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Non-Tech : Any info about Iomega (IOM)? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Brian Heath who wrote (39666)	12/12/1997 10:41:00 PM
From: sheila rothstein	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 58324

Brian if you are so keen on Sony then buy the friggin stock. I think you analysis is wrong, however we shall see. I want you to check back with me on Jan 31st and we'll see who's right. I think IOM is a screaming BUY right now. I will chat with you the end of Jan. Still long and holding for a rise in price. We are in a technology revolution and IOM has the edge over Sony (Johnny come lately) SR

To: Brian Heath who wrote (39666)	12/12/1997 10:55:00 PM
From: Cogito	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 58324

Brian - Re: Sony Drive vs. Iomega's continuing health I don't think Staples salesmen are necessarily the very most knowledgable where PCs are concerned. But the fact that this guy know about the Sony drive makes me think that either a) he actually reads the trade press or b) Sony has done some serious promotion that I'm not aware of. In any case, I would not say that it's impossible for Sony's HiFD drive to become the new standard. But it is certainly still a matter of speculation only. Your Staples salesman is unlikely to have inside information on this. So far, there are NO PC manufacturers who have committed to supporting the Sony/Fuji drive, whereas ALL of the top 10 PC manufacturers include Zip in at least some models, and one of them, Micron, has taken the next step by committing to configure ALL of their Millennia systems with the Zip as drive A:. The backwards compatibility issue has been dealt with again and again. If backwards compatibility was the most compelling issue, then the LS-120 wouldn't be such a gigantic flop, and the Zip would not have sold more than 10 million in such a short time. Something Ken Pomeranski said on the subject of the 1.44MB floppy really impressed me. He said that there isn't going to be a single replacement for it; it has already been replaced by several different things. I believe he is correct in this. CD-ROMs have replaced floppy for the software-delivery function, for all but the smallest programs. Certainly almost nobody uses floppies for backups anymore. They use tape, MO, and various magnetic removable media. For sharing files which take up more space than 1.44MB, when there's a network connection available, people use that, and millions of them use Zips when there's no net. Where does this leave the floppy? Well, apparently AOL still needs them. Maybe I'm completely wrong. Maybe the Zip will die out as quickly as it sprang to life. But I'm not betting that way. I also happen to think that Clik has quite a bit of potential and that Jaz is not dead yet. Invest your money wherever you want, Brian. I'm staying long in Iomega. - Allen

To: Brian Heath who wrote (39666)	12/12/1997 11:20:00 PM
From: Spank	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 58324

Brian, I don't remember if it was on SI or over on MF, but someone posted that the sony drive has only written up to 60 Mb on that 200Mb of capacity. Now, Sony won't come out and say that, and I can't speak for the source, but I do recall that Kim Edwards made a comment that the Sony announcement was a technology announcement, not a PRODUCT announcement and that they (IOM) knew the kinds of difficulties Sony would have. My guess is that they have some. My experience is that computer sales people are full of beans. You might be interested in the MF posts by kiz100. It's fun reading and seems to be the kind of stuff you might enjoy-- lots of threatening technology and no reliable data sources. Tell me, though, whyever would you assume that a Zip collapse would doom Clik!? -Spank

To: Brian Heath who wrote (39666)	12/12/1997 11:46:00 PM
From: Reseller	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 58324

>>WOW! He said it like he knows something!<< Beware strange Staple's salesmen expounding prophecy. The Zip drive is the most sought after peripheral in the industry. Now that the OEM's holiday inventory needs have been satisfied we should see the BIG GUNS come out with a retail price of $99.00 or LESS after the holidays. Kind of looking for an announcement of 12 mil around the 18th or 19th before the split. Would like to see it the morning of the 19th, expiration Friday. Really turned my head when the Judge bought in. An elderly gent, most conservative, buying in ? ( Never liked the idea of a director not owning stock anyway. ) The Judge Knows ! Just finished buying back in after getting out during the run in the 30's. Glad to be back didn't think that I'd be getting in at these prices :))) Still selling lots of Zips. Reseller

To: Brian Heath who wrote (39666)	12/13/1997 1:11:00 AM
From: Dan Woodbury	Respond to of 58324

Brian, Let me be another computer user to chime in that backwards compatibility with the 1.44" floppy is not important. Some anectodal evidence: For the past 4 years I have carried around a packet of floppy disks that I used to use while in college. These disks basically contained my resume, some letters, some source code, simple DOS utilities and raw data. Last month, I realized that my kids had gotten their hands on these disks and obviously had fun with them. Then, just last week, I needed a tool to scrape ice and snow off my windshield. You know what I used? One of these floppies which I found in the car. Fact is, these disks had served their purpose and had become scrap. All useful data had been moved to at least 2 of my computers. If I want to move data around I use the network / modem. And, when I have a ton of data to move between home and work I use either a writable CDRom or a portable hard drive. Granted, the Zip is much more convenient than a writable CDRom or lugging around a portable hard drive. Consequently, I'll soon become a Zip consumer. As for storage space, Sony claims to have the advantage by storing 200MB vs the 100MB zip. I am very confident that Iomega has solved all the technical challenges of delivering a 200MB zip. When consumers will see it will be a marketing decision - perhaps one of KE's greatest strengths. Bottom line: no matter how many storage alternatives line up against the Zip, I believe Iomega will hold at least 85% market share.