Trends in the main application area of rare earth permanent magnets, d
ata storage, are presented with the focus on miniaturization. Three ex
amples of magnet applications, a CD-lens actuator, two spindle motors
and the voice coil motor of hard disk drives, are discussed in detail
and a brief sketch of other application areas is given. With respect t
o material properties we will focus on magnetization, high temperature
use, shaping and shape integrity.