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I.T. News

17 May, 2006

IBM Details Improvement in Data Storage

Email this Story May 16, 12:34 AM (ET)
By BRIAN BERGSTEIN

BOSTON (AP) - Researchers at International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) say a new method for cramming data onto magnetic tape will increase storage capacity at least 15 times, enough to squeeze the text from 8 million books onto a cartridge half the size of a VHS tape.

Since high-capacity, reliable hard disk drives are ubiquitous today, tape storage may conjure images of space race-era computers with spinning reels. Indeed, IBM sold its first tape storage unit in 1952.

But tape is still a common medium for storing materials that aren't frequently accessed, including disaster-recovery files and financial records needed for regulatory compliance. IBM's tape-storage revenue rose 9 percent last year, outpacing the company as a whole.

Scientists at IBM's Almaden Research Center in San Jose, Calif., planned to announce Tuesday that they have invented a process for stuffing 6.67 billion bits into a square inch of tape and 8 terabytes - roughly 8 trillion bytes - on a single cartridge. They contend that would be 15 to 20 times denser than today's industry-standard tape products.

IBM worked with Fuji Photo Film Co. to change the material that makes up the tape, and also improved the way data can be read and written.

Customers wanting to take advantage of the new tape technology - which is expected to be on the market in about five years - would need to upgrade to new machines.

Also, while each new generation of tape machine traditionally can read cartridges based on the two previous standards, there are no guarantees. Consequently, customers likely will have to re-record old data onto the new tapes to ensure those files remain accessible well into the future, said David Reine, an analyst with the Clipper Group. Bezos: Being First Not Necessarily Enough

Email this Story May 15, 8:32 PM (ET)
By ALLISON LINN

(AP) Amazon.com Inc. founder Jeff Bezos, right, takes part in a question-and-answer session with Ed...
Full Image

SEATTLE (AP) - Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) is a pioneer in the field of selling things online, but founder Jeff Bezos said Monday he often warns his workers that being first isn't necessarily enough.

"There's a lot to be said for close following as a business strategy," Bezos said during a question-and-answer session at a luncheon for the Technology Alliance, a Washington state trade group, at a Seattle hotel.

Bezos, also Amazon.com's president, chairman and chief executive, noted that such copycats can save money and don't have to make as many wrong turns - two of the factors that can lead to toppling the market leader.

The Seattle Internet retailer is facing concerns from analysts that, despite its pioneering roots and hefty technology investments, it is now lagging competitors.

Bezos and other Amazon.com executives usually refuse to discuss the competition, insisting that the company is focused on its customers, not its competitors. Bezos said Monday that Amazon.com developed that strategy soon after it opened its virtual doors, when brick-and-mortar bookselling giant Barnes & Noble Inc. (BKS) announced plans to start selling online.

Many analysts said that attack could lead to the quick demise of Amazon.com, Bezos said, adding, "We thought they had a good point."

So instead of battling the competitor head-on, Bezos said the company decided to focus on keeping and winning customer loyalty. Today, Amazon.com has expanded far beyond its roots as an online bookseller to offer everything from computers to food.

Analysts also have expressed concerns that Amazon.com is spending a lot on technology while refusing to disclose in detail what the spending is for. Bezos on Monday mentioned at least one far-flung technological innovation that has been discussed around the office - though perhaps not seriously: the "electronic soul mate."

Bezos said the idea is to pair users with the other Amazon.com customer who has the most similar purchasing history.

After playing matchmaker, the company also would try to squeeze out an extra purchase, noting what five books your "soul mate" has purchased but you haven't.

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