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Friday, March 6, 1998

Thursday, Iomega closed at $8 5/8, down $3/8 (-4.17%).

TODAY'S RECAP: TODAY'S RECAP: VST announced a reduction in its laptop Zip drive sale price (a 15 percent reduction), but the news got little play on the Iomega message board yesterday. The news which continued to keep many posters occupied was the specuation that IBM's miniature hard drive would compete or even preempt IOM's forthcoming clik! drive and disk. Another "announcement" dealt with the presence of a Zip drive when one magazine's review staff looks at computer systems.

Enjoy!

INDEX: Use the Search or Find feature of your word processor to locate the article number (Find: 1++, 3++, etc.)

1++ Waverunner reports that Windows magazine considers lack of Zip a negative for system reviews.
2++ Janovsky1 comments on IBM's miniature hard disk vs. clik!
3++ Tyler43064 provides some information re: the class-action lawsuit against IOM.

Recap written and posts compiled by TMF Weekly.
Edited and mailed by TMF Selena.
Kudos? Gripes? Questions? Let us know.

As always, the following posts represent the thoughts of our contributors, not those of The Motley Fool.

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And now, the Best of the Board...Started 9:00pm ET 3/4/98.

1+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Subject: Game, set, match
Date: 3/4/98 9:56 PM Eastern Standard Time
From: Waverunner

Last Saturday morning I bought Windows Magazine, a CMP publication, and PC Computing, a Ziff-Davis publication for reading material on my flight to Vail. First, a general observation.......CMP is a much better publication.

Now, for the particulars, lol. Windows Magazine reviewed a number of computer systems in the March issue. For the Gateway 2000 GP6-333, under cons it states "no Zip drive".For the Quantex QP6/333 SB-3x, under cons, it says "no Zip drive". For the Compaq Deskpro 6000 under cons it says "no Zip drive". For the Dell Optiplex GXa 333 under cons it says "no Zip drive" (oops) . For the HP Vectra VL under cons it says "no Zip drive". For the QuantexQP6/300 SM-4xSE under cons it says "no Zip drive". For the LEK Lightning K6-200 under cons it says "no Zip drive". Do I detect a trend here, LOL. If a manufacturer fails to provide a Zip drive, Windows Magazine makes note of that fact, LOL. Why? LOL. And the bulls have been accused of having their heads buried in the sand. ROFLMAO.

Ziff-Davis, on the other hand, seems to be a publication that is more tabloidish than journalistic. The editors must have been asleep at the switch, lol, when they let a columist write about the problem of emergency Boot. For you bears out there, this has to do with Norton Zip Rescue, not prophilactics. Anyhow, the writer discusses the problem and his recommended solution, one that he is thrilled with, and one which he expects others to copy. "Weuse it (Norton Zip Rescue) at the Clinic all the time. If you have a Zip drive on your computer- and these days, who doesn't- YOU NEED THIS UTILITY." ROFLMAO some more.

So can you people tell I'm in a good mood? The skiing was great. Being away from this board was great. Getting on the return flight home and opening American Way Magazine to Zip drive advertisements was great. Seeing Best Buy offer $99.00 internal Zips on any Compaq, Hewlett Packard or IBM tower was great. Opening this folder when I got home and seeing hundreds of posts about the SOS wasn't great. The HiFUD again? LOL. The Swan? LOL. BLBREW knowswhat he's talking about? ROFLMAO.

Now Intel warns and the blame is PC demand. LOL some more. Couldn't be AMD and National Semi/Cyrix could it? LOL.

Now I got to worry about IBM and a 400MB hard drive that is going to hurt Clik!? HaHaHaHa.

2+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Subject: Re: Clik-ing dead (on arrival)?
Date: 3/5/98 1:52 AM Eastern Standard Time
From: Janovsky1

OK, this new IBM drive is going to be based on hard drive technology, right? Hard drive technology is very fragile, right? For example, it's the reason why you shouldn't drop your Jaz carts (or your computer, for that matter), right? So wouldn't a hard drive based product, built into a handheld digital camera, be woefully inadequate unless mounted on a tripod or something? clik! is built on floppy technology, which we know can be thrown 40 yards and survive. IBM's hard drive, if I understand this correctly, would die if you dropped it a couple feet.

Which would you rather have in your digital camera?

Please tell me if I'm reading this wrong, but I can't see how this would be any competition except in super high quality, mounted cameras, where they both need the capacity and also are able to keep the thing stable.

And as far as 400MB, if people can be happy now with 1.44MB (Mavica), imagine how thrilled they're going to be with 40MB. Sure, you could upgrade to super high quality, wide angle pix, but my (very) amateur estimate says this wouldn't be any more than a 10MB exposure. So either you're going to have 40 deluxe pix per "roll", or about a hundred average pix. How would the mass audience react to a change such as this? I know they don't have to fill the drive to upload the images somewhere else, but again, how would the average consumer react to not filling a "roll" before getting their pix developed? This last paragraph is all guesses and questions- I really have no educated idea about the answers.

Comments?

3+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Subject: Called Barrack Rodos & Bacine
Date: 3/5/98 4:04 PM Eastern Standard Time
From: Tyler43064

I spoke to Wesley Gilliam with Barrack Rodos & Bacine who reiterated the information contained within the press releases, dates of class, basis for suit etc etc. Before I get really flamed I just wanted to see how they are justifying the suit and what details could be provided. This is what I learned:

Loss basis will be calculated by an "expert". You do not need to have sold your shares in order to have suffered the loss.
The loss on the shares is calculated with some kind of voodoo formula that I didn't quite fully grasp. But it is based upon what the shares "should" currently be trading at had shareholders had access to the information that certain executives and directors had access to at the time that they sold their shares.
Wesley Gilliam feels that the class will recover for each shareholder somewhere between 20-40% of the lost share value (ie the dollar value of what the shares should be trading at minus what the shares are currently trading, no real time frames were discussed for the snapshot at which these calculations take place).
Two forms of the class will exist (a) Those who are members of the class via thier purchase during the class period and (b) Those who are members of the class via their purchase during the class period AND sign up with the attorneys ( I assume as lead plaintiffs?) Settlement does not differ between the two groups but those that sign up will receive quarterly mailings as to the progress of the case.
Lead plaintiff will be determined in a hearing to be held on April 10.
They will send a copy of the complaint for you to read and want you to sign up once you have read their literature.

The above is my interpretation of what I understood from my conversation. I am not an attorney. Any attorney that may be able to possibly call B,R & B at 800.417.7305 and shed some light on the above details would be welcome.

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End Report. Posts covered through 9:00pm ET 3/5/98.

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