1394 Trade Association Cites Aggressive Move by PC Makers to Add the 1394/FireWire/i.LINK Standard to New Notebook, Desktop Models.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 18, 2000

Citing new PC product announcements from Dell Computer and Hewlett-Packard Company, the chairman of the 1394 Trade Association said today the rate of adoption of the IEEE 1394 multimedia standard in desktop and notebook computers is `gaining speed rapidly.'

"As 2000 began, we anticipated a gradual adoption of 1394 among the PC leaders," said James Snider, the Trade Association chairman. "With recent announcements from Dell, Hewlett-Packard and others, a majority of the U.S. and Japanese personal computer makers now provide 1394 in the PC. Clearly, they have recognized the power of 1394 to deliver video and audio, simply, rapidly, and dependably." Snider added he expects more 1394-enabled PCs to reach the North American market by the fourth quarter, including offerings from the low-priced retail suppliers.

In addition to the U.S. and Japanese suppliers (including Sony and Fujitsu) who provide 1394-equipped computers to the North American market, four major Japanese vendors -- NEC, Epson, Panasonic and Sharp -- now incorporate 1394 into PCs for Japan's users.

Below: a list of all PCs available in North America that include the 1394 specification, which is marketed by Apple Computer as FireWire and by Sony Corp. and other companies as i.LINK.

Desktops:

-- From Dell, the Dimension XPS T700 and Inspiron 5000;

-- From Sony, the entire PCG family including 505TS, 505TX, Z505TR, Z505s;
Z505SX, F150, F160, F170, F180, F190, F250 and F270; the VAIO 505 SuperSlim,
VAIOZ505 Super Slim Pro, VAIO all-in-one.

-- From Sony Corp., the PCV series, including the E314DS and E518DS;

the PDV series, including the R522DS, R526DS, R528DS, R532DS,

R536DS, and R538DS; VAIO Digital Studio PCV-R556DS; VAIO Digital

Studio, PCV-R558DS; and VAIO PCV-J100.

-- From Dell, the Dimension XPS T700 and Inspiron 5000;

-- From Sony, the entire PCG family including 505TS, 505TX, Z505TR, Z505s;
Z505SX, F150, F160, F170, F180, F190, F250 and F270; the VAIO 505 SuperSlim,
VAIOZ505 Super Slim Pro, VAIO all-in-one.

Notebooks

-- From Dell, the Dimension XPS T700 and Inspiron 5000;

-- From Sony, the entire PCG family including 505TS, 505TX, Z505TR, Z505s;
Z505SX, F150, F160, F170, F180, F190, F250 and F270; the VAIO 505 SuperSlim,
VAIOZ505 Super Slim Pro, VAIO all-in-one.

-- From Gateway, the entire 9300 family including CL, CL Deluxe, CX,

LS, LS Deluxe, XL, XL Deluxe, SE, and SE Deluxe;

-- From Dell, the Dimension XPS T700 and Inspiron 5000;

-- From Sony, the entire PCG family including 505TS, 505TX, Z505TR, Z505s;
Z505SX, F150, F160, F170, F180, F190, F250 and F270; the VAIO 505 SuperSlim,
VAIOZ505 Super Slim Pro, VAIO all-in-one.

About the Trade Association

The 1394 Trade Association includes more than 170 companies dedicated to the enhancement and proliferation of the IEEE 1394 multimedia standard. The association headquarters is located at 2350 Mission College Blvd., Suite 350, Santa Clara, Calif., 95054, tel: [phone]. For more information please visit the TA's web sites at www.1394ta.org and www.askfor1394.com.

Note to Editors: FireWire is a registered trademark of Apple Computer. i.LINK is a trademark of Sony Corp.