IBM Unveils New Portable CD-ROM Drives With Industry-Leading Design

Business Wire, Oct 27, 1997

SOMERS, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--October 27, 1997--IBM today announced the availability of two new portable CD-ROM drives for on-the-go, multimedia users. Whether to enhance multimedia presentations or to play music CDs, the 20X/8X(1) Portable Stereo CD-ROM Drive and the 20X/8X Portable CD-ROM Drive are ideal solutions for notebook computer users who demand powerful, yet lightweight, portability in an external CD-ROM drive.

Pace-Setting Engineering and Design

Employing Constant Angular Velocity (CAV) technology, which improves performance by allowing the new CD-ROM drives to read from the inside of the CD to the outside, these drives speed through data retrieval with low average access times of 150ms and super-fast data-transfer rates of 1300-3000KB per second.(2)

The new 20X/8X Portable CD-ROM Drives sport a unique design with a slim form-factor that makes them an ideal option for mobile computer users. In addition, the 20X/8X Portable Stereo CD-ROM drive includes built-in 16-bit stereo audio with an FM music synthesizer and a pair of detachable speakers. These drives weigh only .9 lbs or 1.1 lbs. with stereo speakers attached.(3)

Both drives support the PCMCIA/ATA standard interface for Plug and Play, and conveniently plug into a notebook's PCMCIA Type II slot. The drives provide users a choice of four different power supplies: six AA batteries, a rechargeable battery pack, an AC adapter, or an international adapter that allows the drives to operate anywhere in the world.

Both drives support DOS 6.2, OS/2 Warp, Windows 3.1 and Windows 95. The 20X/8X Portable Drive also supports Windows NT.

"IBM's new 20X/8X CD-ROM drives combine leading technology and performance in a sleek, portable design," said Kevin R. Barry, general manager, Options by IBM Group, IBM PC Company. "The Options by IBM Group is committed to providing hardware options that provide a total personal computing solution."

Pricing and Availability

These new CD-ROM drives are shipping now. The estimated reseller prices for the 20X/8X Portable CD-ROM Drive and the 20X/8X Portable Stereo CD-ROM Drive are $459.00 and $575.00, respectively(4). Both drives are protected by a one-year limited warranty(5) with IBM's service and support available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week(6). The Options by IBM Group distributes its products to channel customers including resellers, value-added resellers, mail order houses and retail superstores.

The Options by IBM Commitment

The IBM PC Company, Options by IBM Group, is committed to providing tested, quality and affordable PC solutions that enhance and protect its customers' computing investment. The Options by IBM portfolio includes storage, communications/networking, memory, multimedia and accessory products for desktop, workstation, server and mobile IBM and non-IBM systems. -0-

IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation.

Windows, Windows 95 and Windows NT are trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. All other company names/product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

(1) Variable speed rate. Actual playback speed will vary and is

often less than the maximum possible.

(2) Actual speeds may vary.

(3) Dimensions and weight may vary based on variances in vendor

parts, tooling and manufacturing processes.

(4) Estimated reseller price only. Actual price to end users may

vary.

(5) For information regarding the terms and conditions of IBM's

limited warranty, please call 1-800-772-2227. Copies are available

upon request.

(6) Response times may vary depending on call loads. May exclude

certain holidays.

IBM news releases are available on the Internet, via the IBM PC Company Home Page at http://www.pc.ibm.com. For more information about Options by IBM, visit our Web site at: http://www.us.pc.ibm.com/options. Additional product information about the new CD-ROM drives can be found at: http://www.us.pc.ibm.com/options.> The IBM Fax Information Service allows you to receive facsimiles of prior IBM product releases. Simply dial 1-800-IBM-4FAX. For general information about IBM and these or other Options by IBM products, dial the IBM PC Company HelpCenter at 1-800-772-2227.

CONTACT: IBM Corp.

Brynett Gamba

Ph: 919-254-8618

beach@us.ibm.com