Thepurposeofdevelopingsuchdevices is to usethe characteristics of opticalbistability in a multi-ring or ring-arraystructuretoachieveall-opticalstorage.
In the not-too-distant future, the choice between multi- and single-purpose devices may be less stark than it has been, as some single-use devices have been adopting the technical features and approaches of the app-based devices in order to stay relevant.