IBM Deskstar 3 Delivers High Speed, Capacity and Reliabilityfor Performance
Desktop and Emerging Server Requirements

New 3.24 and 2.16 GB High Performance 3.5-inch Hard Disk Drive

SAN JOSE, Calif., April 15, 1996 . . . IBM today announced the Deskstar 3,
a 3.5-inch performance desktop disk drive available at 3.24 gigabyte (GB)
and 2.16 GB capacities. The Deskstar 3 is ideally suited for entry-level
network servers and Small office/Home office (SOHO) PC applications. With
a 5400 RPM (revolutions per minute) speed and 9.5 milliseconds (ms)
average seek time, IBM's new drive is one of the fastest in its class. The
use of IBM's Magneto-Resistive head technology allows for significant
competitive advantages because the number of disks required is fewer when
compared with competitive drives in its class.

That high level of performance enables the Deskstar 3 to support such SOHO,
consumer and business applications as video downloading, playback and
editing; collaborative processing; Internet data downloading; and CAD
applications at the desktop level. The drive will be available in volume
in June 1996, and will enable IBM's OEM customers to achieve early
leadership in the growing high-capacity, high-performance desktop system
market.

ACCELERATING DEMAND FOR STORAGE CAPACITY, PERFORMANCE

The release of IBM's newest performance desktop drive coincides with
heightened demand for high-performance, high-capacity hard disk drives.
"The sales of rigid disk drives will continue to grow significantly,"
commented Phil Devin, Dataquest vice president and principal analyst.
"Purchases of higher-capacity, high-performance desktop storage solutions
will fuel this growth, reflecting the purchase of new computers as well as
drives to upgrade the capacity of the installed base. As the industry
focuses its attention on the 2-4 GB market, the sales of products in this
capacity range should triple in 1996."

"IBM's Deskstar 3 is leading a new generation of performance desktop PC
drives," commented Bill Healy, director of desktop storage products for
IBM's Storage Systems Division in San Jose, Calif. "Opportunities abound
for systems manufacturers who can bring performance machines to market
quickly and we view the Deskstar 3 as a key building block for the systems
currently in greatest demand. We have leveraged all of our proven storage
technologies in bringing the Deskstar 3 to market and are in the midst of
a smooth manufacturing ramp for product."

Available with an ATA-3 (EIDE) interface, the Deskstar 3 offers data
transfer rates of 16.6 MB/sec using PIO Mode 4 and DMA Mode-2. As a
result, the drive is ideally suited for accessing data resident within the
latest Windows 95 and OS/2 applications on Pentium and PowerPC systems.
Sustained data rates ranging from 4.4 (minimum) to 6.3 (maximum) MB/sec
allow the Deskstar 3 to read and write large, sequential files, such as
those created and manipulated in today's audio/visual applications. Such
high data rates, combined with IBM's embedded servo technology, allow the
Deskstar 3 to provide the smooth playback essential to quality video
production work and presentations.

IBM also announced today two 2.5-inch drives for notebook computers: the
Travelstar 2XP, a 17 mm (millimeter) drive with a capacity of 2.16 GB, and
the Travelstar 3LP, a 12.5 mm drive at capacities of 1.08 and 1.44 GB.
These announcements follow IBM's March 6 news of an incremental $500
million capital investment to significantly increase the company's
manufacturing volumes to meet increasing demand for IBM disk drives by
OEMs, system integrators and distributors for individual and network
computing applications.

TECHNOLOGY BOOSTS CAPACITY, RELIABILITY

Incorporating a highly efficient three-disk design, the Deskstar 3 3.24 GB
drive achieves a capacity of 1.08 GB per platter by using MR heads and
No-ID sector formatting technology. These technologies, developed at IBM's
Almaden Research Center in San Jose, California, yield both maximum
per-platter capacities and increased drive reliability through a reduction
in the number of heads, disks and other electronic components needed to
achieve given capacity points. The two-disk 2.16 GB IBM drive also
incorporates these technologies.

The Deskstar 3 further enhances data availability through IBM's
implementation of the industry-standard Self-Monitoring, Analysis and
Reporting Technology (S.M.A.R.T.) protocol. The S.M.A.R.T. protocol helps
to alert users in advance of impending disk failure, so that critical data
backup procedures can take place before data is lost. In addition, the
Deskstar 3 is scheduled to undergo Windows 95 certification by Microsoft's
independent testing facility.

TIME-TO-MARKET ADVANTAGE FOR SYSTEMS MANUFACTURERS, DISTRIBUTORS

Qualification units of IBM Deskstar 3 disk drive, models DAQA-33240 (3.24
GB) and DAQA-32160 (2.16 GB) are available to OEM customers immediately.
The drives will be available to OEMs in volume in June. IBM plans to make
the drives available to commercial and industrial distributors in the U.S.
through the Options by IBM (OBI) program by July 1996. All IBM drives are
backed by an array of OEM technical support and assistance programs,
including customer support, qualification support and integration
assistance services.

IBM is the world's leading supplier of comprehensive computer storage
products that allow people to use, share, protect and manage their
information assets around the globe. Through its Storage Systems Division,
the company provides storage solutions for IBM and non-IBM systems,
offered through IBM as well as a large network of IBM Business Partners. A
selection of products, including industry-leading hard disk drives, is
offered for use by Original Equipment Manufacturers. In addition to disk
drives, IBM's storage portfolio includes disk-based arrays and subsystems;
magnetic tape drives, subsystems and automated libraries; optical
libraries; storage controllers; and storage management software.

Editors/Reporters: IBM news releases are available on the Internet, via the
IBM Home Page at http://www.ibm.com. The IBM Fax Information Service
allows you to receive faxed copies of prior IBM product press releases.
Dial 1-800-IBM-4FAX and enter "99" at the voice menu.

Please Note: Questions about the content or currency of this press release
should be directed to your local IBM representative.
 
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