Not only are HDDs following in the footsteps of economies worldwide, we now hear that WD and Seagate will cut their HDD warranties.

Seagate allegedly sent a letter to distributors, where it said that warranties will be cut on December 31, 2011. WD, on the other hand, is planning for a “policy change” on January 2, 2012.

Apparently, Seagate’s Nearline, Barracuda XT and Momentus line warranty coverages will drop from 5 to 3 years, whereas some desktop and notebook bare drivers will drop from 5 to 1 year. As for WD, its Caviar Blue, Caviar Green and Scorpio Blue drives’ warranties will go down from 3 to 2 years for drives shipped after the date.

More here.