Patent # 2135508, application date July 8, 1986 good until 2006. Marv said this is a basic patent that should help recover money for media that go into the increasing number of things like this.
Philips Electronics to Ship 10 Million CD-ReWritable Drives in First Two Years
LAS VEGAS, Nov. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Philips Electronics today announced that it expects to ship as many as 10 million CD-ReWritable (CD-RW) drives worldwide in the first two years since delivering its first CD-RW drive in September 1997.
"Rapid adoption and growth of CD-RW as the data interchange solution of choice in PC and other entertainment environments has created a fantastic market opportunity for the optical storage industry in general," said Mikel Dodd, President of Philips Optical Storage. "We are very pleased to report that Philips has established itself as the leading manufacturer of CD-RW devices."
Philips, through its Business Group Optical Storage, manufactures CD-RW drives in Belgium and Hungary and supplies OEM and retail channels worldwide.
Industry estimates show that CD-RW shipments will grow from 7 million units in 1998 to more than 15 million next year. At this rate, CD-RW is expected to set new records for initial market adoption in the removable storage industry.
"CD-RW is the undisputed solution for universal data interchange," Dodd added. "It is the perfect convergence product that allows users to easily migrate between data, audio and video applications in computers and consumer electronic products. CD-RW is the best platform because it is based on proven CD technology and offers access to a worldwide installed base of more than 650 million CD audio players and 200 million CD-ROM devices.
"Users have made it clear that they want a single removable storage product that offers read, write and rewrite functionality," he said. "Since CD-RW drives were introduced two years ago, our industry has faced supply limitations due to tremendous market demand. We're doing everything possible to produce increased quantities of CD-RW drives to meet customer demand."
Philips is proceeding with plans to collaborate with Mitsumi Electric Company, Ltd. of Japan on the development, manufacturing and marketing of optical storage products. Announced last June, the first drives to be produced under this agreement are expected to reach the market in the first half of 1999.
Philips Optical Storage, a Business Group of Royal Philips Electronics, develops and manufactures industry-leading optical storage products for sale through OEM channels worldwide. Its product lines include drives, subassemblies and components related to Audio and Video CD, CD-ROM and CD-RW technologies. Philips Optical Storage conducts extensive product development activities in Belgium, the Netherlands, Singapore, China and the United States, and operates manufacturing facilities in Belgium, Hungary, Malaysia and China.
Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands is one of the world's biggest electronics companies, with sales of over $39 billion in 1997. It is a global leader in color television sets, lighting, home telephony products, electric shavers and recorded music (PolyGram). Its 255,000 employees in more than 60 countries are active in the areas of lighting, consumer products, components, semiconductors, and professional products and services. Philips is quoted on the NYSE, London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and other stock exchanges. News from Philips is located at news.philips.com
SOURCE Philips Electronics
CO: Philips Electronics
ST: Nevada
IN: CPR
SU:
11/16/98 14:15 EST prnewswire.com |
