Maxtor Atlas 15K Anounced

[JMP]

Saw this at at Anands,

http://www.anandtech.com/news/shownews.html?i=17197&t=pn

Jeff

 

[Tannin]

Does it have a warranty?

 

[Pradeep]

Available at the start of 2003 most likely. A long time in the computer world.

 

[Tannin]

Ha! Some things never change.

 

[Pradeep]

Does it have a warranty?

Apparently they have outdone themsleves, and seeing it's a SCSI drive, have gone from the previous 5 years to -1 year. When it breaks down you have to pay Maxtor for parts, and fix the bloody thing yourself. There is a simple support link to the guy who replaced his hard drive case with a bit of clear lexan, and the antics in a misty bathroom that follow.

 

[Tea]

Poor Maxtor. Everyone is saying rude things about Maxtor. It's probably going to be a really nice drive, when it eventually arrives. (And if it really does arrive in January or so, then it will be a whole lot sooner after the announcement than the previous three or four top-end Quaxtors ever were.) But with their 1 year warranty for IDE products, they have just destroyed a great deal of their hard-won credibility. Five year enterprise-class warranty or not, the mud will stick.

 

[Handruin]

I think we're misinterpreting them.

To quote storagereview:

Following up with their Wednesday product announcement, Maxtor today unveiled plans for their “MaxLine” series of ATA drives.
The MaxLine II and MaxLine Plus II are basically extensions of the recently announced DiamondMax 16 and DiamondMax 8 lines. MaxLine II incorporates three or four 80-gigabyte platters to yield a staggering flagship capacity of 320 GB in a 5400 RPM configuration. The MaxLine Plus II adds a third platter to the firm’s 7200 RPM design to reach capacities up to 250 GB. The Plus also incorporates an 8-meg cache. Both will be available in ATA-133 or Serial ATA interfaces and will feature optional FDB motors.

Perhaps most importantly, Maxtor certifies these drives for “24/7” operation, claiming a 1,000,000+ mean-time-to failure (significantly higher than other ATA drives) and retaining 3-year warranties on the units.

Why the “II” designation? Folks may recall the 120 and 160 GB DiamondMax D540X series drives that followed the initial 80 GB units last year. These larger units were actually the “first generation” in the manufacturer’s line of drives aimed at cost-sensitive enterprise-class applications.

Maxtor’s full release may be viewed here.

In addition to the MaxLine series, Maxtor has also "reannounced" the Atlas 10k IV as well as the Atlas 15k. More details may be found in this press release.

Though we generally shy away from editorial comments in mere product announcements, a few words may be appropriate here. Maxtor’s announcement that its standard ATA drives will feature a 1-year warranty starting on October 1st has reverberated across the community. Why? Is it because Maxtor has decided to lower quality standards on its drives? Probably not. The company itself explains that they’re bringing retail warranties in line with those requested by their major OEMs. This has a dual effect of allowing Maxtor to shave projected support costs while also allowing the firm’s enterprise-class ATA drives to feature a warranty longer than their standard ATA line without threatening the SCSI division. Is this a good idea? We’re not sure; time will tell.

Another interesting facet is the MaxLine’s “24/7 certification.” Does this imply that the DiamondMax 16 and Plus 9 have regressed from the D540X and D740X? Or does it suggest that IBM was not out of line with their infamous “333 power-on hours per month” spec and instead was simply lynched by consumer ill-will when they in fact were the only ones printing a spec that other manufacturers chose to ignore? We’ll leave this critical-thinking exercise up to readers… though we can’t help but point out that there was a reason we were reluctant to make a big deal out of IBM’s spec.

Seems like they are realigning their product structure. It may turn out for the best where we will see larger/faster ATA drives which retain a 3 year warranty, where as the cheaper OEM drives will be smaller with less warranty. (hopefully cheaper)

 

[Mercutio]

I guess I'm not that worried if the new 20GB drive I buy to replace a failed 2GB drive carries a full warranty. If it'll knock $15 off the price, I guess that may be a good thing.

Besides, it's a Maxtor.

I suppose that as long as their current (== the drive I actually want to buy) drive has three years, I'll be happy.

I'm seriously worried about their "slightly older but appealing" products now, though (740x, 541X etc).

 

[LiamC]

Does anybody know when the DiamondMax 9 Plus and MaxLine II Plus drivres with 8MB cache will ship? There are hints of October but I can't find anything firm...

 

[NRG = mc²]

I'm waiting for _any_ S-ATA drives... I'm sick of waiting, need to get this cabled mess out of my machine!

 

[LiamC]

NRG = MC^2,

posted this over at Ace's BB when I read a blurb on SATA at Anand's

http://www.aceshardware.com/forum?read=80033197

Seems that there are still a few kinks to be worked out....[/b]

 

[NRG = mc²]

bleh... seems I'll be getting rid of my noisy D740 now and getting a new DVD drive rather than waiting.... now I'll have to put two drives on one channel...