Final answer:
The claim is false; disks are actually random access devices and tapes are sequential access devices, meaning data on disks can be directly accessed while tape data must be read in sequence.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement 'Disks are sequential access devices, whereas tapes are random access devices' is incorrect. The correct description is that disks are random access devices, while tapes are sequential access devices. Disk storage, such as hard drives and CDs, allow the read/write head to move to any part of the disk to retrieve data without having to go through data in a sequence. This contrasts with tape storage, where data must be accessed in the order it was written, much like a cassette tape where you have to fast forward or rewind to the location of the desired information. To use the CD example provided, CDs are actually read in a random access manner where the laser beam can be directed to any part of the disc surface without having to sequentially traverse the previous tracks.