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

To: Gary Wisdom who wrote (41417)	12/23/1997 4:14:00 PM
From: Leo J. Capobianco, DO	Respond to of 58324

.Computer Buyer's Guide and Handbook 1998 Preview One part of the magazine has a detailed article about the coming technological trends in 1998 in a number of different categories. One of the categories is called "Removable Storage Revelations" and reads like a advertisement for the Zip Drive here is the excerpt... >>>>REMOVABLE STORAGE REVELATIONS One thing is certain in 1998 in removable storage~the 3.5-inch 1.44MB floppy drive will definitely still be around. It may have small capacity. It may be slow. But you can be sure that everyone is going to have a drive for your disks, and the disks will be dirt cheap. At the same time, you have plenty of alternatives. Look for Zip drives to increase their market penetration, providing a viable alternative to the meager floppy, especially if prices drop for the 100MB disks. Zip's market share will also be boosted by companies building Zip drives to fit into the modular bays of popular laptops, and the multitude of companies beginning to offer Zip drives built into desktop machines. If the worst part of the Zip phenomenon has been the slow access time via the parallel port, these speedier, internal drives will make Zip more of a popular option. Digital's Bellemare believes, "The Zip drive is really going to take off in 1998. We'll offer them first as an option, but then integrate them into the unit." Zip definitely seems to have gotten the jump on the ballyhooed but seldom seen LS-120. The LS-120 looks much the same as a traditional 3.5-inch floppy disk, yet can store 120MB of information. Its distinct advantage over Zip is that an LS- 120 drive can also read traditional disks. However, it has a decided disadvantage in that Zip already has a huge installed user-base. History has shown us that a removable storage device does not have to be backward-compatible to succeed---consider the triumph of 3.5-inch over 5.25-inch disks. The longer manufacturers wait to roll out LS-120 in products, the more likely it is to be stillborn in the face of wide Zip-drive adoption. The LS-120 technology was de-veloped by Compaq Computer Corporation, Matsushita-Kotoboki Industries, Ltd. (MKI), 3M, and OR Technology, the parent company of Optics Research, Inc. As for CD-ROM, it certainly has life left in it before DVD, or digital versatile disc (also called digital video disc) goes mainstream. Teac will offer an internal 32X CD-ROM drive for about $149. "But that's pretty much as fast as it's going to get," said Teac spokesperson Rolly Going. "However, while speed may be topping off; innovation isn't. We'll also be offering an internal six-disc 24X CD-ROM drive, and a 4x 12 CD-R drive," Going added. Will CDs catch on as the rewritable medium of choice? That's still debatable. Certainly, multimedia authors and digital video developers will appreciate the ability to pop 650MB onto a CD. Average users will probably continue to prefer the 100MB Zip rewritable. DVD should make some key market inroads in 1998. Systems are already available with DVD-ROM drives installed that can show full-screen, full-motion feature films as well as some pretty intense multimedia games. Industry pundits think DVD may penetrate as many as 15 million homes in 1998. Digital's Bellemare is a little more conservative. "It really depends on how much the cost drops. You should start seeing it really take off in the second half of the year, but not before."<<<<<

To: Gary Wisdom who wrote (41417)	12/23/1997 4:38:00 PM
From: Kevin D'Espies	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 58324

Took your advice and didn't sell. Have to tomorrow, (there should be a good rally around 1:15) Let's hope a morning runup to 13 happens. (it is real strange writing these small numbers, I much prefer the 30's) I like the positive spin you put on todays's action. There was a good number of buys on the board, but someone had a lot to sell at 5/8. Sure wish someone could find out and tell us who it was.