Media please contact:
Chris Romoser, Iomega Corporation, (801) 332-3678 romoser@iomega.com
Julie Miller, Intuit Inc. (858) 784-4469; julie_miller@intuit.com
Analyst/Investors, please contact:
Jim Recob, Iomega Corporation, (801) 332-4430 recob@iomega.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Music Labels, Publishers Salute HipZip's(
Low Cost PocketZip( Disk Technology
As a Cost Effective and Secure Storage Alternative
NEW YORK -
September 21, 2000 - Iomega Corporation (NYSE:
IOM), a global leader in data management solutions,
today announced the retail launch of the HipZip(tm)
digital audio player, a sleek new device that combines
affordable music storage with support for licensed digital
downloads of copyrighted music and spoken word content.
The HipZip(tm) digital audio player,
available nationwide September 24th, plays music stored
on Iomega's PocketZip(tm) 40MB disks, radically lowering
the cost of creating portable personal music collections.
Additionally, the HipZip player utilizes Microsoft's
Windows Media(tm) Format (WMA) and digital rights management
(DRM) technology and other DRM technologies to secure
commercial music content to PocketZip disks, offering
artists and publishers protection from the unauthorized
distribution of commercial content.
"This is a major breakthrough
in digital audio and gives consumers the ability to
buy the music they want at the price they want to pay,"
said Bruce Albertson, president and CEO, Iomega Corporation.
"We applaud Microsoft and other DRM providers for
helping expand the market for the legal distribution
of online music. We believe that the combination of
affordable storage, in the form of Iomega's PocketZip(tm)
disks, and digital rights management utilizing PocketZip's
unique serialized disks will open the doors to rapid
growth in the market for digital downloads of commercial
content."
PocketZip(tm) Media Offers Consumers
Affordable Alternative
Iomega's PocketZip(tm) 40MB disks break the price barrier
for digital audio storage, providing an affordable new
alternative to the costly flash memory cards that have
limited the widespread consumer adoption of MP3 and
other digital audio players. Formerly marketed under
the Clik! trademark, PocketZip disks are approximately
one-quarter of the size of CD audio discs, are encased
in a metal shell for better durability than a CD, store
more minutes of music than a CD using the Microsoft
Windows Media(tm) Format, and are serialized to enable
the digital rights management (DRM) of licensed content.
PocketZip disks incorporate the same technology as Iomega's
award-winning Zip(r) disks.
Iomega estimates that consumers build
a media library averaging 20 disks in the first year
after they adopt a new music format. With the HipZip(tm)
player, that 20-disk collection has a media cost of
about $200, or $10 per PocketZip(tm) disk. Building
an equivalent music collection with solid-state memory
cards in the MP3 format, the sole format used in approximately
75 percent of players on the market today1, would take
twice the storage space compared to files in Microsoft
Windows Media(tm) Format and would cost nearly $4,000,
well beyond the reach of many consumers. With PocketZip-based
players like HipZip, consumers can now build affordable
digital music collections.
"Iomega is strategically positioned
to play a leading role in the new consumer electronics
marketplace with the introduction of PocketZip technology,
an affordable and easy-to-use storage solution,"
said Albertson. "The recognition of PocketZip by
a growing number of content providers and manufacturers
signals widespread acceptance for this format."
Windows Media Player 7 Selected
Microsoft Windows Media(tm) Player 7 has been selected
to be the default Windows-based PC jukebox to be included
in every HipZip(tm) box. Windows Media Player 7 delivers
a complete, all-in-one experience, including digital
audio and video playback, a jukebox, an Internet radio
tuner, an integrated media guide, audio CD creation,
and one-click transfer of digital music to portable
devices. Microsoft Windows Media Player 7 ends user
confusion and the need to use several products to perform
the most common digital media activities. Using the
Microsoft Windows Media Format, combined with Windows
Media Player 7's integrated one-click transfer feature
for portable music devices, the HipZip player can store
about 80 minutes of digital music and other audio content
on each 40MB PocketZip(tm) disk. Together, Iomega's
PocketZip technology and Microsoft Windows Media(tm)
Rights Manager offer the first affordable, portable
solution for supporting secure digital music, bringing
Internet delivery of digital content from top artists
to consumers and enabling viable digital music e-commerce.
"HipZip( and the PocketZip(
technology take digital music affordability to a new
level," said Dave Fester, general manager, Digital
Media Division, Microsoft Corporation. "Consumers
using PocketZip combined with Windows Media's CD quality
sound and superior file compression can now store their
whole music collection for a fraction of the cost of
other portable media."
Iomega Garners Industry Support for
PocketZip( Platform
The following content providers from the music, publishing
and software industries have announced their support
for the PocketZip(tm) platform:
EMI Recorded Music
"Iomega's exciting PocketZip( disk offers music
labels the very real potential of a secure format for
downloading and locking content to one location while
creating an equitable transaction between content owner
and user," said Ted Cohen, vice president of new
media, EMI Recorded Music.
I-Jam
I-Jam( Multimedia L.L.C., a pioneer in the digital audio
arena, also announced the company's intention to license
and market premium music content on pre-recorded PocketZip(tm)
disks. "Iomega's PocketZip disks represent a new
portable, affordable music format that has the potential
to challenge the compact disc in consumer acceptance
and use," said Doug Marrison, president and CEO
of I-Jam Multimedia. "I-Jam will be using the PocketZip
disk as the basis for a new secure digital format for
pre-recorded music, best-selling books, classic radio
shows and digital magazines."
Simon &
Schuster
"Iomega's PocketZip( disk represents a breakthrough
format for downloading and locking content to a single
place, creating exciting possibilities for Simon &
Schuster's digital audio content," said Gilles
Dana, senior vice president, Simon & Schuster New
Media. "PocketZip disks offer a convenient new
option for on-the-go consumers to enjoy our audio books."
Random House
"Iomega's PocketZip( disk offers real promise as
a new format for downloading and securing content, creating
a secure and equitable exchange between the provider
and the user," said Richard Sarnoff, president
of the New Media Group at Random House. "For spoken
word works, PocketZip disks represent a convenient and
secure format for delivering entertainment to active
consumers."
Treble V Music
"Treble V Music supports the portability of its
music to our customers in a secure format. Our business
is to simply provide entertainment," says Greg
Barbero, partner and vice president of Treble V Music.
"Our lives become more digital every month. We
want our customers to play their Sam Cardon and Michael
Dowdle music whether working at their computer or working
out at the gym. Iomega's PocketZip( technology allows
our customers to do that securely, and in digital high
fidelity."
Iomega's HipZip(tm) Portable Digital
Audio Player Features
The palm-sized player, using iObjects Dadio( operating
system, downloads or records digital files and then
allows users to play them anywhere. The HipZip( player
is compatible with today's popular digital formats,
including the Microsoft Windows Media( Format and MP3,
and is software upgradeable to other audio formats,
such as Audible and Dolby AAC. It includes a large,
backlit display, customizable equalizer, a USB port
for fast music transfers, and a 12-hour rechargeable
lithium ion battery. The player's software package will
include Windows Media Player 7 for Windows users and
MusicMatch Jukebox(tm) Plus software for Mac users,
allowing consumers to download audio files from the
Internet and create customized music collections from
their audio CD.
Iomega's HipZip( player, priced at
$299, will be available September 24 at Best Buy Stores
across the nation and can also be purchased directly
from Iomega at www.iomegadirect.com. The company expects
other consumer electronics retailers to stock the player
in time for the holiday shopping season.
Other manufacturers that have already
announced support for the PocketZip(tm) disk format
include Sensory Science Corporation, which began shipping
the Rave:mp 2300 player in July, Addonics Technologies
Corporation, Varo Vision Co., OptoMedia Corporation,
LG International Corp., Rexon Technologies, RFC and
Frontier Labs.
About EMI Recorded
Music
EMI Recorded Music, the third largest music company
in the world, is an international music company with
presence in nearly 70 countries. EMI Recorded Music
includes important local and international artists,
including some of the biggest names in the recorded
music industry. EMI has artists in every leading music
genre, including pop, rock, jazz, classical, Latin,
Christian, country, rap/urban and dance. The world famous
labels include Capitol, Angel, Blue Note, EMI, Priority
and Virgin. Its current roster includes approximately
1,500 artists and it releases over 1,000 albums each
year.
About I-Jam(r)
Multimedia LLC
I-Jam(r) Multimedia L.L.C., headquartered in Schaumburg,
Ill., was formed in 1999 to develop and market micro-sized,
multimedia products in the digital audio and video categories.
The company is leveraging its advanced, in-house expertise
in microcircuit design and development with its consumer
marketing experience to create innovative solutions
for the entertainment and technology industries. For
more information, go to the company's Web site at http://www.ijamworld.com.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT")
is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet
technologies for personal and business computing. The
company offers a wide range of products and services
designed to empower people through great software -
any time, any place and on any device. To view additional
information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft
Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass on Microsoft's
corporate information pages.
About Random
House
Random House Inc., founded in 1925, is the world's largest
English-language general trade book publisher. It includes
an array of prestigious imprints that publish some of
the foremost writers of our time - in hardcover, trade
paperback, mass-market paperback, audio, multimedia,
and other formats.
About Simon
& Schuster
Simon & Schuster, the publishing operation of Viacom
Inc., is a global leader in the field of general interest
publishing, dedicated to providing the best in fiction
and nonfiction for consumers of all ages, across all
printed and multi-media formats. Its divisions include
Simon & Schuster Trade Publishing, Pocket Books,
Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, Simon &
Schuster New Media, Simon & Schuster Online, Simon
& Schuster U.K., and Simon & Schuster Australia.
For more information about Simon & Schuster, visit
http://www.simonsays.com.
About Treble V Music
Treble V Music is a company that is devoted to music,
musicians and creating exciting musical experiences.
Treble V avoids putting the company's artists and productions
into one category. Instead, they allow their eclectic
tastes (and their artists') to lead where they may.
With offices right in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains,
providing constant inspiration, Treble V looks to the
hills and beyond for musical journeys. For more information,
please visit www.treblev.com.
About Iomega
Iomega Corporation (NYSE:IOM) manufactures and markets
the award-winning Zip(, Jaz( and PocketZip(tm) drives
and disks and markets Iomega CD-RW drives and discs.
Iomega's products help people to save, share, manage
and create important information such as spreadsheets,
slides, Internet downloads, audio files and personal
photographs, while protecting that content from viruses
and hackers. Used in homes, businesses, government and
educational facilities and by creative professionals
everywhere, Iomega storage solutions are the enabling
technologies preferred by millions. The Company can
be reached at 1-800-MY-STUFF (800-697-8833), or on the
Web at http://www.iomega.com.
# # #
Copyright (c) 2000 Iomega Corporation. Iomega, the stylized
"i" logo, Zip, Jaz, Clik!, HipZip, and PocketZip
are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Iomega
Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.
Certain other product names, brand names and company
names may be trademarks or designations of their respective
owners.
Special Note: The statements in this
release relating to the Company's future plans for marketing,
new products and alliances and future growth and operating
results are forward-looking statements. There are a
number of important factors that could cause actual
results to differ materially from those suggested or
indicated by such forward-looking statements, including
retail and OEM market acceptance of and demand for the
Company's existing and new products, the Company's success
in timely producing and marketing its products, ability
to maintain stringent quality assurance standards and
enhanced customer service, availability of critical
product components, success of the Company's new marketing
initiatives, manufacturing and inventory issues, intellectual
property rights, development and acceptance of digital
rights management strategies, competition, litigation,
general economic and/or industry-specific conditions
and the other factors described in Iomega's Annual Report
on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1999, and
its most recent quarterly reports filed with the SEC.
1 Source: Cahners In-Stat Group,
September 2000, "Portable Digital Music Players
Ride the MP3 Wave." Cost comparison based on a
suggested retail price of about $80 for a 32 MB flash
card.
Iomega Announces Retail Launch of
Revolutionary HipZip(tm) Digital Audio Player
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