New 7200 6.8g Fireball with GMR released. Check out the pricing: <<Quantum's Fireball Plus KX features capacity points up to 27.3GB. Estimated retail pricing for the 27.3GB drive is $399.>>
Quantum Corporation Builds On Time to
Market and Reliability Leadership With
Fireball Plus KX, A New 6.8GB Per Disk,
7,200 RPM Hard Disk Drive
Quantum capitalizes on its Fireball CX platform development model by delivering high performance and reliability
MILPITAS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 7, 1999-- Building on the success of its Fireball(TM) CX hard disk
drive, Quantum Corporation (NMS: QNTM) today announced the addition of the Fireball Plus KX to its award-winning
Fireball product line. The 6.8GB per disk, 7,200 RPM disk drive features Quantum's exclusive Shock Protection System
(SPS(TM)) and Data Protection System (DPS) the Ultra ATA/66 interface for faster throughput and improved data
integrity, as well as giant magnetoresistive (GMR) heads to achieve leading areal density.
Fireball Plus KX drives are currently shipping for OEM qualifications and will be in volume production by the end of
June. Leading the way for The Fireball Plus KX 7,200 RPM drive, the Fireball CX 5400 RPM product is already
qualified by six of the top 10 leading personal computer OEMs, with all 10 expected to take volume shipments by the
end of June.
Taking advantage of its fully-automated and proven manufacturing process, Quantum took a lead position in
transitioning its Fireball desktop drives to GMR heads. Using the successful introduction of the Fireball CX (6.8GB per
disk, 5,400 RPM) drive as its GMR platform, Quantum and manufacturing partner Matsushita-Kotobuki Electronics
Industries Ltd. (MKE) have seamlessly transferred their GMR head expertise to the Fireball Plus KX. This move has
allowed Quantum to achieve higher areal density with the Fireball Plus KX, in keeping with the increased per-disk
capacity needs of desktop PC users.
''The Fireball Plus KX combined with the currently shipping Fireball CX allows Quantum to effectively satisfy the
needs of our customers with a full range of desktop system offerings,'' said John Gannon, president, Hard Disk Drive
Group (HDDG) at Quantum. ''A broad capacity range and leadership on key attributes such as reliability and
time-to-market enable Quantum to continue its number one position in the desktop market.''
Industry-leading reliability and data integrity are bolstered by the Data Protection System (DPS) and Quantum's
exclusive Shock Protection System (SPS) - both technologies that are resident on the Fireball Plus KX. The drive also
incorporates the S.M.A.R.T. System and 224-bit double-burst error correction on-the-fly. With the availability of the
Fireball Plus KX, Quantum now offers a full range of hard disk drives with coverage for entry-level to
high-performance users.
Hewlett-Packard cited the Fireball family's reliability as one of the key reasons it will use the Fireball Plus KX in its
systems. ''Providing our Vectra customers with the best possible systems is our top priority,'' said Emilio Ghilardi, HP
commercial PC product line manager. ''The Quantum Fireball Plus KX disk drive will be a critical component in
meeting this objective.''
The high performance of the Fireball Plus KX is also achieved by the Quantum-developed and patented, high-speed
Ultra ATA/66 interface, which delivers enhanced data integrity through improved timing margins and the use of Cyclical
Redundancy Check (CRC) -- a data protection scheme that helps assure the integrity of transferred data. The Ultra
ATA/66 hard drive interface is supported by Intel Corp. and eight of the world's largest PC manufacturers.
The 3.5-inch Quantum Fireball Plus KX, with an average seek time of 8.5ms, brings workstation-level performance to
the desktop with optimum capacities of 6.8GB, 10.2GB, 13.6GB, 20.5GB, and 27.3GB. The drive is based on
Quantum's Fireball platform extension architecture, which directly benefits customers by allowing faster qualification,
higher ramp velocity, and higher confidence in reliability.
Pricing
Quantum's Fireball Plus KX features capacity points up to 27.3GB. Estimated retail pricing for the 27.3GB drive is
$399.
About Quantum
Founded in 1980, Quantum Corporation (www.quantum.com) is a diversified mass storage company committed to
achieving customer satisfaction through high quality and reliability. Quantum is the highest volume global supplier of
hard disk drives for personal computers, a leading supplier of high capacity hard drives and the worldwide revenue
leader among all classes of tape drives. Quantum sells a broad range of storage products to OEM and distribution
customers worldwide. Quantum's sales for the fiscal year ending March 1999 were $4.9 billion.
Quantum Corp., 500 McCarthy Blvd., Milpitas, Calif. 95035, www.quantum.com, 408-894-4000
The foregoing statements regarding future technology, products incorporating that technology, estimated product
performance, availability and price, and the impact of the new products on Quantum and the market and are forward
looking statements and actual results could vary. Factors which could affect actual results include the ability to
successfully integrate new technology into products in a cost-effective manner, the ability to successfully manufacture
and distribute new products at sufficient volume, quality and reasonable cost, the timing of new product introductions,
competition, and the significant uncertainty of market acceptance of new products.
Quantum and the Quantum logo are trademarks of Quantum Corporation, registered in the United States and other
countries. Quantum Fireball and SPS are trademarks of Quantum Corporation. |
