To: SFW who started this subject 6/11/1996 12:31:00 AM From: Young D.T. Nguyen 2758 of 58323
Ref: Zip as PC standard...
Well, folks, another surprise!!!
Today, with the IBM announcement, I think we are seeing the Zip officially recognized as standard PC gear. Compag, Gateway, Apple, and all others PC makers have no choices but to follow IBM, Acer, HP, Micron, Packard Bell, Pippin, etc. They just simply can not afford to lose an edge in the cut-throat PC market, especially in the introduction of newer, higher-end lines the like of IBM 's Aptiva - which can attract and establish new customers/market shares.
Compag 's top management right now is probably sweating bullets and thinking hard nights and days of a creatively way to get out of the LS120 mess without smelling like rotten fishes. Compag can't afford to divert their attention and energy on the LS120 to compete with the Zip, since their bread and butter is PC and servers, not drives.
The key fact is that, for competitive reasons, other PC makers like IBM, HP, etc. do not want to buy the LS120 from Compaq - currently the No. 1 PC maker -- if they can help it. Why help make your most powerful competitor even more powerful?
So given a much better choice of price/performance in Zip, they are gratefully rescued from this dilema by IOMG and couldn't be happier to sign on as soon as they completed internal evaluations and gotten a good read on consumer demands.
The EZ135 is dead. The EZFlyer is a stillborn. The LS120 is another stillborn. The Zip will live and grow up to be a big huge baby in the world by itself.
I am quite certain that we'll hear bout Compag, Gateway and other deals in the near future. Although as a result of limited supplies of Zip drives, some of the OEM deals may be done deliberately under a fixed schedule by IOMG management.
After having said all that, we should now refrain ourselves, lower our expectations of IOMG, and expect none of the above to happen. Just sit back and wait for the surprises.
Young
PS: Yes, Abed. The move is real! It started since early last year and is no where near the finish line. The move will continue, no matter what happens next 2 days.
A COMPUTER ON EVERY DESK AND A ZIP AND A JAZ IN EVERY COMPUTER. BUT WAIT, THERE IS A LOT MORE...
"How much is this worth?" Joe Rizzo asked. "A lot more than 44 dollars," I said.
