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The following information is true and accurate at the time of publication.
January 10, 2003
New Memory Stick Platform Strategy for The Broadband Era
LAS VEGAS, January 9, 2003 - Sony Corporation
today announced the introduction of Memory StickTM
media with Memory Select Function which will expand the
connected world of current Memory Stick, providing more
versatility to Memory Stick-compatible device users. Memory
Stick PRO, a new generation Memory Stick format, responding
to a variety of needs in the coming broadband era was also
announced.
Since the fall 1998 market introduction of Memory Stick,
Memory Stick has evolved from a storage media to a networking
media adopted by a wide range of product categories, such
as digital still cameras, PCs, PDAs, portable audio devices,
car devices, televisions, printers, and multimedia terminals.
Memory Stick sales are expanding steadily with cumulative
shipments of Memory Stick media reaching 30 million as of
October 2002 and compatible products exceeding 30 million
units as of September 2002.
Memory Stick DuoTM
at one-third the volume and half the weight of standard-size
Memory Stick was also launched in July 2002. Applications
for Memory Stick Duo have expanded, including cellular phones
and portable audio players. Furthermore, audio products
complying with the MagicGateTM copyright protection technology
are continually being introduced onto the market, facilitating
the expansion of music downloading services and the growth
of Memory Stick audio applications.
As Memory Stick quickly gains popularity across the industry
for its ability to share a variety of content stored on
a single media among various products, the media is being
enhanced to ensure user-friendly access to various stored
content and compatibility between many devices. As part
of this direction, Memory Stick media with Memory Select
Function was developed to provide a higher capacity solution
for users with current Memory Stick-compatible products.
The Memory Stick media with Memory Select Function incorporates
multiple 128MB memory units, which can be selected by a
user via a mechanical switch on the media. Each memory unit
can be used to categorize various types of data, for example
using one memory unit for business data and the other for
personal content. Because Memory Stick with Memory Select
Function is designed with a basic capacity of 128MB, it
retains high compatibility with current and future Memory
Stick compatible products*. By realizing high-capacity data
storage and offering additional features such as categorization
of data to current Memory Stick users, Memory Stick media
with Memory Select Function will further enhance user-friendliness.
A 256MB Memory Stick media with Memory Select Function comprised
of two 128MB memory units will be available this spring.
Memory Stick media with Memory Select Function with a total
of 512MB capacity and above integrating more than two 128MB
memory units are currently under development. Incorporation
of the MagicGate copyright protection technology into Memory
Stick media with Memory Select Function is also being considered.
* Memory Stick media with Memory Select Function is compatible
with current Memory Stick-compatible products supporting
128MB capacity.
The fast approach of the broadband network era and rapid
improvements in hardware and software worldwide are increasing
demands for advanced new generation features such as high-resolution
video recording on memory cards. To accommodate such demands,
a new generation of high-performance IC recording media
called Memory Stick PRO was developed jointly with SanDisk
Corporation.
Derived from a combination of conceptual keywords "progressive,"
"professional" and "protection," Memory Stick PRO incorporates
both advanced technology and improved expandability. It
offers completely new levels of performance when combined
with products optimized for Memory Stick PRO while ensuring
high-level security to protect commercial and personal content.
The Memory Stick PRO format was designed to realize continuous
real-time recording of high capacity high-resolution moving
images, with recording capacities specified up to 32GB.
In addition to its theoretical maximum transfer speed of
160Mbps, a main advantage of the Memory Stick PRO format
is its minimum write speed* of 15Mbps as a format standard,
which will enable continuous real-time recording of high-resolution
moving images. Furthermore, the minimum write speed of 15Mbps
will make it possible to design more reliable moving image
recording devices capable of preventing data loss in the
event of sudden power loss or accidental removal of the
media during file recording.
* The minimum write speed of 15Mbps can be realized with
optimized Memory Stick PRO format-compatible devices.
The new format includes the MagicGate copyright protection
technology as a standard feature providing secure protection
for commercial and copyrighted content.
By fully utilizing an embedded intelligent controller unit,
the Memory Stick PRO format will also enable prevention
of third-party access to personal data. Tentatively named
"Access Control Function," the new protection technology
will form the base of a high-level security system for Memory
Stick networking features.
As an advanced new generation media format, the Memory Stick
PRO offers future expandability allowing it to evolve to
bring new, exciting applications and benefits to its users.
Memory Stick PRO-compatible products will be launched one
after another to answer user demands and offer new ways
of enjoying Memory Stick. In the spring, Memory Stick PRO
media in 1GB, 512MB and 256MB capacities will be introduced
worldwide.
The appearance of Memory Stick media with Memory Select
Function and Memory Stick PRO will facilitate adoption of
Memory Stick media and compatible products by a broader
range of product categories. Cumulative shipments of Memory
Stick media including the new generation of Memory Stick
are expected to reach 130 million units in 2004 and 210
million in 2005. Cumulative shipments of Memory Stick compatible
products are expected to dramatically exceed initial expectations
made at the time of the media's market launch; reaching
125 million in 2004 and 200 million in 2005.
By adding "Memory Stick PRO" and "Memory Stick media with
Memory Select Function" to the current Memory Stick lineup,
Memory Stick is evolving and enriching its lineup as a platform
to link users to a variety of content and services for the
coming broadband era.
-Reference-
Memory Stick-related URL
Homepage for developers: http://www.memorystick.org
General homepage for visitors: http://www.memorystick.com
All trade names are either registered trademarks or trademarks
of their respective holders.
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