Tokyo, July 5, 2001---Fujitsu Limited today announced that it has developed a new 3.5-inch magneto-optical (MO) disk drive (MCJ3230AP) with a memory capacity of 2.3GB. It is the industry's first MO product that complies with the GIGAMO*1 2.3GB standard jointly established with Sony Corporation. The new MO drive will go on sale worldwide starting today.
In 1992, Fujitsu introduced a 3.5-inch MO disk drive with a storage capacity of 128MB and has since built up nearly ten years of expertise in this field. Over the decade, MO products have undergone various enhancements and increased in storage capacity, and they are widely used around the world today. Their enduring popularity arises from the ability to accommodate an almost infinite amount of repeated rewriting -- over one million times -- and a reputation for reliability in long-term data storage extending to over 30 years.
Given these features, 3.5-inch MO drives have been applied primarily as memory devices for storing large volumes of data in such equipment as telephone switches and call centers, as well as medical equipment. In addition, the drives are utilized for such purposes as transferring large volumes of data in the publishing industry and backing up information in banking systems, for which reliability is crucial. There continues to be a growing need for products with increased memory capacity in markets where high reliability is an issue.
In order to meet these demands, Fujitsu developed the new 2.3GB 3.5-inch MO disk drive by combining the land/groove*3 recording method and magnetically induced super resolution (MSR*2) technology. When using 2.3GB media, the drive carries out high-speed data transfer at a rate of up to 8.3MB per second. It is fully backward compatible with existing MO media with capacities ranging from 128MB to 1.3GB.
In addition, the new drive utilizes an ATAPI interface, which makes it easy to install in personal computers. Fujitsu plans to adopt other interfaces, such as SCSI, in the future.
| OEM Sample Price | : | 60,000 yen in Japan (tax not included) |
| Availability | : | Sample: July 2001
Volume production: August 2001 (tentative) |
| Sales Target | : | Two million units over the next three years |
[Terminology]
(*1) GIGAMO:
The 3.5-inch MO format standard for drives and media over 1GB in capacity, which was jointly developed by Fujitsu and Sony. The new 2.3GB standard was recently introduced, in addition to existing 1.3GB standard. Both 2.3GB and 1.3GB standards are compatible with the ISO/IEC MO standard.
(*2) MSR (magnetically induced super resolution):
Magneto-optical recording technology has made it possible to achieve high linear and tracking density, with minimal modifications to the conventional optical head, as well as gigabyte-level storage volume. MSR is not susceptible to optical factors affecting beam diameter during playback. It utilizes temperature distribution and magnetism to make a smaller effective beam spot than can be achieved through optical technology alone. In addition, it can read and recognize marks recorded magnetically on a sub-optical scale.
(*3) Land/groove recording:
A method in which the guiding grooves for tracking as well as the area between the guiding grooves (land area) are used for the recording space, resulting in higher density recording.
| * | All company/product names mentioned may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders and are used for identification purposes only. |
About Fujitsu
Fujitsu is a leading provider of Internet-focused information technology solutions for the global marketplace. Its pace-setting technologies, best-in-class computing and telecommunications platforms, and worldwide corps of systems and services experts make it uniquely positioned to unleash the infinite possibilities of the Internet to help its customers succeed. Headquartered in Tokyo, Fujitsu Limited (TSE:6702) reported consolidated revenues of 5.48 trillion yen for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2001.
Internet: http://www.fujitsu.com/
| Press contacts: |
Customer Contact: |
Toshiaki Koike, Scott Ikeda
Fujitsu Limited, Public Relations
Tel: +81-3-3215-5259 (Tokyo)
Fax: +81-3-3216-9365
E-mail: pr@fujitsu.com
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Storage Products Group
Storage Products Business Div.
Sales,Marketing & Operations Dept.
Tel: +81-44-754-8350 (Kawasaki)
e-mail: mo@fujitsu.com
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