|
|
|
|
Friday, November 21, 1997 Thursday, Iomega closed at $32, up $1 1/8 (+3.64%). TODAY'S RECAP: Comdex again took center stage on the message board yesterday, with the report from ~HeyKerry~ generating the most response -- his report was so long and detailed (with pictures and all) that he posted a website URL rather than the report itself. A few other posters chipped in their Comdex notes as well, rounding out the coverage of Iomega's new drive, clik! Other posters shared news regarding back orders at Ingram's, Iomega's recent 10-Q, competition from the Avatar Shark and Iomega's "clicking" clik! advertising. Enjoy! INDEX: Use the Search or Find feature of your word processor to locate the article number (Find: 1++, 3++, etc.) - or use AOL's Edit>>Find in Top Window Feature. If Find in Top Window is dimmed, just click on some text, anything, in the IOM Today window and try again.
1++ CayugaDan reports on Ingram's backorder status for SparQ, Jaz2 and
more.
Recap written by TMF Weekly; posts
compiled by TMF Weekly. As always, the following posts represent the thoughts of our contributors, not those of The Motley Fool.
And now, the Best of the Board...Started 7:01pm ET 11/19/97. 1+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Subject: SparQ backorder For Syquest, the backorder of SparQ is quite big. At Ingram, there are roughly 5,000 units backordered. That is extraordinarily high for a Syquest product. I will note that Jaz2, a product that costs 2 or 3 times as much has roughly 6,000 backordered. I'll also relate to y'all what a customer said about SparQ. This customer wants an archival device that'll hold roughly 1GB or so to store .... well.... mostly log files from an NT Server. He's ruled out PD, CD-R, magneto optical.. too flaky. Doesn't want to buy Jaz because of cartridge price. Will go through 1GB or so a month. At $50 or $60 a cartridge it would be OK. Ruled out Syjet because he knows someone who had one. That person had to send it back because of reliability problems.. and cartridges are pretty close to Jaz cartridges. I told him about SparQ, he got real excited until I told him it only came in IDE or parallel. the *&^(ing idiots... Syquest never gets things right! Scratch that. IMHO, the main market for Jaz right now, would not accept the performance that I expect out of SparQ.. if it works. On the other hand, IF Syquest can stay together financially (are they making anything on it?), and if the thing works well (haven't heard that it does YET) for what it is, I can see it being succesful product for certain consumers. BUT, I think the folks that buy it will have a low tie ratio...and they will need support. Again, from someone who has NOT tested the product personally. 2+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Subject: MY Comdex Report!! Here it is, my Comdex report! I went with my bud Bruce (Blifil) and he's gonna be posting his own report as well. It turned out long....toooo long to post here, espcially with all the pix links, so I put it on da web....here's the link -- http://look.net/welsh/comdex/ Comdex! Guaranteed you'll find some important IOM info in there that you haven't seen anywhere before. :-D Please excuse the typos..... ope you all enjoy it.... 3+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Subject: Re: Zip + clik! an alternative... << The amazing thing is the clik! DRIVE may be only a little bit thicker than a Zip disk if the drive height of 0.256in according to the spec is correct !!! Is this real? Think about it, unless Iomega published the clik! spec incorrectly or somehow I misread it, this whole drive with room to hold a clik! disk plus all the moving mechanism and electronics is only a tiny bit thicker than one quarter of an inch. (snip) >> No doubt, the current 15mm Laptop Zip together with a future clik! drive according to Spec. may comfortably fit inside the common One Inch Desktop PC Bay. No need to use the 12.7mm Zip drive. (snip) Ben has this good idea and wrote about it a few times: << I had the dream of the 12.7mm Zip and a Clik! drive in a single PC bay. >> Nice idea, but if I were Iomega, I'd be working to use the thinness of the Clik! drive to create a unit that would slide into the slot of a future Zip, drawing its power from the Zip, and using some of the Zip's chips, if possible, to keep the cost down. The motor and heads could remain in the Clik! satellite drive. Such a drive would effectively function as a caddy without the problems inherent in trying to share motor and heads with the Zip. I'd bet Iomega is looking at this, if they're as smart as I think they are. 4+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Subject: VISIT THIS FOR NEW 10-Q http://sec.yahoo.com/e/97/11/18/iom.html 5+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Subject: Re: MY (crummy b&w) Comdex Report!! Some Observations: I may be biased but IOM had the best buzz at Comdex. I didn't like the freak show, but it was packed when I got there at 10:30AM and packed again when I left the Center after 2 Talked to Licensees Reps at IOM booth. NEC guy was the most together and was talking 100,000-200,000 per month by January. I asked him to whom, and he said they were marketing their own computer division hard and other OEM's No real news there but good to see them at the IOM booth. We make fun of the marketing of the UHC-130 and the LS-120 but Panasonic calls the Zip the JU-811T Way to go Panasonic....CNF and VST say they are rocking, filling that back order. They say the IOM drives are testing 100% clik! dominated. Woman at the Hitatchi booth showed a handheld PC and held up a clik! mockup as the new storage option. clik! is so small and light, that you could velcro an external on it. Channel 3 News in Vegas showed the winners of the promotion where the kids wrote out their ideas on a Zip disk roaming around the IOM booth. Made it look like Iomega was Comdex. IMN was pushing the SuperDisk hard. Chocolate disks (burp) loaded with no failures. I saw quite a bit of interest in the drives and a very impressive list of OEM's but nothing compared to the six deep wall of humanity at the Zip Plus show. I felt bad for the SyQuest guy. His monitor actually read: Unable to locate the Iomega Drive.... They are positioning SparQ as Zip competition; and SyJet as the Graphics professional solution... I asked him why he didn't think SparQ would kill off the Jet and he sort of gave me the impression that the SparQ was better for the occaisional user.... I think they are making a mistake. He also tried to tell me about the great review in the WSJ assuming I hadn't read it... then he tried to pass it off as a promotional glitch. I have some buttons too: I don't want 'em so email me I've got a Hot Bod I've got protection I've gotta find a Bar I've gotta get outta this place I've got a yada yada yada ORB's it! (ugly too) 6+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Subject: Mason's at Comdex part 1 Before you read my comdex report an absolute must is to read Heykerry’s outstanding report posted on the web. Below is a warm up. I will post the balance some time tonight. Will also include our first hand report on the BB King Concert. I have obtained the "famed" Nomai disk in its retail package. On both sides of the paper sleeve approximately centered and printed in blue (sleeve inside the plastic box containing the disk) are the words "Compatible Zip Disks". On the front side is a round sticker approximately 3/4" in diameter indicating this is "for MS-DOS". On the reverse side we have the following: 100MB disk for use with Zip drive 100MB diskette fur Zip Laufwerke Disquette de 100 Mo pour lecteur Zip Dischetto da 100MB per l'unita Zip On the upper right hand corner printed vertically in small print are the following: "NOMAI is a registered trademark and Zip is a trademark of Iomega corporation" On this same side at bottom right corner we have the barcode with the numbers as 767524011003. Below that are the following: REORDER#XHD 100X1. On the disk label we have the following: XHD Compatible Zip Disks Zip is a trademark of Iomega corporation I will see if i can get you a scan or digital photo so all of you can see this. The disk does not have any screws or visible rivets. Furthermore, aside from the label there are no words, letters, or numbers on the disk other than XHD grooved into the label side. This is supposed to be a fully operational disk and does indeed contain the media or "cookie" as its called in the industry. Where IO has a prism like reflector, Nomai uses a small spooned shaped(as in the end half of a small spoon) totally silver coated reflector. Again hopefully we can show you a picture of this with a close up of the reflector. When you pick up your ID badge at the Comdex registration building you receive the Comdex Bible indicating who is exhibiting and where they are located. Nomai was in the press building, but not where the book indicated. The press building is one of two buildings located to the immediate front of the Convention center. If your company desires a press room, you can obtain one there. These are basically cubicles or small offices with a door. The following describes Nomai’s entire presence at the 97 Comdex. You walk in and towards the back wall immediately in front of you (left to right) is a standard banquet table with no covering. On this table was a small display of Nomai’s disks-no drives. The Zip disks anchored the display at the center of the table. They had several retail ten packs with a few individual packs in front of these. At the right of the table was a young woman sitting in a chair. In front of her and to our immediate right in the corner was a small round table where two men were having a discussion, one of which was the primary Nomai spokesperson. As we approached the display table( I was wearing a suit.) wearing a Zip,Ditto, Jaz tie that as far as I know can only be obtained at Roy, a Clik sticker on my right lapel,one of the yellow buttons on my left lapel and around our necks our ID badges in a complimentary Iomega disk holder and the Iomega "backstage" pass with the metal Clik disk attached; the woman got up to greet us at the table. (anti-climatic wasn’t it) I picked up one of the "hot" disks. I asked if they were available for sale. She said they were available for sale immediately. I asked where could I buy them or who was selling them. She said she did not know. I mentioned two of the major wholesalers and then mentioned a couple of retailers-she still answered, "I do not know. I asked what was the suggested selling price. She said she did not know. I pressed on. She assumed they would be for sale at approximately 30% below Iomega’s retail price. I then asked her if I could have one of the disks. She said in a very positive manner -yes. Contented to get a disk and wanting to get the "h" out of there, we left. I later realized I should have asked about the compatibility issue-sorry folks. I showed this discreetly to 2 Iomega personnel one in marketing and the other in engineering. Both advised me not to try it in my Zip Drive. The marketing person had not seen the disk at all. The manufacturing person indicated they had analyzed the disk but he had not seen the packaging. Until I can post more have some fun with these. Below are some of the IO badges. Whenever the badge sentence begins with an I they use the Iomega logo. "I’ve got the standard." "I’ve got no life." "I’ve got a big mouth." "I can put pirates in pain." "I’ve got fortune 500 accounts." "I’am not BB King." "I’am not Lucille." "I’ve got a girlfriend on bay watch." "I’ve got an attitude." "I’ve got multiple capacities." "I’ve got polyester pants." "I’ve got a show special...ask me about it!" "I’ve got skeletons in my closet." "I’ve got tickets to nudes on ice." "I am a mannish boy." "I’ve got a serious buz." "I’ve got to get out of this place." "I’ve got a good memory." "ROOM FOR www.tons-o-stuff.com." "ROOM FOR everyone." "ROOM FOR all my evil schemes." "ROOM FOR all my personalities." "ROOM FOR my darkest secrets." "ROOM TO edit out certain relatives." "ditto freak" "zip freak" "jaz freak" (This button was hard to get during Monday & Tuesday-I know because it was the only button I wanted!) Some Syquest badges. "Don’t Touch My SparQ!" "SparQ it!" "SparQ Your Creativity" "LIGHT MY Fire" "Where There’s SparQ There’s Fire" Imation badge: "Make Room" Super Disk 12OMB 7+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Subject: Re: SHARK BITE Intrnalmed, At some point, the existence of a different drive--a technologically superior drive--ceases to make any difference whatsoever, unless its price offers a huge advantage over the leader, Zip. Even then it has to overcome an installed base now significantly in excess of 10 million--and remember, that number probably doesn't even include the early drives sold by licensees like Reveal. It's been clear for many months (based on the opinions of technologically astute posters, not me!!) that the Shark drive is a good to excellent product. But they are trying to catch a product that is shipping and selling 1 million plus units every month, RIGHT NOW. A product which is now laptop compatible. A product which will soon be "must have" for computer newbies. A product which has displaced the floppy from the all important "a" drive slot for Micron. (And by the way, who believes that Dell, Compaq etc. going to let every buyer who yearns for Zip as "a" drive to have only one choice...Micron? LOL) The mindshare war appears IMVHO to be over--witness superb "My Comdex Report" and the IOM presence there. Early returns now indicate that Zip has been declared the winner...it's all over but the shouting. No doubt Shark will have genuine success in its niche. But Zip is it. 8+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Subject: Re: Clicking at Comdex There has been much comment about the pervasiveness of clicking at Comdex, both postive (good publicity) and negative (obnoxious, annoying). Someone(s) asked about the effectiveness of an annoying ad. Well, for those of you who aren't old enough to remember them, for many years (1960s-1970s) Wisk laundry detergent was advertised as the detergent that got rid of "ring around the collar" the soil that accumulates on the neckband of shirts and blouses. Each TV commercial portrayed an embarrassing situation where "ring around the collar" was discovered at the wrong time and to the tune of "Ring around the rosy". These commercials were the most hated commercials on TV year-in and year-out. Wisk (at that time) was the largest selling liquid laundry detergent in the country and probably number 3 or 4 overall at a time when the liquid segment of the market was less than 25% of the total detergent market. So can obnoxious be effective.....you bet!! _______________________________ End Report. Posts covered through 9:00pm ET 11/20/97. _______________________________
WE
DELIVER - Get IOM
In Fooldom Today delivered
|
||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
