News:
Iomega's new 10GB multiple capacity tape drive breaks performance
barriers to provide ultimate PC insurance; Ditto Max provides
unprecedented 5 second file access, backs up four times faster than
previous Iomega tape drives
Business Wire - June 17, 1997 08:10
IOMEGA IOM %NEW-YORK %CALIFORNIA %COMED %COMPUTERS %ELECTRONICS %PRODUCT
%TRADESHOW V%BW P%BW
PC EXPO
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 17, 1997--Iomega Corporation (NYSE:IOM) today announced the Ditto
Max multiple capacity tape backup drive, Iomega's fastest and most cost-effective tape backup solution.
Redefining tape drive performance, the Ditto Max drive offers a file backup system that allows access to
selected files in as little as five seconds and backs up four times faster than existing drives.
Ditto Max grows with consumers' changing storage requirements by offering multi-capacity support.
Incorporating the unique OmniTray universal cartridge tray, it supports Ditto Max 3.5, 5, 7 or 10 gigabyte
compressed capacity cartridges(1).
With unprecedented speed, the Ditto Max drive can back up as much as 1GB of stuff on a personal hard drive
in as little as 30 minutes -- four times faster than existing drives. Consumers simply click on the `1-Step' icon
and continue working while Ditto Max backs up their valuable files in the background, or it can be
programmed to perform a backup in the user's absence.
Not available with other tape drives, Iomega's unique Flash!File storage provides a special location that
allows users five-second access of up to 150MB of specified files.
Ideal for the small office/home office (SOHO), remote corporate users and consumers, Ditto Max is a portable,
flexible and easy-to-use tape backup system that allows consumers to quickly safeguard everything kept on
their PCs, such as presentations, applications, databases, graphics files, photos and financial information.
"Desktop users now require a more powerful set of product attributes when adding secondary storage," said
Crawford Del Prete, vice president, IDC Storage Research. "Ditto Max delivers a high level of value, flexibility
and performance -- all keys to expanding the target customer set."
Expected to be available worldwide in the fourth quarter 1997, the Ditto Max drive will have an estimated U.S.
street price of $299 for the external and internal versions. Utilizing its own tape technology, Iomega will offer
four different capacity cartridges for the Ditto Max drive which will provide storage solutions for a range of
home and business applications.
The estimated street prices in the U.S. for Ditto Max cartridges are as follows: $20 for the Ditto Max 3.5GB
cartridge; $25 for the 5GB Ditto Max cartridge; $30 for the 7GB Ditto Max cartridge; and $35 for the 10GB(1)
Ditto Max cartridge.
Providing a strong combination of retail availability, marketing strength and technical expertise, Verbatim
Corp. and other tape manufacturers plan to manufacture and sell Ditto Max tape cartridges utilizing Iomega's
cost-saving format. Iomega will manufacture Ditto Max drives and market drives and cartridges under the
Iomega Ditto Max brand name.
Ditto Max Backup Features
"With the tremendous growth projected for the SOHO market and the expanding hard disk capacity of PCs,
customized capacity and flexible tape backup solutions are becoming critical requirements, especially for
consumers without corporate IS support," said Michael L. Joseph, worldwide director of Iomega's Ditto
business marketing.
"Ditto Max meets consumers' increased need for flexible, inexpensive and easy-to-use insurance to safeguard
all the important files on their PCs."
Ditto Max offers the same benefits as Iomega's other Ditto products, while adding a variety of enhanced
features designed to make it even easier for SOHO, remote corporate users and consumers to protect their
important information:
-- Customized Capacity: Four different capacity Ditto Max cartridges, utilizing Iomega's own tape technology,
let users choose the size that best meets their backup requirements: 3.5GB compressed (1.75GB native
capacity), 5GB compressed (2.5 native capacity), 7GB compressed (3.5GB native capacity) and 10GB
compressed (5GB native capacity).
-- High Performance and Speed: Ditto Max offers unprecedented performance, four times the speed of existing
drives, and can back up as much as 1GB in just 30 minutes. New Flash!File storage allows users five-second
average access of up to 150MB of files stored in the cartridge's Flash!File space.
-- Disaster Protection: FullBack system recovery software restores the entire contents of a PC in as little as
three easy steps and requires just two floppies and one tape cartridge.
-- 1-Step Backup: Offering true 1-step point-and-click backup, a single click of the mouse on the 1-step icon
backs up amended information added to the hard drive while the user keeps on working. Ditto Max can also
be programmed to backup without the user being present.
-- Ditto Tools NT: When converting an office environment over to the new Windows NT operating system,
Ditto Tools NT software addresses critical backup needs including software compression, scheduling of
unattended backups, high speed backups and compatibility with Windows 95 files. Ditto Tools NT is
available through catalog distribution for an estimated street price of $19.95 in the U.S.
-- Sleek and Quiet: Ditto Max features a new sleek look and feel, including a OmniTray universal cartridge tray
which slides out at the touch of a button to load or eject a tape cartridge, similar to the operation of a
CD-ROM drive. This unique design dramatically reduces the noise level during backup.
-- Backward Compatibility: Ditto Max is specifically designed to read and write Ditto Max 3.5, 5, 7 and 10 GB
compressed capacity cartridges. The OmniTray will also read Mini, QIC EXtra, Travan and XL tape cartridges,
including QIC 3010, TR-2, Ditto 2GB, QIC 3020, MC 3020 EXtra, TR-3 and TR-3 EXtra.
-- Extensive Software Compatibility: Ditto Max is compatible with Microsoft Windows NT, Windows 95,
Windows 3.1 or higher, DOS, Novell and Lantastic.
Full Line of Ditto Products
A recognized leader in the tape backup market, Iomega makes a complete line of award-winning tape backup
solutions ranging in compressed capacity from 2GB to 10GB that allow consumers to easily and quickly
backup the contents of their hard drive by saving and protecting their important files.
The Ditto family has attained the number one retail marketshare position in the U.S. according to PC Data Inc.
and has received numerous media accolades, including Mobile Computing and Communications' "Best
Product of the Year/ Peripherals" for 1997 (Ditto 2GB), PC World's Best Buy award (Ditto 2GB, Ditto Easy
3200), HomePC's "Best Buy" award (Ditto 2GB) and FamilyPC's "Recommended" award (Ditto 2GB).
Ditto Max products will be demonstrated at PC Expo in Iomega's booth no. 3934 at the Jacob Javits Center in
New York.
Iomega Corporation provides personal computer storage solutions that help people manage their computer
stuff -- anywhere. These solutions include: Zip drives and disks; Jaz one-gigabyte drives and disks; and Ditto
tape backup drives and tape cartridges. Used in homes, business, government and education, and by creative
professionals, Iomega storage solutions are available through computer retail stores, resellers and major
distributors.
The Company can be reached at 800/MY-STUFF (800/697-8833) or on the world wide web at
iomega.com .
(1) All cartridge capacities indicated are compressed. Four different capacity Ditto Max cartridges are
available: 3.5GB compressed (1.75GB native capacity), 5GB compressed (2.5GB native capacity), 7GB
compressed (3.5GB native capacity) and 10GB compressed (5GB native capacity). Compressed capacities
assume a 2:1 ratio. Actual compression will vary with file and hardware configuration. Files which are already
compressed will not further compress.
Special note: Statements concerning the expected availability and pricing of Ditto Max products in the fourth
quarter of 1997 are forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause
actual events to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements including market
acceptance of, and demand for, the Company's drive and removable tape products, manufacturing,
development and distribution issues, product pricing, competition, intellectual property rights and other risks
identified in Iomega's prospectus filed in June 1996, its annual report for 1996 on Form 10K, and its most
recent quarterly report on Form 10Q filed with the SEC.
Note to Editors: Iomega, Jaz, and the Iomega logo are registered trademarks of, and Zip, Ditto, Ditto Max,
Flash!File, OmniTray and FullBack are trademarks of, Iomega Corporation. Microsoft is a registered trademark
of, and Windows NT is a trademark of, Microsoft Corporation. All other product and brand names are the
property of their respective companies.
CONTACT: Iomega Corporation
A. Cory Maloy, 801/778-3712
maloy@iomega.com
Susan T. Stillings, 801/778-3585 (Investor Relations)
stilling@iomega.com
or
Copithorne & Bellows
Alison Evans, 415/284-5200
alison.evans@cbpr.com
REPEATS: New York 212-752-9600 or 800-221-2462; Boston 617-236-4266 or
800-225-2030; SF 415-986-4422 or 800-227-0845; LA 310-820-9473
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