Quote:
[rant]

So a 4GB thumb drive sells for $70 or less, yet an IDE 16GB 2.5" form Flash Drive sells for in excess of $1000.

[/rant]

The number of people that will want to buy the flash drive with an IDE interface is much less than the number of people that want to buy the USB version. The manufacturers know this and since they also know you're going to be using it in specialised applications, they're going to charge you lots.