SparQ drive
Removable Media - SparQ Drive
SparQ drive was a removable disk drive introduced by SyQuest Technology. Two versions of the drive were available: an internal version with IDE interface and an external version for the parallel port.
SparQ drives had a capacity of 1 GB of data. It also contained a solid hard disk platter on which data are stored. SparQ drive was comparatively cheaper than its competitors. While a 100 MB Zip drive cost $22 USD, a 1 GB SparQ disk cost only $39 USD.
Just a few months after the launch, the drives were reported to have serious quality issues, causing several of them to break down. It was reported to have a bizarre failure mode which damages SparQ disks in a way that causes them to damage subsequent SparQ drives in which they are placed.
The disks were a big market failure and had an adverse effect on the public image of SyQuest. The company had also to deal with the warranty obligations. As a result of this, the company filed for bankruptcy in late 1998.
After filing for bankruptcy, Syquest kept its rights to make and sell the drive. It continued to sell the drive to consumers via its Web site. The price was also increased. The service was aimed mainly at businesses that still relied on these drives and people who wanted to read old SparQ disks. However, the service was stopped after a while.
