Tidbyte
Hard-Drive Merger: Seagate's forthcoming $1.9 billion acquisition of Maxtor will make Seagate the biggest hard-drive manufacturer, with 30 percent market share. However, the deal is more likely to help consumers than hurt them: Analysts say drive costs are unlikely to rise, and the merger will give Seagate resources to research and develop innovations such as drives for cars, home appliances, and portable devices.
Product Pipeline
Sony Hard-Disk Camcorder: Sony enters the hard disk-based digital video camcorder market with the DCR-SR100 Handycam, which has a 30GB drive that the company says can hold up to 7 hours of DVD-quality video. The DCR-SR100 has built-in Dolby Digital 5.1-channel surround sound and supports Sony's new optional center-channel ECM-HW1 Wireless Bluetooth Microphone. The camcorder also has a 2.7-inch LCD screen and can take 3-megapixel still images. It is slated to ship in March with a suggested retail price of $1100. The wireless microphone will cost about $200.
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