increase the risk of inventory obsolescence. These factors, taken together, may result in significant and rapid shifts in market share among the industry’s major participants. In addition, product recalls can lead to a loss of market share, which could adversely affect our operating results.

Our current competitors or a future competitor may gain a technology advantage that we cannot match.

It may be possible for our current or future competitors to gain an advantage in product technology, manufacturing technology, or process technology, which may allow them to offer products or services that have a significant advantage over the products and services that we offer. Advantages could be in capacity, performance, reliability, serviceability, or other attributes. If we are unable to match these technology advantages due to the proprietary nature of the technology, limitations on process capability or other factors, we could be at a competitive disadvantage to those competitors.

Advances in magnetic, optical, semiconductor or other data storage technologies also could result in competitive products that have better performance or lower cost per unit of capacity than our products. If these products prove to be superior in performance or cost per unit of capacity, we could be at a competitive disadvantage to the companies offering those products.

The nature of our business and our reliance on intellectual property and other proprietary information subjects us to the risk of significant litigation.

The hard disk drive industry has been characterized by significant litigation. This includes litigation relating to patent and other intellectual property rights, product liability claims and other types of litigation. Litigation can be expensive, lengthy and disruptive to normal business operations. Moreover, the results of litigation are inherently uncertain and may result in adverse rulings or decisions. We may enter into settlements or be subject to judgments that may, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

We are currently evaluating notices of alleged patent infringement or notices of patents from patent holders. We also are a party to several judicial and other proceedings relating to patent and other intellectual property rights. If claims or actions are asserted against us, we may be required to obtain a license or cross-license, modify our existing technology or design a new non-infringing technology. Such licenses or design modifications can be extremely costly. In addition, we may decide to settle a claim or action against us, which settlement could be costly. We may also be liable for any past infringement. If there is an adverse ruling against us in an infringement lawsuit, an injunction could be issued barring production or sale of any infringing product. It could also result in a damage award equal to a reasonable royalty or lost profits or, if there is a finding of willful infringement, treble damages. Any of these results would likely increase our costs and harm our operating results.

Our reliance on intellectual property and other proprietary information subjects us to the risk that these key ingredients of our business could be copied by competitors.

Our success depends, in significant part, on the proprietary nature of our technology, including non-patentable intellectual property such as our process technology. Despite safeguards, to the extent that a competitor is able to reproduce or otherwise capitalize on our technology, it may be difficult, expensive or impossible for us to obtain necessary legal protection. Also, the laws of some foreign countries may not protect our intellectual property to the same extent as do the laws of the United States. In addition to patent protection of intellectual property rights, we consider elements of our product designs and processes to be proprietary and confidential. We rely upon employee, consultant and vendor non-disclosure agreements and contractual provisions and a system of internal safeguards to protect our proprietary information. However, any of our registered or unregistered intellectual property rights may be challenged or exploited by others in the industry, which might harm our operating results.

We depend on our key personnel and skilled employees.

Our success depends upon the continued contributions of our key personnel and skilled employees, many of whom would be extremely difficult to replace. Worldwide competition for skilled employees in the hard disk drive industry is intense. Volatility or lack of positive performance in our stock price may adversely affect our ability to retain key personnel or skilled employees who have been granted stock options. If we are unable to retain our existing key personnel or skilled employees, or hire and integrate new key personnel or skilled employees, our operating results would likely be harmed.

Our prices and margins are subject to declines due to unpredictable end-user demand and oversupply of hard disk drives.

Demand for our hard disk drives depends on the demand for systems manufactured by our customers and on storage upgrades to existing systems. The demand for systems has been volatile in the past and often has had an exaggerated effect on the demand for hard disk drives in any given period. As a result, the hard disk drive market has experienced periods of excess capacity, which has led to intense price competition. If intense price competition

occurs, we may be forced to lower prices sooner and more than expected, which could result in lower revenue and gross margins.

Our failure to accurately forecast market and customer demand for our products could adversely affect our business and financial results.

The hard disk drive industry faces difficulties in accurately forecasting market and customer demand for its products. The variety and volume of products we manufacture is based in part on these forecasts. If our forecasts exceed actual market demand, or if market demand decreases significantly from our forecasts, then we could experience periods of product oversupply and price decreases, which could impact our financial performance. If our forecasts do not meet actual market demand, of if market demand increases significantly beyond our forecasts, then we may not be able to satisfy customer product needs, which could result in a loss of market share if our competitors are able to meet customer demands.

We also use forecasts in making decisions regarding investment of our resources. For example, as the hard disk drive industry transitions from the PATA interface to the SATA interface, we may invest more resources in the development of products using the SATA interface. If our forecasts regarding the replacement of the PATA interface with the SATA interface are inaccurate, we may not have products available to meet our customers’ needs.

In addition, although we receive forecasts from our customers, they are not obligated to purchase the forecasted amounts. We consider these forecasts in determining our component needs and our inventory requirements. If we fail to accurately forecast our customers’ product demands, we may have inadequate or excess inventory of our products or components, which could adversely affect our operating results

Loss of market share with a key customer could harm our operating results.

A majority of our revenue comes from a few customers. For example, during the third quarter of 2005, one customer, Dell, accounted for more than 10% of our revenue, and sales to our top 10 customers, including Dell, accounted for 45% of revenue. These customers have a variety of suppliers to choose from and therefore can make substantial demands on us, including demands on product pricing and on contractual terms, which often results in the allocation of risk to us as the supplier. Even if we successfully qualify a product with a customer, the customer generally is not obligated to purchase any minimum volume of products from us and is able to terminate its relationship with us at any time. Our ability to maintain strong relationships with our principal customers is essential to our future performance. If we lose a key customer, or if any of our key customers reduce their orders of our products or require us to reduce our prices before we are able to reduce costs, our operating results would likely be harmed. In addition, if customer pressures require us to reduce our pricing such that our gross margins are diminished, we could decide not to sell our products to a particular customer, which could result in a decrease in our revenue.

Environmental costs could harm our operating results.

We may be subject to various state, federal and international laws and regulations governing the environment, including those restricting the presence of certain substances in electronic products and making producers of those products financially responsible for the collection, treatment, recycling and disposal of certain products. Such laws and regulations have been passed in several jurisdictions in which we operate, including various European Union member countries. For example, the European Union has enacted the Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (“RoHS”). RoHS prohibits the use of certain substances, including lead, in certain products, including hard disk drives, put on the market after July 1, 2006. Similar legislation may be enacted in other locations where we manufacture or sell our products. We will need to ensure that we comply with such laws and regulations as they are enacted, and that our component suppliers also timely comply with such laws and regulations. If we fail to timely comply with such legislation, our customers may refuse to purchase our products, which would have a materially adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We could incur substantial costs in connection with our compliance with such environmental laws and regulations, and we could also be subject to governmental fines and liability to our customers if we were found to be in violation of these laws. If we have to make significant capital expenditures to comply with environmental laws, or if we are subject to significant capital expenses in connection with a violation of these laws, our financial condition or operating results could suffer.

We are subject to risks related to product defects, which could result in product recalls and could subject us to warranty claims in excess of our warranty provisions or which are greater than anticipated due to the unenforceability of liability limitations.

We warrant our products for up to five years. We test our hard disk drives in our manufacturing facilities through a variety of means. However, there can be no assurance that our testing will reveal latent defects in our products, which may not become apparent until after the products have been sold into the market. Accordingly, there is a risk that product defects will occur, which could require a product recall. Product recalls can be expensive to implement and, if a product recall occurs during the product’s warranty period, we may be required to replace the defective product. In addition, a product recall may damage our relationship with our customers, and we may lose market share with our customers, including our OEM customers.

Our standard warranties contain limits on damages and exclusions of liability for consequential damages and for negligent or improper use of the products. We record an accrual for estimated warranty costs at the time revenue is recognized. We may incur additional operating expenses if our warranty provision does not reflect the actual cost of resolving issues related to defects in our products. If these additional expenses are significant, it could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In addition, some of our competitors are offering more favorable warranty terms on certain products that compete with our products. If we change our warranty policy in response to competitive pressures, it could result in increased warranty expenditures, which could negatively affect our operating results.

Some of our customers have adopted a subcontractor model that increases our credit risk and could result in an increase in our operating costs.

Some of our OEM customers have adopted a subcontractor model that requires us to contract directly with companies that provide manufacturing services to our OEM customers. Because these subcontractors are generally not as well capitalized as our direct OEM customers, this subcontractor model exposes us to increased credit risks. Our agreements with our OEM customers may not permit us to increase our product prices to alleviate this increased credit risk. Any credit losses we may suffer as a result of this increased risk would increase our operating costs, which may negatively impact our operating results.

Terrorist attacks may adversely affect our business and operating results.

The continued threat of terrorist activity and other acts of war or hostility, including the war in Iraq, have created uncertainty in the financial and insurance markets and have significantly increased the political, economic and social instability in some of the geographic areas in which we operate. Acts of terrorism, either domestically or abroad, could create further uncertainties and instability. To the extent this results in disruption or delays of our manufacturing capabilities or shipments of our products, our business, operating results and financial condition could be adversely affected.

Our failure to timely and efficiently transition our enterprise resource planning software from the version we currently use to a new version could adversely affect our business and financial results.

We use enterprise resource planning software in the operation of our business and maintenance of business and financial data related to our daily operations. We are in the process of upgrading this software and we anticipate transitioning to new enterprise resource planning software during the next year. We may experience unexpected difficulties in transitioning to the new software, including difficulties related to the failure or inefficient operation of

the new software. Such difficulties or failures could result in our inability to access business and financial information stored on the system or the loss of such information. Any inability to access, or loss of, such information could affect our daily operations, including our ability to ship products and invoice our customers, which could have a significant adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Inaccurate projections of demand for our product can cause large fluctuations in our quarterly results.

We often ship a high percentage (at times in excess of 50%) of our total quarterly sales in the third month of the quarter, which makes it difficult for us to forecast our financial results prior to the end of the quarter. In addition, our quarterly projections and results may be subject to significant fluctuations as a result of a number of other factors including:

	•	the timing of orders from and shipment of products to major customers;

	•	our product mix;

	•	changes in the prices of our products;

	•	manufacturing delays or interruptions;

	•	acceptance by customers of competing products in lieu of our products;

	•	variations in the cost of components for our products;

	•	limited availability of components that we obtain from a single or a limited number of suppliers;

	•	competition and consolidation in the data storage industry;

	•	seasonal and other fluctuations in demand for PCs often due to technological advances; and

	•	availability and rates of transportation.

Rapidly changing market conditions in the hard disk drive industry make it difficult to estimate actual results.

We have made and continue to make a number of estimates and assumptions relating to our consolidated financial reporting. The rapidly changing market conditions with which we deal means that actual results may differ significantly from our estimates and assumptions. Key estimates and assumptions for us include:

	•	accruals for warranty costs related to product defects;

	•	price protection adjustments and other sales promotions and allowances on products sold to retailers, resellers and distributors;

	•	inventory adjustments for write-down of inventories to lower of cost or market value (net realizable value);

	•	reserves for doubtful accounts;

	•	accruals for product returns;

	•	accruals for litigation and other contingencies; and

	•	reserves for deferred tax assets.

The market price of our common stock is volatile.

The market price of our common stock has been, and may continue to be, extremely volatile. Factors such as the following may significantly affect the market price of our common stock:

	•	actual or anticipated fluctuations in our operating results;

	•	announcements of technological innovations by us or our competitors which may decrease the volume and profitability of sales of our existing products and increase the risk of inventory obsolescence;

	•	new products introduced by us or our competitors;

	•	periods of severe pricing pressures due to oversupply or price erosion resulting from competitive pressures;

	•	developments with respect to patents or proprietary rights;

	•	conditions and trends in the hard disk drive, data and content management, storage and communication industries; and

	•	changes in financial estimates by securities analysts relating specifically to us or the hard disk drive industry in general.

In addition, general economic conditions may cause the stock market to experience extreme price and volume fluctuations from time to time that particularly affect the stock prices of many high technology companies. These fluctuations often appear to be unrelated to the operating performance of the companies.

Securities class action lawsuits are often brought against companies after periods of volatility in the market price of their securities. A number of such suits have been filed against us in the past, and should any new lawsuits be filed, such matters could result in substantial costs and a diversion of resources and management’s attention.

We may be unable to raise future capital through debt or equity financing.

Due to the risks described herein, in the future we may be unable to maintain adequate financial resources for capital expenditures, expansion or acquisition activity, working capital and research and development. We have a credit facility, which matures on September 19, 2008. If we decide to increase or accelerate our capital expenditures or research and development efforts, or if results of operations do not meet our expectations, we could require additional debt or equity financing. However, we cannot ensure that additional financing will be available to us or available on acceptable terms. An equity financing could also be dilutive to our existing stockholders.


Item 3.	*QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK*

Disclosure About Foreign Currency Risk

Although the majority of the Company’s transactions are in U.S. dollars, some transactions are based in various foreign currencies. The Company purchases short-term, forward exchange contracts to hedge the impact of foreign currency fluctuations on certain underlying assets, liabilities and commitments for operating expenses and product costs denominated in foreign currencies. The purpose of entering into these hedge transactions is to minimize the impact of foreign currency fluctuations on the results of operations. The resulting impact from these hedge contracts is to offset a majority of the currency gains and losses in the Company’s local currency operating expenses. The contract maturity dates do not exceed six months. The Company does not purchase short-term forward exchange contracts for trading purposes. Currently, the Company focuses on hedging its foreign currency risk related to the Thai Baht, Euro, and British Pound Sterling.

As of April 1, 2005, the Company had the following purchased foreign currency forward exchange contracts outstanding (in millions, except weighted average contract rate):


	April 1, 2005
	Contract		Weighted Average		Unrealized
	Amount		Contract Rate*		Gain (Loss)
Foreign currency forward contracts:
Thai Baht	$	148.9		38.98	$	0.1
Euro	$	3.9		0.77		—
British Pound Sterling	$	1.2		0.53		—

Expressed in units of foreign currency per dollar.

During the three and nine month periods ended April 1, 2005 and March 26, 2004, total realized transaction and forward exchange contract currency gains and losses were not material to the condensed consolidated financial statements.

Disclosure About Other Market Risks

Variable Interest Rate Risk

At the option of the Company, borrowings under the Senior Credit Facility would bear interest at either LIBOR (with option periods of one to three months) or a base rate, plus a margin. If LIBOR or the base rate increases, the Company’s interest payments could also increase. At April 1, 2005 the Company had a $50 million term loan outstanding under the Senior Credit Facility. A one percent increase in the variable rate of interest on the Senior Credit Facility would increase interest expense by approximately $0.5 million annually.


Item 4.	*CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES*

The Company maintains disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in the Company’s reports filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms and that such information is accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management, including its Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow for timely decisions regarding required disclosure. In designing and evaluating the disclosure controls and procedures, management recognizes that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives and management is required to apply its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible controls and procedures.

As required by SEC Rule 13a-15(b), the Company carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of the Company’s management, including the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based on the foregoing, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective to provide reasonable assurance that the Company would meet its disclosure obligations.

There has been no change in the Company’s internal controls over financial reporting during the Company’s most recent fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal controls over financial reporting.

PART II. OTHER INFORMATION


Item 1.	*LEGAL PROCEEDINGS*

Refer to Part I, Item 1, Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements, Note 8 “Legal Proceedings” included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q which is hereby incorporated by reference.


Item 2.	*UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS*

(c) The following table provides information about repurchases by the Company of its common stock during the quarter ended April 1, 2005:


						Total Number of		Maximum Value of
						Shares Purchased as		Shares that May Yet
	Total Number					Part of Publicly		be Purchased
	of Shares			Average Price		Announced		Under the
	Purchased			Paid per Share		Program		Program(1)
January 1, 2005 — January 28, 2005		16,681	(2)	$	10.84		—	$	60,918,212
January 29, 2005 — February 25, 2005		—		$	—		—	$	60,918,212
February 26, 2005 — April 1, 2005		—		$	—		—	$	60,918,212

Total		16,681		$	10.84		—	$	60,918,212

	(1)		On May 5, 2004, the Company announced that its Board of Directors had authorized the Company to repurchase up to $100 million of the Company’s common stock in open market transactions. The program does not have an expiration date.

	(2)		Represents shares delivered by an employee to the Company to satisfy tax-withholding obligations upon the vesting of restricted stock.

The Company’s $125 million credit facility prohibits the Company from paying cash dividends on its common stock.


Item 6.	*EXHIBITS*


Exhibit No.		Description

3.1		Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Western Digital Corporation, filed with the office of the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on April 6, 2001 (Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 1-08703), as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 6, 2001)

3.2		Certificate of Amendment of Certificate of Incorporation of Western Digital Corporation, filed with the office of the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on January 8, 2002 (Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-8 (File No. 333-107227), as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 22, 2003)

3.3		Amended and Restated By-laws of Western Digital Corporation, adopted as of May 19, 2004 (Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K (File No. 1-08703), as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 14, 2004)

10.23.1		Second Amendment to Lease, dated as of April 6, 2004, between Trinet Essential Facilities XXVI, Inc. and Western Digital Technologies, Inc.†

10.23.2		Third Amendment to Lease, dated as of March 1, 2005, between Trinet Essential Facilities XXVI, Inc. and Western Digital Technologies, Inc.†

10.30		Western Digital Corporation Amended and Restated 2004 Performance Incentive Plan (Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-8 (File No. 333-122475), as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 2, 2005)*

10.30.6		Form of Notice of Grant of Performance Share Awards and Performance Share Award Agreement under the Western Digital Corporation 2004 Performance Incentive Plan†*

10.32		Summary of Compensation Arrangements for Named Executive Officers and Directors†*

31.1		Certification of Principal Executive Officer Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002†

31.2		Certification of Principal Financial Officer Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002†

32.1		Certification of Chief Executive Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002†

32.2		Certification of Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002†

†		New exhibit filed with this Report.

*		Compensation plan, contract or arrangement required to be filed as an exhibit pursuant to applicable rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.


		WESTERN DIGITAL CORPORATION Registrant


		/s/ Stephen D. Milligan

		Stephen D. Milligan Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer)


		/s/ Joseph R. Carrillo

		Joseph R. Carrillo Vice President and Corporate Controller (Principal Accounting Officer)

Date: May 5, 2005

EXHIBIT INDEX


Exhibit No.		Description

3.1		Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Western Digital Corporation, filed with the office of the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on April 6, 2001 (Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 1-08703), as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 6, 2001)

3.2		Certificate of Amendment of Certificate of Incorporation of Western Digital Corporation, filed with the office of the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on January 8, 2002 (Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-8 (File No. 333-107227), as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 22, 2003)

3.3		Amended and Restated By-laws of Western Digital Corporation, adopted as of May 19, 2004 (Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K (File No. 1-08703), as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 14, 2004)

10.23.1		Second Amendment to Lease, dated as of April 6, 2004, between Trinet Essential Facilities XXVI, Inc. and Western Digital Technologies, Inc.†

10.23.2		Third Amendment to Lease, dated as of March 1, 2005, between Trinet Essential Facilities XXVI, Inc. and Western Digital Technologies, Inc.†

10.30		Western Digital Corporation Amended and Restated 2004 Performance Incentive Plan (Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-8 (File No. 333-122475), as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 2, 2005)*

10.30.6		Form of Notice of Grant of Performance Share Awards and Performance Share Award Agreement under the Western Digital Corporation 2004 Performance Incentive Plan†*

10.32		Summary of Compensation Arrangements for Named Executive Officers and Directors†*

31.1		Certification of Principal Executive Officer Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002†

31.2		Certification of Principal Financial Officer Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002†

32.1		Certification of Chief Executive Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002†

32.2		Certification of Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002†

†		New exhibit filed with this Report.

*		Compensation plan, contract or arrangement required to be filed as an exhibit pursuant to applicable rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Positive
Negative
Uncertain
Constraining
Legalese
Litigous
Readability	H.S. freshman Good

Western Digital (WDC) 10-Q2005 Q3 Quarterly report

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