OR Technology and Precision Instruments offer first retail a:drive 120MB floppy disk drive upgrade kit through CompUSA; special Compaq Presario promotion offers free installation or $50 rebate

Business Wire, April 29, 1997

CAMPBELL, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 29, 1997--OR Technology Inc. and Precision Instruments Tuesday announced the first a:drive upgrade kit offered to retail customers. Marketed under the Precision Instruments name and sold initially through CompUSA, the upgrade kit allows users to replace their current 3.5 or 5.25-inch floppy disk drive with OR Technology's 120MB a:drive, gaining 80 times more storage capacity and five times the performance.

Two versions of the product will be offered, including a universal model designed for the majority of personal computers and a special configuration compatible with Compaq Presario 4160, 4764, 4770, 4784, 8760 and 8772 model computers.

With a special promotion also announced Tuesday, CompUSA customers who specifically purchase Presario 4160, 4764, 4770, 4784 model PCs along with an a:drive upgrade kit can receive free installation of the LS-120 drive at CompUSA or a $50 rebate by mail. The offer is valid through May 30, 1997, and more information is available at CompUSA Computer Superstores.

"Partnering with Precision Instruments allows us to meet pent-up end user demand for the a:drive with an experienced team that can provide customers with high quality service and support," said John Haughey, president and chief executive officer, OR Technology. "This initial offering represents the first step in our plans to bring the a:drive to the retail market on a large scale."

"We've brought greater than 250 products to market and are seeing more initial enthusiasm for OR Technology's a:drive than any other product we have introduced," said Troy Cooper, president and CEO, Precision Instruments. "We expect this product to quickly ramp to 'best seller' status."

The a:drive upgrade kit comes complete with necessary hardware and manuals for easy installation using basic hand tools. The kit includes an a:drive, mounting hardware, special drivers, IDE cable, installation guide, user manual, registration card, toll-free technical support and a one year warranty.

"CompUSA is pleased to be first to offer the a:drive at the retail level," said Larry Mondry, executive vice president of merchandising for CompUSA. "We believe this floppy disk drive upgrade kit has great potential for success."

"The broadening availability of LS-120 technology is good news for the millions of computer users who need high-capacity, removable storage option that doesn't render their existing diskettes obsolete," said Ray Meifert, director, PC Markets Segment, Imation. "Today's announcement from OR Technology and Precision Instruments is strongly indicative of the growing demand for this new standard in desktop storage."

The a:drive stores up to 120MB on LS-120 media and will read and write legacy 1.44MB and 720KB floppy diskettes. It incorporates an industry standard IDE/ATAPI interface for easy connection in any personal computer. The LS-120 diskettes are the same size and shape as current 3.5-inch floppy disks and are manufactured by Imation Corp. (the information and imaging company recently spun off from 3M) and Hitachi Maxell Ltd.

LS-120 laser servo technology was developed jointly by OR Technology, Compaq Computer Corp. (CPQ), Imation and Matsushita-Kotobuki Electronics Industries Ltd. (MKE) (6783 JP). In addition to these key companies, OR Technology's manufacturing partners include Kaifa Group, Mitsubishi Electric Corp. (6503 JP) and Maxell Corp.

Upgrade kits are available now through CompUSA at an MSRP of $199. LS-120 media from Imation and Maxell is available now at an MSRP of $19.95.

Precision Devices

Precision Devices Inc. designs, develops and markets a wide variety of computer peripherals and related accessories to merchandisers and other resellers. The company's current product offering includes items such as multimedia products, wireless peripherals, CPU fans, CD and diskette organizers, modems, I/O cards, printer switches, tape backups, keyboards, joysticks, game cards, mice and track balls.

The customer base, which is diverse and growing, represents much of the spectrum of computer products resellers, mass merchants, warehouse clubs, office supply superstores, consumer electronics superstores and specialty catalog merchants. Among the company's significant customers are most of the top 25 North American retailers of consumer electronics, including Army-Air Force Exchange, Circuit City, Computer City, CompUSA, Nobody Beats The Wiz, Office Depots, Staples, The Good Guys, Sears, Montgomery Wards and Wal-Mart.

Formed in October 1993 by a team of successful industry veterans, Precision now services more than 50 merchandisers at nearly 8,000 stores in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The company currently offers more than 65 different proprietary product line items marketed under the Precision Instruments line, the company also markets a select group of private label products manufactured by some of the leading suppliers in the United States and Asian Pacific.

The company, a privately held Texas corporation, has headquarters in Dallas, 4641 Nall Rd., Dallas, Texas 75244.