Re: Would LS-120 be a hit if there were no Zip
Tom Carroll said:
"Do you agree with me that, if there
had never been a Zip drive, the
LS-120 might well have driven the
1.44MB floppy to extinction all by
itself?"
Well, I don't think so, for the simple reason that it is backward compatible, and that would make it easier for people to continue using the old (1.44) media.
Actually, I wonder whether the Zip can really supplant the old-style floppies either. The fact is, often one only needs to copy a couple of small files. And many useful software packages fit on only a couple of diskettes. So I don't know why I would want to use a Zip disk for those instances, considering it costs so much more. I know Iomega plans to reduce the cost of Zip disks, but they certainly won't get below a dollar each. So I think I will continue to use both floppies and Zips (and Jaz disks!) for some time to come. And I suspect many other computer users will do the same.
Certainly, if I were using an LS-120 drive, I would continue to use 1.44 floppies as well.
Does this mean I would rather have one LS-120 drive that handles both 1.44 MB and 120 MB disks? No way. Can't dig the slower speed of the LS-120, now that I've used the Zip. Also, I can put BOTH a Zip and a floppy drive into a computer for less than the cost of one LS-120 drive. (What are LS-120 disks going for, anyway?)
I know someone is going to tell me that if speed is important to me I should buy an EZ drive. But most of the people I know are using Zip drives. So compatibility with them comes into play. The Zip has just the right combination of speed, compatibility (with the majority of my friends in both computer nerd and art communities), size and durability of media to work for me.
As an investor, I'd be thrilled to see the Zip replace the floppy completely, but I just don't see it happening. Not within less than two years, anyway. I could easily be wrong, though.
- Allen Murdock |
