Iomega has announced a USB CD-RW drive called the ZipCD external USB CD-RW drive. The drive extends Zip branding into the increasingly lucrative USB market. According to Iomega:
Iomega Corporation (NYSE:IOM), a leader in smart, portable storage solutions, today introduced the ZipCD(TM) external Universal Serial Bus (USB) CD-ReWritable (CD-RW) drive that enables customers to record, create, share and archive up to 650MB of data on a common CD format. Iomega's ZipCD drives are high-capacity, easy-to-use and ideal for saving and sharing original music, personal photos, games, Internet content and more.
The ZipCD(TM) 4x4x6 external USB drive offers an innovative external design and complements Iomega's ZipCD 4x4x24 internal drive, introduced in August 1999, providing customers with a choice of optical storage methods.
The ZipCD(TM) external USB drive supports standard CD-Recordable (CD-R), CD-ReWriteable (CD-RW) and CD-Read-Only-Memory (CD-ROM) discs, offering customers a universal platform for organizing and archiving files without cluttering up their hard drive or network. By supporting the USB standard, the ZipCD external USB drive is easy to attach and install to computers and laptops, eliminating the need for larger parallel port or SCSI conversion cables or rebooting the computer.
The ZipCD(TM) external USB drive will begin shipping in Q4, with general availability through retailers, resellers and Iomega's direct sales site, www.iomegadirect.com, beginning in January 2000. The ZipCD external USB drive will be available for an estimated street price of US$279.95 (US). The ZipCD external USB drive is bundled with an array of user-friendly software tools, including:
- Adaptec(R) DirectCD(TM) - Packet writing software that allows users to manage their files through a simple "drag and drop" process
- Adaptec(R) Easy CD Creator(TM) - CD record/copy software
- Avery(R) Media Software - Iomega special edition software to format CD labels and jewel case inserts
- Iomega(R) QuikSync - Software that creates a simultaneous back-up copy of active files within a user designated folder
Note that the software support does not include Mac software. Iomega says that Mac support will be coming in the 1st quarter of 2000. The Mac Observer will bring you coverage of this when it is announced.