schneids@ssc-vax.UUCP (Jim Schneidewind) (11/11/83)
The following is from the Nov. 7, 1983 issue of "Electronic Engineering Times" : ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- " Commodore, Alps Wrangle Over Drives In December, the Alps Electric Co. of Japan is expected to offer five models of the 3-1/2-inch drive format. Capacities will range from 250 kbytes to 1 Mbyte. Production will begin at 30,000 units a month, ramping up to 100,000 per month in the spring. Alps is still negotiating with its customer Commodore International Ltd. over the LSI problems detected in its 5-1/4-inch floppy drives. The much- needed drives are beginning to stifle sales of the firm's Commodore 64 computer, as nearly 90 percent of first-time buyers also purchase a floppy unit. Commodore turned to Alps to meet its shortfall in drives late last summer, and contracted for nearly a million pieces. The LSI problem that is now halting shipments to the United States has not been resolved and both parties are arguing over whose fault it is. The Commodore 64 floppy drive is an intelligent peripheral, with its own 6500 series microprocessor which communicates over a high-speed serial bus with the model 64. That controller is the problem, and could jeopardize Commodore chairman Jack Tramiel's drive to reach the $1 billion sales level before year-end. " ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Since they're still arguing, I'm glad I got my drive a long time ago!!! Schneids ssc-vax!schneids