50 Times More Capacity Than 3480

3M ANNOUNCES 10 GB BLACK WATCH 3590 HALF-INCH TAPE CARTRIDGE

ST. PAUL, Minn. (April 10, 1995) - 3M today announced details of new 10 GB
(uncompressed) half-inch tape cartridges to be used with IBM's new Magstar
tape drive. The products are called the 3M Black Watch 3590 Half-Inch Tape
Cartridge and IBM 3590 High Performance Cartridge Tape.

Created as part of a co-development agreement between 3M and IBM, the new
tape cartridges increase storage capacity by 50-times over current
industry leading technology.

The new IBM Magstar tape drive features an improved data compression
technique that enables the capacity of the tape cartridge to be increased
to 30 GB -a three-fold leap over uncompressed capacities.

3M today also announced several more products that are compatible with
IBM's 3590 High Performance Tape Subsystem. They include 3M brand
10-cartridge magazines that can each hold up to 100 GB (uncompressed) of
3590 tape cartridges, and 3M and IBM brand 3590 cleaning cartridges.

The 3M Black Watch 3590 Half-Inch Tape Cartridges, IBM 3590 High
Performance Cartridge Tape, and other 3590-compatible products are
expected to be available July 28 through regular 3M distribution channels.
Suggested list prices will be announced in July.

Big And Fast

The new 3590 tape cartridge will provide users with 10 GB of uncompressed
data capacity. This improvement represents more than a 12-fold capacity
increase when compared with the relatively recent 3490E cartridge/drive
system. IBM's Magstar tape drive transfers data at up to 9 megabytes per
second (MB/s), a 300 percent increase in data transfer speed.

According to Chuck Kummeth, business development manager for half-inch
linear tape products, 3M Data Storage Tape Technology Division, the
increased transfer rate of the IBM Magstar tape drive will significantly
reduce operational time in data centers. In addition, the leap in capacity
in the 3590 tape cartridge will dramatically shrink the amount of space
users must devote to storage.

The new 3590 cartridge will be used in a wide range of applications -- from
the frequent start/stop reading and writing typical of business
transactions to the nonstop data streaming of scientific data acquisition.
Other applications include batch processing, interchange, distribution,
hierarchical storage management, archiving, data backup and restore.

"3M's years of experience in developing tape products, combined with the
success of the 3490E cartridge that also was co-developed with IBM, made
3M the obvious choice for this implementation," said Kummeth.

"3M's years of experience in developing tape products, combined with the
success of the 3490E cartridge that also was co-developed with IBM, made
3M the obvious choice for this implementation," said Kummeth.

"With performance and capacity continuing to be the primary needs for
data-intensive organizations such as those various commercial and
scientific/technical industries, we believe this product effectively
addresses the principal requirements of high-end users," he added.

The new 3M cartridge is based on the 3480 form factor, making it backward
compatible with existing 3480 and 3490E storage and automation slots. The
new 3590 cartridge uses 1,100 feet of high coercivity, 1600 oersted (Oe),
metal particle media that is specially formulated for higher capacity,
performance and reliability.

The IBM Magstar tape drive utilizes a serpentine, longitudinal recording
technique that permits data to be recorded and read-verified in a
bi-directional mode. Breakthrough recording technology allows the system
to record 128 data tracks across the tape, compared with 36 tracks with
current technology.

This increased data tracking is made possible by a new integrated head
assembly that includes a track-following servo. By following the three
servo tracks embedded in the new 3M tape, the drive head is positioned to
assure highly accurate alignment and permit the data tracks to be recorded
much closer together. This produces significant capacity increases without
slowing data access time.

Compared to helical scan recording, which uses a rotating head to read and
write data on tape -- the same process as a VCR -- longitudinal recording
allows the tape to start and stop very quickly under a stationary head,
making it much more useful in a multi-function computing environment.

When the tape movement is stopped, both the head and media are stopped,
causing no wear or stress in either the media or head. Because of the
relatively low tape-to-head forces, a longitudinal head can be expected to
last 10 to 20 times longer than a high-performance helical head used under
comparable conditions. The lower forces also reduce the generation of
loose debris particles from the tape, which in turn results in lower
temporary error rates.

3M and IBM co-developed the industry's first half-inch computer tape in
1953. In 1992, 3M and IBM co-developed the long-length 3490E compatible
cartridge that is now marketed as 3M brand E-Cart and the IBM Enhanced
Capacity Cartridge Tape System.

3M is the world's largest supplier of branded removable data storage media.
For more information about 3M half-inch tape products, contact 3M at (800)
888-1889, extension 33.

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