Iomega doubles REV drive to 70GB
updated 12:45 pm EDT, Tue July 18, 2006
Iomega REV 70GB drive
Iomega today announced its new REV 70GB Backup Drive, an update to its high-capacity removable storage for backup and archive needs. Featuring nearly double the capacity of its previous-generation drives and improved transfer speeds, the drives are now available worldwide in external USB 2.0 and internal ATAPI models. It utilizes the same ruggedized, removable, 2.5-inch 70GB REV disks as well as backward read/write compatibility with first-generation REV 35GB disks. The company said that the REV platform now features two capacity points: REV 35GB drive and disks for desktop backup and archive needs and REV 70GB drive and disks for server backup applications. In addition, the REV product family includes automation solutions, such as the REV Loader 280, which manages eight REV 35GB disks in an innovative desktop enclosure.
"In little more than two years, Iomega's REV product line has earned a reputation for performance, durability, dependability and ease-of-use compared to tape formats and other backup and archive data protection options for SMBs," said Tom Kampfer, President and Chief Operating Officer, Iomega Corporation. "After selling more than 1.2 million REV 35GB disks and 225,000 drives, we are now taking our REV technology to the next level.
Iomega claims that its REV 70GB disks can store as much as 140GB of data with compression using standard backup software. It ships EMC Retrospect Express software with all desktop REV drives for automatic backup and disaster recovery and CA's BrightStor ArcServe Backup software with its REV server solutions.
Better performance, longer warranty
Iomega's new REV 70GB Backup Drives feature improved transfer rates of 30MB/sec. (max), versus 25 MB/sec for first-generation REV 35GB products. Both generations of REV products boast extensive third-party software support, estimated 30 year archival life, and an estimated one million rewrite durability--a statistic that the company claims tape products such as DAT 72 "can never match.... And while tape products require frequent head cleaning and an expensive tape replacement regime, REV drives and disks are designed for continuous reliable use with zero maintenance."
REV 70GB Backup Drives come with a worldwide three-year warranty. REV 35GB Backup Drives are warranted for 1 year in the Americas and Asia-Pacific, 2 years in Europe. All REV disks are warranted for 5 years, according to the company.
The Iomega REV 70GB Backup Drive is now available worldwide in external USB 2.0 ($600 with a single REV 70GB disk) and internal ATAPI models ($580 with single REV 70GB disk). Iomega REV 70GB disks are available for $70 or in four-packs for $250. The previous-generation Iomega REV 35GB Backup Drive is available in ATAPI, external USB 2.0, FireWire, SCSI, SATA and multi-disk autoloader configurations, including the new desktop form factor REV Loader 280.
European pricing for REV 70GB Backup Drives--both the external USB 2.0 and internal ATAPI models--is 500 Euros, excluding VAT. REV 70GB disks in Europe will retail for 65 Euros (excluding VAT) for a single disk; or in five-packs for 300 Euros (excluding VAT).
Later this year, Iomega said it expects to launch an extensive line of computer interface REV 70GB Backup Drives, including FireWire 400 and SATA, REV 70GB automation products, and REV 70GB Server Backup and Disaster Recovery kits.
Anyone who know's iomega
07/18, 01:56pm reply
...knows this sound:
click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click
this is the sound of your data being lost forever.
fluk3
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jan 2004
Pricey!
07/18, 02:59pm reply
For what's included, the price of this hardware is ludicrous. In addition, the drive size is relatively small. Also, I am certainly not using a USB interface for a backup. A more direct solution is to purchase a Firewire/USB enclosure, an internal HD of a larger size for less money, and SuperDuper.
An enclosure WITH a 500 GB drive for Other Word Computing retails for $339.00 and SuperDuper is about $28.00. So, do the cost-benefit analysis and make a choice.
ptklenk
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jul 2006
Amazing news
07/18, 04:32pm reply
Hey everybody, Iomega doubled the size of its REV drive!
((...crickets...))
corsair
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Sep 2005
Fool me once....
07/18, 04:52pm reply
shame on you. Fool me twice... shame on me.
Iomega has lost all credibility since the click, click, click disaster of a few years ago.
Now you can lose up to 70gb of data! Wow.
msuper69
Mac Elite
Joined: Jan 2000
wow
07/18, 06:18pm reply
i've had problems with iomega since zip drives (100/250) i liked Syquest (if you remember those) it was a 135MB cart that almost looked like an optical disc. Still works to this day! not that i have any use for it anymore... just held its value unlike click cick click click click...
FastAMX79
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Sep 2000
Agreed...
07/18, 08:36pm reply
I too have an old Syquest drive (270 MB) and the last time I tried it (maybe a year ago) it was still working. Iomega has always been overpriced for what you get.
For this to be an exciting turn of events, the new 70GB drive would have to cost NO more than $250 and each disk no more than $25 (IMHO and not to mention the reliability issue).
-Jay
Hinson
Forum Regular
Joined: Feb 2000
Ridiculous
07/19, 12:30am reply
Buy a 150$ drivedock from Wiebetech, then buy all the cheap internal drives you need. Voila. An affordable backup solution. $600? Puhleeeze. Wonder what misguided business chump fronted the money for Iomega's latest flop, surely they were on the verge of bankruptcy before.
jackthegiantkiller
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jan 2006
Now, now...
07/19, 02:39am reply
It's a little unfair to judge Iomega's current products based on the Zip drive click of death. The Zip was floppy technology. This is hard drive technology. The problem with the Rev isn't going to be anything like a click of death, it's just that it's a terrible, terrible value.
corsair
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Sep 2005
Hey, I'm a REV user and..
07/19, 01:17pm reply
Am I the only person who actually uses a REV drive? I'm not saying it's the greatest piece of hardware ever invented, but it fills a niche that a hard-drive based backup system does not (ARCHIVING ALL your data using with incremental backups). I've had zero problems with the unit, which I've used daily since the 35GB firewire version was first released -- it's much quicker to use than my old tape-based back-up system.
That said, it sure took Iomega a long time to finally increase the storage capacity (which had been promised since the beginning)... And it's unfortunate that they upped the price point -- this product should quietly take the place of the 35GB model, at the same price.
I'd like to hear feedback from anyone else who actually USES the current REV system...
misterdna
Junior Member
Joined: Aug 2004
re:now now
07/19, 01:22pm reply
but for 600 dollars you can spend at the most 150 on a case (even for 70 dollars) and get a stack of 400GB internal drives! i got one for 180 dollars (seagate) for my PS2. that is still below half price for more than 5x's the storage!
FastAMX79
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Sep 2000