Iomega Corp, Roy, Utah pioneer of unconventional disk storage devices, is branching out with the launch of the LaserSafe PRO erasable magneto-optical drive, based on a drive subsystem from Maxoptix Inc. Designed for use with personal computers, workstations and servers, it stores 1Gb on a 5.25 removable platter which can be configured as fixed. Average seek time is 35mS, and is compatible with most SCSI-2 devices. It can read and write ISO 650Mb magneto-optical disks, and costs $5,000; the disks are $300 for the 1Gb, $250 for 650Mb. The workstation interface kit is $80, the AT interface kit $200. The latest in Iomega’s line of Bernoulli drives is the Bernoulli MultiDisk 150, which stores 150Mb on a hard-shell 5.25 floppy disk, and up to 300Mb with optional compression software. It has 18mS effective access time and 5M-bytes per second transfer rate, and reads and writes the 35Mb, 65Mb and 105Mb disks too. It can also read and write 90Mb disks and read 44Mb disks. The MacInsider MultiDisk 150 internal drive for Quadra 900 and 950 and the Insider MultiDisk 150 for AT-alikes, EISA and PS/2 machines are $1,100 each. The external Transportable MultiDisk 150 for all environments is $1,225, and the Dual MultiDisk 150, an external subsystem with two 150Mb drives for all environments is $2,500. The disks cost $245 for the 150Mb, $170 for 105Mb, $130 for 65Mb and $80 for 35Mb. And Iomega has launched its second generation Floptical drive, for reading and writing floppy disks that have an optical track for more accurate head positioning so that they can store more. The company is offering the 21Mb 3.5 Floptical Insider for AT bus, and the Floptical PC Powered external drive for MS-DOS machines; they read and write conventional 720Kb and 1.44Mb 3.5 floppies. The drives are made by Chinon Industries Ltd of Japan and have average seek time of 65mS. Data transfer rate to and from the medium is 1.6Mbps, and the drive comes with SpeedCache Plus software and a 21Mb Floptical Diskette with shareware. Prices are expected to be $350 for the internal, $400 for the external, with the disks – which Iomega says it makes itself, for $20 to $22. And Maxell Corp of America Inc in Fair Lawn, New Jersey is also offering 21Mb Floptical disks for Iomega Corp and Insite Peripherals Inc drives at $31.50, $63.00 for a two-pack.
