Final answer:
D Lower cost. The characteristic that applies to magnetic drives (HDDs) when compared to solid-state drives (SSDs) is lower cost. HDDs use a spinning disk and are less expensive per gigabyte, but SSDs have advantages in durability and power consumption.
Step-by-step explanation:
The characteristic that applies to magnetic drives compared to solid-state drives (SSDs) is lower cost. Magnetic drives, also known as hard disk drives (HDDs), utilize a coated spinning disk and a read/write head that reads and writes data using magnetic fields. Historically, the readout of data from HDDs relied on the principle of induction. However, today, a technology known as giant magnetoresistance (GMR) is used instead. GMR is crucial for the functionality of modern HDDs and represents an important success of nanotechnology.
Comparing HDDs to SSDs, HDDs are cheaper on a per-gigabyte basis, thus providing a lower cost storage solution. However, SSDs are more durable, consume less power, and offer higher capacities in the high-end consumer market. SSDs store data on flash memory, which has no moving parts, making them less susceptible to physical shock and wear than HDDs, which rely on mechanical parts.
In terms of durability and power consumption, SSDs outperform HDDs. So, if a user's priorities are better durability and lower power consumption, an SSD would be the appropriate choice. If cost is the main concern and the user requires large amounts of storage, an HDD might be more suitable.