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

To: Gary Wisdom who wrote (45403)	1/24/1998 5:58:00 PM
From: John P. Henrie	Respond to of 58324

Re: Gary Sorry about the margin call. There is definitely the question of whether the management team that took IOM from $120 million to $1 billion can take IOM to a multi-billion dollar company (alot more than $2 billion). This last quarter and conference call (they both stunk) strongly suggest that the possibility of a management change, at one or more levels, should be evaluated by the board. John

To: Gary Wisdom who wrote (45403)	1/24/1998 5:58:00 PM
From: Rocky Reid	Respond to of 58324

Carpet Bombing continues CBS just aired the airplane Zip ad. Can they keep this pace up for the whole year? Suddenly, $100MM doesn't seem like enough! As one that works in this field all the time, I feel the ad is technically well done, however: 1. If you don't know what a Zip is, it doesn't tell you. 2. The main jist was "storage." But storage of what? 3. The CGI "Zip" thingy at the end was cool, but they should show it on a computer box like Intel does with some of their ads. As if to say--"make sure the computer you buy has this sticker on it." 4. I could get it confused with a Fed Ex commercial, if just watching it casually. Don't ask me how.

To: Gary Wisdom who wrote (45403)	1/24/1998 6:15:00 PM
From: jwk	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 58324

>> There is no doubt KE did a horrible job at the CC << GW - As someone who gave KE a lot of credit going into the CC....... and who also stressed the importance of comments in the CC over the numbers, I'm with you on your assessment of it. >> You people that worship KE need to learn a little more about business. The job of the CEO is to both run the company and maximize shareholder value. << Replace worship with respect, and I'm with you on this, too. It is one thing to take and maintain a position of not sacrificing a strong, long term business foundation for short term stock price support , but it is quite another to mishandle the CC the way KE did. While I don't use options or margins myself, I see no reason why investors who do were hung out to dry (at best) by the tone and nature of the comments. You can tell it like it is without telling it like he did. Unacceptable. At this point, my hope is that the ad campaign - coupled with strategic price reductions - makes our current feelings on this topic a moot point in the near future. Long and longing........jwk

To: Gary Wisdom who wrote (45403)	1/25/1998 10:33:00 AM
From: Ray Dash	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 58324

IOM4Q1997: KE takes a fall Q: What was the one thing that IOM investors have known for the past few quarters? A: Even with production problems (shutdown of line) and parts supply problems, IOM ALWAYS beats the number by a hair. Until this quarter, when with 10s of MILLIONS of extra dollars going to SG&A, reserves, etc., IOM misses the est. by ONE penny in what is the strongest quarter of the year. This is a small investor setup folks. The institutions wanted in, but not at what they felt was a reasonable price. They wanted a discount price. IOM needs the institutions in to stabilize the price which is dominated by traders. The options just created by the split are not attractive without price stabilization. Yes all tech stock prices fluctuate but the quality companies don't fluctuate this much. Just look at Sept. through Jan. Its like a roller coaster. Why didn't the institutions get in earlier. Too risky-- the stock-- as everyone knows-- was discovered by the little people and traders. But they wanted in now that IOM's market dominance has been established. Who do you think shorted 1.5 million shares in after hours to bring the price down 30%? Who do you think was waiting in the wings on Friday to spend ONE HALF OF A BILLION DOLLARS for IOM stock? Small investors recognizing a bargain when they saw it?? LOL Hardly. They were the ones doing the selling. Now you know why KE was different in this CC, compared with ALL of the others. Oldtimers know this-- he has always been very well composed, and conservative. He knew what he was supposed to say and didn't like it one bit. He is proud of what he has done as he should be. In the 3rd Quarter conf. call he was quite enthusiastic. He knew 4 Q would be good. And it was. Too good. Asian "problem"-- 80% growth? This man is not stupid, he knew better--- he just couldn't say-- it wasn't part of the script. Delay in Jaz 2 due to "problems" right before its ready to be released? You don't do quality checks at the door. They learned this one from the Jaz platter problem. Maybe there was a problem somewhere along the line, but it was taken care of before the press release. They simply weren't going to be able to hide the revenue. Discussing a major Ad campaign as a last ditch effort (he definitely overplayed the part here) when all the major computer players-- INTC,MSFT etc.-- have been advertising like crazy for the last year and half. Come on now, this ad campaign finally classifies IOM as a major corporate player. He knows that, but the CC wasn't supposed to sound optimistic. Tie ratio? We've had those fluctuations all the time. Yes, OEM drives are not money-makers but the purpose has been to get inside the box. He says this every Q, and the low tie ratios were expected. Watch for them to bounce back in Q1 as all of the newbies go get their ten pack. One disk at a time?-- I don't think so. American's buy in bulk to save money--and ten packs are the best deal. AGAIN-- this has happened before. Folks, when you miss you don't miss by a penny. Not with this kind of cash flow. I've read EVERYTHING written here and on the SI board since earnings and listened to the CC twice-- not so much for content-- there was nothing meaningful-- but for tenor. IOM's stock price has been a rodeo, but the company itself since KE came on board has been nothing short of remarkable given the difficult tech market and the amazing growth it has experienced. KE is a professional-- but he is just one person. There were larger forces at work this quarter. We think we know how the world of Wall Street works, but when it happens that way we "can't understand." Poorer, wiser but rational, Ray

To: Gary Wisdom who wrote (45403)	1/27/1998 10:55:00 PM
From: Mike M	Respond to of 58324

Gary- <<Of course, as the person Truff agreed with, I have to heartily disagree with you (Mike) on this one. And, to keep the conversation unemotional, here is my reasoning:>> Thanks, for your opinion and your lesson on business ..Didn't turn out to be unemotional and yet seemed to be not without logic.... To set the record straight I don't know KE and certainly do not "worship" him....but I know a little of the history of KE & of this company. I do know that he took a rechargeable battery company from zero to #1 in the business in 4 years. I know he took on this company, while they were in chapter 11, turned off the spigot on the new storage products ready to ship and, after an exhaustive market analysis, set the course for the development of the ZIP and JAZZ.... << Product delays, component shortages, and quality control are all part of operations. Iomega gets a big fat F for all three.>> Your understanding of business is, at best, somewhat Pollyana(ish).... Any time a company is pushing the envelope in technology, as is Iomega, there are going to be disappointments. We have seen it with MSFT, with INTC, with IBM, and we have seen it with IOM....Stuff happens and any time it does, guys left holding the stock scream foul! A law suit would seem to me to be very frivolous, particularly so, for an "expert" technician such as yourself. I have been investing for about 30 years now and believe that in each investment "you pay your money and you take your chances"....Squawking like a stuck hog just because things didn't work out when and how you wanted it is just so much sour grapes. How about taking the responsibility by recognizing you were in the wrong place at the wrong time...and let it go at that! Regards, Mike