Quantum releases Fireball Plus drive

BANGALORE: Quantum Corp. has announced the release of its third-generation 7200 RPM performance desktop drive, the Fireball Plus LM. According to a company press release, the Fireball Plus LM is designed specifically to handle computer applications ranging from sophisticated financial modeling and multimedia to DVD, CAD/CAM and graphics-intensive desktop publishing.

Quantum also claims that, the 3.5-inch Quantum Fireball Plus LM features Quantum's exclusive Shock Protection System (SPS), Data Protection System (DPS), and Quiet Drive Technology (QDT) to meet end-user requirements for high reliability, data integrity, and optimized acoustics.

The drive is available in optimum capacities of 10.2GB, 15GB, 20.5GB, and 30GB. The Fireball Plus LM utilizes the Ultra ATA/66 interface, a 2MB buffer, and performs average seek times of 8.5ms. The combination yields faster throughput, improved data integrity and improved performance over the preceding line of Fireball Plus drives. Based on Quantum's platform extension architecture, the Fireball Plus LM directly benefits customers by allowing faster qualification, higher ramp velocity, and higher confidence in reliability. The estimated retail pricing for the 30GB Fireball Plus LM is $399.

Meanwhile, Quantum Corporation's DLT & Storage Systems Group has recorded a revenue of $366 million for its third quarter ended December 26, 1999. Net income and earnings per share, diluted, were $51 million and $0.30, respectively.

During the December quarter, the business generated a record $95 million in cash from operations. Additionally, the company used $102 million to repurchase 6.9 million shares of DSSG's stock. For the quarter ended December 26, 1999, the consolidated net income for Quantum Corporation was $56 million.

The Quantum Corporation's Hard Disk Drive Group (HDDG) has posted revenues of $889 million in revenue on record shipments of 8.7 million units for the third fiscal quarter ended December 26, 1999. Net income and net income per share, diluted, were $5.2 million and $.06, respectively.