Hi Ben -
Fall Comdex is being held November 17-21 in Las Vegas. The Fall show is typically where a lot of new product is introduced, just ahead of the holiday buying season.
BTW - some more comments on the SparQ rumors - Sun Microsystems had (still has?) a product called the Sparq workstation - exact same spelling. This also made me suspicious because of obvious trademark infringement issues. On the other hand, maybe Syquest is just going to litigate full time.
One possibility, however, would be a drastic media repricing for the Syjet, or, more likely, introduction of a lower density (i.e. 1GB) media sold in three packs for $99. It is possible that the Syjet firmware already supports lower density (it was originally unveiled as a 1.3GB device - but upgraded to 1.5GB solely through firmware changes). In the worst case, a trivial firmware update might be released to support a lower (maybe even higher) density media. This strategy would protect (and please) the existing user base, while greatly extending the appeal of the Syjet product.
I also find it hard to believe that the run-up is solely a result of the Sparq rumors. My guess is there are some grand expectations for near break-even earnings.
Can't wait for the next news release.
Regards to all,
Joe |
