In 1986, when the 1.44 was introducted, the floppy was the primary storage device for most people. Thus any increase in size was useful across a wide range of applications (installation, backup, transfer). High capacity portable rewritable storage is simly not as useful today as the floppy was 10 years ago. Thus, the demand is lower.
The 2.88 mb floppy did not catch on for several reasons. Among them was the fact that, by the time it came around, the floppy was already being used less, decreasing the leverage potential of portable storage.
As for the rest of your post, where I say X and Y, you post X, ask me about Y, then post Y, then disagree with Y by repeating Y!!
X: "For most people, the only use for a floppy drive is an emergency backup and to read old floppies"
Y: "The Zip is *only* useful for transferring files where there is no network and backing up small data sets."
Ok, here's a challenge:
Show me evidence that the public is interested in installing programs via Zip rather than CD-Rom. Show me evidence that corporations are interested in installing programs via Zip rather than networks.
Show me evidence that the corporations are interested in transferring files inter-office via zip rather than networks.
Show me evidence that corporations are choosing Zips as backup devices instead of networks.
Show me evidence that consumers will mail each other 15 dollar zips to pass around files.
Show me evidence that laptop manufacturers will change the size of their cases to fit the 98mm zip disk (a floppy *drive* is 96mm, so the Zip drive will have to be, what, 100 mm?)
The market for removable storage is limited. Claims of the wonderful happy future all the Iomegans will share together notwithstanding, I've not actually read anything here to believe that the Zips will become standard. |
