Mitsubishi Electric Corp this week launched an optical disk juke-box system that uses 12 write-once disks that store 600Mb apiece, and can handle up to 152 disks for a total storage capacity of 90Gb. The drive features an average access time of 80mS and data transfer rate of 5.5Mbytes per second. The drive uses a 40mW high output laser diode to record, and a linear servo motor. The drive, offered OEM, costs $8,220 in sample quantities, and double-sided disks cost $171, single-sided ones are $102, but no price was given for the autochange feature. Mitsubishi is hoping to sell 2,000 of the drives in the new fiscal year that started April 1.
