Quantum Corporation`s Hard Disk Drive Group has announced the new FireballT lct20 (4500 RPM, 12ms seek) developed for daily users of consumer and entry-level commercial applications. The new drive, like its widely accepted predecessor, the Fireball lct15, addresses the real-world needs of end-users - reliability, acoustics, and price points that fit into today`s sub-$1,000 PCs.
Designed with fewer components than previous product generations, the Fireball lct20 consumes less power and generates less heat: conditions that lead to significant increases in reliability. Using optimized mechanics and Quiet Drive Technology (QDT), the Fireball lct20 generates 27 decibels of sound power at idle - equivalent to a person whispering - and less than 30 decibels in seek mode.
With more than 90 million drives shipped, Fireball is the largest seller of all time
Meeting customer and end-user needs has been the driving force behind the millions of Fireball drives that have shipped to all worldwide PC manufacturers including Acer, Apple, Compaq, Dell, eMachines, Fujitsu/Siemens, Gateway, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, NEC, and Samsung. Quantum has been the desktop market share leader for the last six calendar years, selling 10 percent more units than the closest competitor, according to statistics published in May 2000 by International Data Corporation (IDC), a leading data storage market research firm. Quantum has sold more than 90 million Fireball drives since the line was introduced in 1995, making it the industry`s top selling brand of all time.
"The Fireball lct family has exceeded the high-quality expectations set by our customers," says Pierre Brunswick, Quantum Regional Sales Manager, Eastern Europe and M.E.A.
"We have seen significant reductions in integration fallout and field returns due to the design elements that have been engineered into this line. As a result, the Fireball lct has received outstanding quality recognition from our OEM and distribution customers and has passed on significant reliability benefits to end-users."
Fireball lct 20 features
The Fireball lct20 features the recently announced Quantum developed Ultra ATA/100 interface for improved data integrity and faster data transfer rates. The drive also features QDT, DPS, and SPS II for superior shock and non-operating shock protection.
Pricing and availability
Estimated suggested retail pricing for the 40 GB Fireball lct20 is US$259 (local pricing at current exchange rate). Initial OEM shipments of the 3.5-inch drive are scheduled to begin in August. The drive is available in optimum capacities of 10 GB, 20 GB, 30 GB, and 40 GB. A new 20 GB, 7200 RPM performance desktop drive will be available from Quantum in the next calendar quarter. The Quantum Fireball lct 20 will be available from Memtek Component Distribution (www.memtek.co.za), Quantum`s authorized distributors in South Africa.
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Quantum
Founded in 1980, Quantum Corporation (www.quantum.com) is the world`s leading storage supplier in six of the seven markets it serves: desktop hard disk drives, tape drives, network attached storage (NAS) appliances, solid state systems, hard disk drives for the emerging personal video recorder (PVR) market, and DLTtapeT automation systems. Quantum is also a leading supplier of high-end hard disk drives. In 1999 Quantum became the first Silicon Valley company to issue tracking stock, replacing its existing common stock with the ticker symbols DSS and HDD, which track the separate performance of the company`s DLT and Storage Systems and Hard Disk Drive businesses. Both stocks are traded on the New York Stock Exchange. Selling its products through OEM and distribution channels worldwide, Quantum`s sales for the fiscal year ending March 2000 were $1.4 billion for Quantum`s DLT and Storage Systems Group and $3.3 billion for Quantum`s Hard Disk Drive Group.
Quantum and the Quantum logo are trademarks of Quantum Corporation, registered in the United States and other countries. Fireball and DLTtape are trademarks of Quantum Corporation.
The foregoing statements regarding products incorporating the technology, product performance, availability and price, and the impact of the new products on Quantum and the market 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 and technology.