Maxoptix Enters Partnership With Mitsubishi Chemical to Develop 40GB Optical Media.

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 15, 1999--

Removable media cartridge to offer capacity and cost competitive

with tape in addition to extremely high reliability traditionally

associated with MO disks

Maxoptix Corporation, a proven developer and supplier of extremely reliable, high-capacity, removable optical storage solutions, announced today a partnership with Mitsubishi(R) Chemical Corporation (MCC) for the development of Maxoptix' next-generation Optical Super Density(TM) (OSD) media. OSD technology, first publicly demonstrated on March 30, 1999, will be the basis of the industry's newest generation of ultra high-capacity removable storage devices. Offering capacities of 20GB per side and a growth path to 200GB per cartridge, OSD combines near-hard drive data transfer rates and direct overwrite capabilities with the inherent reliability of magneto optical technology in a removable device.

In developing the media for Maxoptix OSD drives, Mitsubishi Chemical will apply its extensive experience as a world-class supplier to the data storage industry and its most advanced optical media technology to deliver low-cost 40GB OSD media with millions of read/write cycles and a 30 to 50 year data life.

OSD media will be packaged in a cartridge that is very similar to conventional MO media, making it compatible with existing automation in today's ISO-standard jukeboxes. As a result, today's MO jukeboxes will be able to upgrade to OSD drives and media for an almost 800 percent increase in capacity without requiring changes to the jukebox robotics.

"In developing the media technology for Maxoptix' new OSD drives, our objective was to meet the capacity and performance of OSD technology while maintaining the highest levels of reliability. This will drive down the costs of storage for our target customers," said Dr. Kobayashi, General Manager of Information Storage Department for Mitsubishi Chemical. "With storage requirements growing at about 100% per year, we see a ready market for OSD-based solutions."

"Mitsubishi Chemical has an exceptional track record in developing and manufacturing a broad range of high-quality media to the industry's highest quality standards," said Gary Potts, Maxoptix President and CEO. "Working together, we can meet the capacity, performance and scalability requirements of storage-intensive applications such as high-resolution imaging, infrastructure support for the Internet and enterprise-wide backup for about $2-per-Gigabyte."

Maxoptix' new OSD product line incorporates several patent-pending technologies including Over Coat Incident Recording(TM) (OCIR), Recessed Objective Lens(TM) (ROL), and crescent recording as well as direct over-write capabilities. A formal introduction of Maxoptix' OSD technology and several OSD development partners will be made at a press conference during Fall Comdex '99.

Like all Maxoptix multi-function storage solutions, the new OSD drives will be easily integrated into Windows(R) 3.1x, Windows NT, Windows 95, Macintosh(R), and UNIX(R)-based environments. Both drives and media will be available by Q4, 2000 through leading OEMs, distributors, VARs and system integrators worldwide.

Founded in 1950, Mitsubishi Chemical Company (MCC), is Japan's largest chemical company and among the top worldwide. A pioneer in the development of rewriteable CDs, MCC is a $14 billion company that employs over 20,000 people, 15 percent of whom work in research and development. For more information, visit the company's website at http://www.m-kagaku.co.jp. Phone: [phone]. Fax: [phone].

Founded in 1986, Maxoptix is a pioneer of high-performance optical drive and media with several key patents in the field of optical recording. Maxoptix serves a global customer base from its U.S. headquarters in Fremont, California and European headquarters in Woking, England. Maxoptix may be contacted at 3342 Gateway Blvd., Fremont, Calif., 94538. Phone: [phone] and [phone]. Fax: [phone]. In Europe, contact Maxoptix Europe, Ltd.; Maxoptix House, St. John's Road, St. John's, Woking, Surrey, England, GU21 1SE. Phone: [phone]. Fax: [phone]. Website: http://www.maxoptix.com/

EDITOR' NOTE: For more information on OSD, the partnership press conference at Fall Comdex, or to arrange an interview, contact Tracy Laidlaw at Beyond Words, Ltd., 3520 E. Morrow Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85050. Phone: [phone]. Fax: [phone] Email: mailto:[e-mail]

Maxoptix is a trademark of Maxoptix Corporation. All other company and/or product names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective manufacturers.