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Computer peripherals industry

SyQuest Announces Breakthrough in Disk Drive Technology

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

SyQuest Technology has made a significant announcement at COMDEX Asia, unveiling the SQ1100, a 100 MB PC Card (PCMCIA) Type III removable hard cartridge drive, designed for notebook and laptop computers. This innovative solution offers a cost-effective alternative to traditional PC Card storage, with a single cartridge costing less than 50 cents per megabyte. The SQ1100 boasts a rugged and reliable design, featuring up to 2,000 Gs of shock resistance, with a mean time between failures (MTBF) of 250,000 hours. This device is poised to revolutionize the removable cartridge storage industry, with potential applications in digital photography, navigation, and software distribution.

Key Takeaways:

  • The SQ1100 offers a significant cost savings, with a cost of less than 50 cents per megabyte, compared to conventional PC Cards at $1.50/MB and flash memory at $40/MB.
  • The SQ1100 features a 25% increase in capacity over the award-winning SQ1080, with a cartridge capacity of 100 MB.
  • The device is designed for various applications, including easy notebook and laptop computer back up, navigation and mapping, software and database distribution, and digital photography.
  • The SQ1100 is a one-of-a-kind device, offering a unique removable-removable storage solution, with SyQuest as the price/performance and innovation leader in the industry.
  • SyQuest has shipped the SQ1080 to several OEM customers, with feedback indicating a demand for higher capacity and value pricing, leading to the development of the SQ1100.
  • The SQ1100 features Winchester technology, making it comparable to a standard hard drive in terms of speed.
  • Dataquest estimates that PC Card hard drive manufacturers will ship close to one million units in 1996, increasing to 12 million units by 1999, with SyQuest's SQ1100 poised to be a competitive offering in this market.

Statistics:

  • The cost of a single evaluation unit for the SQ1100 is $299 for a drive and one cartridge, with an additional cartridge costing $49 each.
  • The estimated number of PC Card hard drive shipments in 1996 is close to one million units.
  • The estimated number of PC Card hard drive shipments by 1999 is 12 million units.
  • The mean time between failures (MTBF) of the SQ1100 is 250,000 hours.
  • The drive can handle up to 2,000 Gs of shock without data loss, during non-operation, and up to 150 Gs of shock in operation.

Sources:

  • SyQuest Technology
  • COMDEX Asia
  • Chandran Cheriyan, product manager for the SQ1100
  • Randy Peterson, vice president of product marketing
  • Al Conte, product manager at Microtech International
  • Phil Devin, vice president and chief analyst for storage technology at Dataquest
  • Dataquest report, August 1995.

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