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

To: Rocky Reid who wrote (48005)	2/16/1998 9:13:00 PM
From: Richard V Davis	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 58324

As an infrequent poster and long time follower of Iomega I must ask a question which has been bothering me since the ruling came out concerning the disks. Is it not a potential positive that other companies will be/are making ZIP format disks? As far as I know, the things will only work in Iomega drives. Imagine 5 or 20 companies producing and advertising ZIP disks, then advertising Jazz disks. I understand that having others make disks will hurt Iomega's revenues but I believe that it may in the long term be a positive. Ok now tell me how wrong I am. Rick

To: Rocky Reid who wrote (48005)	2/16/1998 9:15:00 PM
From: Naggrachi	Respond to of 58324

SYQT should be experienced in that area, since Nomai has screwed then for the last couple of years. As to the rest of your post, what good is it if genuine Zip media costs less and your drive doesn't need repairs in a couple of weeks. Furthermore, SYQT is doing so fine why would they waste their time with crappy Zip media? From what I gather, they have their hands full figuring out SparQ. Zead

To: Rocky Reid who wrote (48005)	2/16/1998 9:29:00 PM
From: RockiReid	Respond to of 58324

Re : "The real worry ... a bigger player like Syquest" ; LOL Nomai can put its $ on the table (because it makes some) and its SE is probably greater. You'd do better buying some of it rather then throwing more good after bad with SYQT.

To: Rocky Reid who wrote (48005)	2/16/1998 9:48:00 PM
From: Cogito	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 58324

>>The real worry isn't little Nomai, but a bigger player like Syquest who could start spitting out Zip clone discs in much larger numbers than little Nomai.<< Rocky - SyQuest is not really a big player. Their revenues are less than a tenth of Iomega's. They are concentrating all their resources on trying to build enough SparQ drives to stay afloat. It's their first true hit product in years, and the company is riding on its success. SyQuest isn't even talking about Quest now, but instead says that they will concentrate on SparQ. The machines used to make Zip disks are very expensive, and not available widely. SyQuest can't afford one, and couldn't get it if they wanted it. Now before you say that Zip is Iomega's only hit product and their whole company is riding on it, let me say it for you. It's basically true. (I would submit that Jaz has done very well, in selling more than a million units. That Jaz unit total is far greater than that of any SyQuest product ever.) The big difference is that Zip is already well established in the marketplace, and Iomega can already produce enough drives to satisfy the million-unit-per-month demand. - Allen

To: Rocky Reid who wrote (48005)	2/16/1998 9:51:00 PM
From: Michael Coley	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 58324

RE: Competition from Knock-Offs? Look at Intel. I just read Jim Cramer's story about getting caught with a ton of Intel options on expiration day when the stock was halted due to this news: "Judge rules in AMD's favor in 486 suit. Intel to lose monopoly". Intel took quite a beating in the short term, but Cramer was quick on his feet and came out ahead. thestreet.com I couldn't help think about Iomega as I read the story. Although I don't think Nomai will win the case, it's certainly possible that they will or that someone will in the future. But will that really make a difference? Did it with Intel? Did they go out of business? Did the knock-off processor steal the market? Nope. Intel survived, and has become one of the most profitable companies in the computer industry. The knock-off companies are still around, but hold a very small percent of the market. Also, $1000 invested in Intel back then would be worth MANY times that now. I think we're holding stock in an incredible company, and that we'll be richly rewarded over the years for our investment. - Michael Coley - wwol.com

To: Rocky Reid who wrote (48005)	2/17/1998 3:57:00 AM
From: Lurker	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 58324

<<The real worry isn't little Nomai, but a bigger player like Syquest who could start spitting out Zip clone discs in much larger numbers than little Nomai. Syquest also has much better brand recognition than anyone else, save Iomega. How does this possibility grab you-- "Now On Sale At CompUSA...Syquest Z-Disc 100MB discs."? >> How are they going to make these disks? Only Iomega and Noumai own machines that can make zip disks. Iomega has a judgement agreement with the manufacturer of these machines (which are also patented) not to sell to anyone besides Iomega w/o Iomega's permission. Noumai's capacity is 10 million disks per year with the machines they already have. Disk sales are expected to increase from 100 million to 200 million this year. 1. Noumai, even if they sell all of their disks, will have a very little impact on Zip disk sales. 2. No one else can purchase a Zip disk making machine. Therefore, they won't be able to make any. Therefore, they won't be able to sell any. Mike