The first 3.5" erasable optical drive was announced recently by Pinnacle Micro Inc., which claims that the drive's average seek time is a mere 28 milliseconds, far below that offered by the 5.25" standard erasable optical disks. Each $129 disk will store 128 megabytes of information, less than the 650 megabytes that the 5.25" drives will hold. However, the list price on the drive is $2995, so street prices should be less than the $3500 or so that the 5.25" drives cost. Compared to a 105 megabyte Quantum hard disk, the Pinnacle erasable optical is still expensive at about $24 per megabyte, but adding additional disks lowers the price per megabyte significantly. For graphic designers who wish to store large 24-bit images or anyone who needs a large amount of storage, the Pinnacle 3.5" drive will provide it at a reasonable speed, unlike its 5.25" brethren.

Pinnacle Micro, Inc. -- 800/553-7070 -- 714/727-3300

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