Iomega, with more than 24 million Zip and 2 million Jaz drives in use, is entering a new frontier of data storage this week with ZipCD, a CD-rewritable drive.
ZipCD, which will be demonstrated at PC Expo in New York, is a 24-speed read, 4-speed write and 4-speed rewritable drive targeted at high-end professionals and heavy users in need of permanent mass storage.
Officials said they have found customers like 100MB and 250MB Zip and 2GB Jaz drives for temporary storage but are turning to CD for archiving.
In for the long haul
"This is a long-term focused effort to commit to the optical business," said John Robinson, director of worldwide product management and marketing for Iomega's optical business in Longmont, Colo.
He said ZipCD is the first of a family of CD drives. The company plans to ship an external model in the fourth quarter.
Robinson said sales would focus on the PC "aftermarket." He would not elaborate on future OEM plans.
The product will come bundled with Iomega's QuikSync software as well as software from Adaptec for creating CDs.
The unit will be priced starting at $299 and be available in August at retailers and on the IomegaDirect site.
The news comes at a difficult time for Iomega, which last week warned of a second-quarter loss due to slack sales of its Zip and Jaz products. The company said it plans to cut 450 jobs and take a US$45 million charge.
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