Storage outfit Quantum Corp has warned that its fourth-quarter earnings are expected to come in at the break-even level, or slightly better. Revenues are expected to fall off some 20% from the preceding quarter, putting them in the range of $1.22bn. Analysts surveyed by First Call were expecting $0.25 per share in net income from the Milpitas, California maker of hard disks and tape drives. Quantum is blaming the shortfall on pricing pressures in the desktop hard disk market and delayed orders from OEMs for its DLTape drives as they correct inventories. The company says the inventory corrections come at a period of transition from supply constraints to general availability – essentially a temporary saturation of the market.
