History (1999): Thomson Multimedia Adopts IBM One-Inch Microdrive

Thomson Multimedia has adopted IBM’s one-inch HDD drive Microdrive for its new personal digital audio player, the MP3 Lyra, which arrives next autumn.

But, as with most of these kinds of projects currently in development (MP3 walkmen, digital cameras, car navigator systems), the Microdrive will be offered as an option only.

As a standard feature, the Lyra comes with SanDisk’s 32MB (64 optionally), which can read 2 hours of music. However, with the CompactFlash I and II slot, the user with a larger pocketbook can replace the flash card with a 340MB Microdrive, and thus store some 10 hours of music.

IBM’s big worry is to ensure that manufacturers opt for a CFII-compatible slot, not just CFI, in their designs. Without the former, there’s no hope for the Microdrive.

This article is an abstract of news published on issue 137 on June 1999 from the former paper version of Computer Data Storage Newsletter.