| Mib - Dienstag, 4. Januar 2000 - 17:09 |
| http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/000104/ca_m_syste_1.html Tuesday January 4, 7:58 am Eastern Time Company Press Release DiskOnChip Selected by Sherwood for Thin Client Local Storage FREMONT, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 4, 2000--M-Systems Flash Disk Pioneers Ltd. (Nasdaq:FLSH - news), the leader in flash-based local storage solutions for the Internet appliance and embedded market, Tuesday announced that Sherwood® Network has selected DiskOnChip as the local storage device in its 8000WT and 8500WT line of thin clients. ``DiskOnChip allows us to customize our thin clients by configuring each series with different operating systems and unique functions,'' said James Wong, director of sales and marketing for Sherwood Network. ``Its modularity and wide operating system support provide us with the flexibility needed in configuring our systems.'' ``DiskOnChip provides our customers a ready-made, self-contained solution that dramatically reduces their time to market,'' said Chuck Schouw, president and CEO, M-Systems Inc. Thin client computing is one of the fastest growing segments in the enterprise computing market. According to the Aberdeen Group, nearly one-third of all desktops will be a thin client of some form by the year 2002. DiskOnChip will store the operating system, local applications, fonts and other configuration information for these thin client systems. In addition, the file storage capability of DiskOnChip allows for an easy and reliable remote upgrade of the thin client. The solid state device also enhances data reliability and offers greater data security for information stored exclusively on DiskOnChip. As a result, DiskOnChip is finding its way into more thin client applications everyday. Sherwood's 8000WT and 8500WT are the latest entries into the low-cost, high-performance thin client market. The 8500WT is one of the fastest thin clients available today. Both of these sub-$500 thin clients are especially useful as replacements for aging 386 and 486 PCs that are simply acting as terminals and running terminal emulations. Designed in more than 400 standard embedded and thin client-targeted motherboards, DiskOnChip has already established itself as the standard flash disk for embedded systems and Internet appliances. The DiskOnChip product line offers products ranging in capacity from 8 to 288MB. DiskOnChip provides support for all major operating systems, including Windows CE, Windows NT, Windows 95, Linux, QNX, pSOS+, VxWorks, DOS and others. DiskOnChip products offer full hard disk emulation and are available in standard surface-mount packages, including 32-pin DIP or TSOP, with 3 or 5V and extended temperature options. DiskOnChip requires minimal design and integration effort, thereby further reducing engineering costs. It is fully forward and backward compatible, new versions or higher capacity DiskOnChip devices can be used in existing DiskOnChip sockets without a need to re-design the system. About Sherwood Network Sherwood® Network is a division of Sherwood America Inc. and is an innovative leader in providing high quality Windows Terminals, SCO® Thin Clients, ASCII/ANSI Display Terminals and OEM customization. Established in 1984, Sherwood's thin client technology is compatible with a variety of environments including Citrix® ICA, SCO Tarantella®/OpenServer®, and Microsoft® RDP, Windows '9x and NTTM. Sherwood sells through Distributors, Value Added Resellers and System Integrators around the world. All products support auto-ranging power supplies and are compliant with the major regulatory agencies including UL, CSA and CE. For more information visit Sherwood Network's website at www.sherwoodterm.com or call 800/777-8755. About M-System Flash Disk Pioneers Ltd. M-Systems Flash Disk Pioneers Ltd. develops, manufactures and markets a broad range of flash data storage solutions using its patented TrueFFS technology. Leading the market for flash-based local storage applications, M-Systems is the first to bring the market a complete flash disk in a single die using its breakthrough DiskOnChip Millennium technology. M-Systems products include the DiskOnChip, Fast Flash Disk (FFD), CompactFlash, IDE Flash Disk and Flash PC Cards. For more information, contact M-Systems at 8371 Central Avenue, Suite A, Newark, Calif. 94560. Telephone: 510/494-2090, E-mail: info@m-sys.com and on the Internet: http://www.m-sys.com. The matters discussed in this news release contain forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual results to vary significantly. These risks include market and competitive factors, and other risks described in the company's most recent prospectuses and other periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company assumes no obligation to update the Information in this release. Contact: M-Systems Inc., Freemont Stacy Flint, 510/494-2090 (ext. 120) stacyf@m-sys.com or T&O Public Relations Jennifer Quarton/Sylvia Chansler, 949/833-8006 jquarton@topr.com schansler@topr.com or M-Systems Flash Disk Pioneers Ltd. Ronit Maor (investors), 972-3-647-7776 (ext. 223) ronitm@m-sys.com or KCSA Mark Schwartz/Joseph A. Mansi, 212/682-6300 mschwartz@kcsa.com/jmansi@kcsa.com Fax: 212-697-0910 |
| Stw - Dienstag, 4. Januar 2000 - 19:37 |
| Ich habe hier in D noch nichts davon gehört, daß sich die Thin Clients wirklich durchsetzen könnten. "According to the Aberdeen Group, nearly one-third of all desktops will be a thin client of some form by the year 2002" Wie seriös ist diese Studie zu bewerten ??? Sicherlich ist auch hier in Europa das Thin-Client-Computing mittels WTS (WindowsTerminalServer) ein Thema, aber ich kann mir nicht vorstellen, daß in Europa in den nächsten JAhren die PC's in nennenswerten Stückzahlen aus unseren Büros verschwinden werden. Vor ein paar Jahren schon haben ja Oracle und einige andere versucht, die damals sogenannten Network-PCs zu etablieren. Warum sollten die ThinClients nun mehr Erfolg haben ? :-) stw |
| Mib - Dienstag, 4. Januar 2000 - 19:42 |
| das ist eine moegliche Anwendung des disk-on-chip. der groesste Zukunftsmarkt sollten cell-phones sein. aber an einem Boersentag wie heute kann einem der Spass sowieso vergehen.... ;-) |
| Mib - Donnerstag, 6. Januar 2000 - 15:47 |
| http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/000106/ca_m_syste_1.html Thursday January 6, 7:59 am Eastern Time Company Press Release Samsung Electronics Co. Selects DiskOnChip as the Flash Storage Solution for the IZZI Palm PC DiskOnChip Provides Significantly Higher Data Storage Reliability in Its First Mainstream Use in Palm PCs LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 6, 2000-- M-Systems Flash Disk Pioneers Ltd. (Nasdaq: FLSH - news), the leader in flash-based local storage solutions for the Internet Appliance (IA) and embedded markets, Thursday announced that Samsung Electronics Co. has selected M-Systems' DiskOnChip(r) as the flash storage solution for its new IZZI Palm PC product line. Samsung is the first company to integrate DiskOnChip into a mass-produced Microsoft Windows CE-based Palm PC. The Samsung IZZI Palm is an ultra-light palm size pocket PC companion, providing the advantages of a PC with Internet and e-mail capability and cell phone connectivity from any location. Already in mass production, the IZZI Palm contains features such as file transferability to a PC, an easy-to-read screen and 15 hours of continuous use, thanks, in part, to the low power consumption of DiskOnChip. ``DiskOnChip is the ideal storage solution for the IZZI Palm,'' said H. S. Kim, vice president, computer division, Samsung Electronics Co. ``DiskOnChip's integrated support for Windows CE provides faster time-to-market and its built-in EDC/ECC and controller provides much higher reliability and performance than other options. ``ROM and battery-backed RAM, which have been used in the past, simply don't offer users the same level of reliability or functionality. A big benefit to having DiskOnChip in our IZZI Palm is that even if power is lost, the customer's data will be retained.'' ``M-Systems is very pleased that Samsung, a world leader in the electronics industry, has chosen DiskOnChip for its launch into the handheld market with the IZZI Palm,'' said Aryeh Mergi, executive vice president of marketing and sales, M-Systems. ``This is the first time that a flash disk has been used in a mainstream Palm PC instead of the less reliable RAM with battery backup. ``This adoption of DiskOnChip will give Samsung significant advantages in the market and will begin the industry move to flash-based local storage for Palm PC's.'' DiskOnChip is a low power, plug-n-play and easy to integrate flash disk, making it the optimal solution for embedded computers, Internet access devices, point-of-sale, networking, telecommunications and many other embedded applications. To see how DiskOnChip technology provides local storage to a variety of innovative products at CES, visit Websurfer at booth No. 5427 and Daewoo at booth No. S101/S102. These are just a few examples of DiskOnChip technology at work. About Samsung Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., with 1998 sales revenue of $16.6 billion, is a world leader in the electronics industry. The Korea-based firm has operations in 46 countries and employs 42,000 people worldwide. The company consists of three main business divisions: Multimedia & Home Appliances, Semiconductors and Information & Telecommunications. For more information, visit the Web site, http://samsungelectronics.com. About M-Systems Flash Disk Pioneers Ltd. M-Systems Flash Disk Pioneers Ltd. (Nasdaq: FLSH - news) develops, manufactures and markets a broad range of flash data storage solutions using its patented TrueFFS technology. Leading the market for flash-based local storage applications, M-Systems is the first to bring the market a complete flash disk in a single die using its breakthrough DiskOnChip Millennium technology. M-Systems products include DiskOnChip, Fast Flash Disk (FFD), CompactFlash, IDE Flash Disk and Flash PC Cards. For more information, contact M-Systems at 8371 Central Avenue, Newark, Calif. 94560, 510/494-2090, info@m-sys.com or on the Internet at http://www.m-sys.com. The matters discussed in this news release contain forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual results to vary significantly. These risks include market and competitive factors, and other risks described in the company's most recent prospectuses and other periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company assumes no obligation to update the Information in this release. Contact: M-Systems Flash Disk Pioneers Ltd. Dan Bloom (editorial), 972-3-647-7776 ext. 248 E-mail: danb@m-sys.com or Ronit Maor (investors), 972-3-647-7776 ext. 223 E-mail: ronitm@m-sys.com or T&O Public Relations Jennifer Quarton, 949/833-8006 E-mail: jquarton@topr.com or KCSA Mark Schwartz or Joseph A. Mansi, 212/682-6300 E-mail: mschwartz@kcsa.com or jmansi@kcsa.com Fax: 212/697-0910 |
| Mib - Mittwoch, 12. Januar 2000 - 16:08 |
| http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/000112/ca_m_syste_1.html Wednesday January 12, 8:05 am Eastern Time Company Press Release Neoware Systems Selects M-Systems for Flash-Based Local Storage Solution in Its New Line of Windows-Based Terminals DiskOnChip Contributes to Superior Performance and Cost-Effectiveness of NeoStation 2200 and NeoStation 2300 Series WBTs FREMONT, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 12, 2000-- M-Systems Flash Disk Pioneers Ltd. (Nasdaq:FLSH - news), the leader in flash based local storage solutions for the Internet Appliance (IA) and embedded markets, Wednesday announced that Neoware Systems Inc. (Nasdaq:NWRE - news) has selected M-Systems' DiskOnChip as the flash-based local storage solution for its new line of Windows-based terminals (WBTs) with built-in support for Microsoft (Nasdaq:MSFT - news) operating systems and Citrix (Nasdaq:CTXS - news) systems software. M-Systems' DiskOnChip is now designed into the NeoStation 2200 Series and the NeoStation 2300 Series WBTs from Neoware. Neoware's NeoStation Series allows users to access applications running on multi-user Windows NT servers, as well as mainframes, minicomputers and the Internet. Neoware's products are typically used in conjunction with multi-user Windows-based application servers running Microsoft Windows NT, Terminal Server Edition and Citrix MetaFrame(TM) server-based computing software. The NeoStation 2300 Series comes with specially enhanced Windows CE WBT software to provide enhanced security and central administration. Both the NeoStation 2200 and 2300 can be configured with simple software additions to connect to virtually any type of computer or application. ``In addition to contributing to a faster time to market and ease of design and implementation, DiskOnChip provided us, and ultimately our customers, with many important advantages,'' said Jim Powell, product marketing manager of Neoware Systems Inc. ``With its integrated controller and single chip construction, it is cost-effective and reliable, contributing to our efforts to give the NeoStation superior performance at an aggressive price point. With all that and its Windows CE compatibility, DiskOnChip was the obvious choice for our NeoStation Windows-based terminals.'' ``We are very pleased to be a part of this award winning series of products,'' said Chuck Schouw, president, M-Systems Inc. ``The NeoStation Series of Windows-based terminals has the same characteristics that our customers recognize in our DiskOnChip quality, innovation and value.'' Windows-Based Terminals and the Thin Client Market As recently reported by Zona Research, they predict a ``coming boom'' in thin clients, and believe that a major shift is underway involving how applications are deployed and accessed. Zona predicts that this shift will provide users with access to powerful computer applications and information through inexpensive and easy to use information access devices (such as the NeoStation 2000 Series). In commercial applications, Zona has reported that thin client sales are already beginning to take off. In its recent report ``The Thin-Client Market -- 1999 and Beyond,'' Zona forecasts growth of the worldwide commercial market to over 2,250,000 thin client units by 2001. Zona's projections assume that, over the next three years, commercial thin clients will play a crucial role for access to mission-critical information and applications on the Internet or over company Intranets. About Neoware Neoware's products are ``thin-client'' Windows-based terminals designed to allow access to Windows-based applications running on multi-user Windows NT servers. They are designed as alternatives to dumb terminals or personal computers, offering lower up-front and administrative costs. Neoware's products are designed primarily to run Windows applications via a server such as Microsoft Windows NT Server, Terminal Server Edition or Citrix WinFrame, plus connect to mainframes, minicomputers and the Internet. More information about Neoware can be found on the Web at http://www.neoware.com or via e-mail at info@neoware.com. Neoware is based in King of Prussia, PA. About M-Systems Flash Disk Pioneers Ltd. M-Systems Flash Disk Pioneers Ltd. (Nasdaq:FLSH - news) develops, manufactures and markets a broad range of flash data storage solutions using its patented TrueFFS technology. Leading the market for flash-based local storage applications, M-Systems is the first to bring the market a complete flash disk in a single die using its breakthrough DiskOnChip Millennium technology. M-Systems products include DiskOnChip, Fast Flash Disk (FFD), CompactFlash, IDE Flash Disk and Flash PC Cards. For more information, contact M-Systems at 8371 Central Avenue, Newark, Calif. 94560, 510/494-2090, info@m-sys.com or on the Internet at http://www.m-sys.com. The matters discussed in this news release contain forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual results to vary significantly. These risks include market and competitive factors, and other risks described in the company's most recent prospectuses and other periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company assumes no obligation to update the Information in this release. For Neoware Investors The statements in this news release relating to matters that are not historical are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated, including, but not limited to, customers' acceptance of Neoware's line of thin clients containing the DiskOnChip technology, Neoware's remote management software, and Neoware's newly introduced options, the success of Neoware's efforts to develop and implement its Internet marketing strategy in the thin-client market, pricing pressures, rapid technological changes in the industry, growth of the thin client and Windows-based terminal market and increased competition. These risks and uncertainties are described in reports and other documents, such as Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 1999, filed by Neoware with the Securities and Exchange Commission. |
| Mib - Dienstag, 18. Januar 2000 - 00:31 |
| http://www.techweb.com/se/directlink.cgi?EBN20000110S0053 January 10, 2000, Issue: 1193 Section: Technology Focus: Flash memory Playing A Consumer Hand -- Convenience, cost, portability, and effectively unlimited storage capacity are driving demand for flash cards. Gil Bassak A hot consumer-electronics market is upping the ante for flash-card vendors that supply the portable digital medium that is replacing photographic film and audio tape. Digital-still cameras, MP3 music players, notebook computers, PDAs, and voice recorders are today's main targets for flash-memory cards. Poised to join them-and the impetus behind a new breed of small-format memory cards-are automotive navigation aids; digital electronic books; language translators; set-top boxes; and enhanced cell phones that store text, like e-mail or phone numbers, or double as music players. While ROM is a suitable, low-cost technology for storing pre-recorded music and images, most consumer devices (such as those that download data from the Internet) need the writeable, nonvolatile-storage capability of flash. Consumer applications lend themselves to high-density, serially accessed NAND-type flash rather than lower-density, random-accessed NOR flash, which is better suited for code storage in embedded-processor systems. NAND is used almost exclusively in such data-storage applications as voice, photos, and music-and therefore in flash cards. And while NOR sales continue to dominate the flash market, current and predicted NAND sales reflect the coming consumer tsunami. Technology drivers Convenience, cost, portability, and effectively unlimited storage capacity are the drivers for flash cards. Acting like a small floppy disk-the latest ones are the size of a stick of gum or a large postage stamp-flash cards offer an easy way to transfer stored images from a digital camera to a PC for display or transmission over the Internet. Alternatively, a card might bypass the PC altogether, slipping directly into a printer to yield an instant contact sheet. In the case of MP3 audio players, digital music is downloaded from a PC into a card, which then plugs into a portable player. Some cameras and players have flash memory built in. But this adds to the product's cost and limits storage capacity unless there's also a slot for flash cards. Moreover, without a card to carry the data, consumers must connect their players or cameras to the PC with cables for what can be a lengthy data transfer session. To further simplify transfers, one company, SmartDisk Corp., Naples, Fla., sells a product called FlashPath that lets PC owners submit flash data through a PC's standard 3.5-in. floppy-disk drive. FlashPath accepts a flash card and then plugs into the disk drive. However, CompactFlash cards, which make up the majority of consumer-oriented flash cards sold today, are too big for FlashPath's approach. As an alternative to the floppy-disk adapter, CompactFlash-card vendor Lexar Media Inc., Fremont, Calif., recently rolled out cards with a USB interface. Common to new PCs and Apple computers, USB opens a 1-Mbyte/s channel, compared with 28.8 Kbytes/s for serial ports and 500 Kbytes/s for parallel ports. In addition to CompactFlash, the consumer flash-card market includes MediaStik, Memory Stick, Multi-MediaCard, and SmartMedia brands. Plus, a Secure Digital memory card is in the works to address emerging copy-protection and content-purchasing schemes, as well as improve memory density and the data transfer rate over some earlier cards. PCMCIA, or PC, Cards and CompactFlash Type II cards, which can also serve as removable flash modules, are used mostly in industrial and telecommunications systems because the form factor is too costly for the price-sensitive consumer market. Competitive climate Differentiating features include memory density; size and ruggedness; power consumption; copy protection; compatibility with future flash chips; and cost, including licensing expenses. Although tomorrow's market will allow several card formats, some cards in play today will likely fall away. The granddaddy of today's consumer flash cards, and the most widely used, is the CompactFlash format. Introduced in 1994 by SanDisk Corp., Sunnyvale, Calif., and licensed royalty-free by the more than 100-member CompactFlash Association, the card, at 36 x 42 x 3.3 mm, is about the size of a matchbook. CompactFlash densities range from 8 to 192 Mbytes, though not all vendors offer all sizes. The 50-pin interface on the flash card presents an industry-standard ATA (hard disk) interface to the host, effected by an on-board controller chip. Because CompactFlash cards are a popular choice for digital cameras, some flash vendors distinguish their products by write speed, which determines how quickly a camera can take shots in succession. Because photographers want the fast response of film cameras even as image resolution climbs into the millions of pixels, "click-to-click" time has become the focus of competitive, contentious comparisons, although performance differences among cameras confounds true comparison. Such competition led to a court battle between SanDisk and Lexar over advertised claims. Legal tussles notwithstanding, Silicon Storage Technology Inc., Sunnyvale, a flash-chip maker and relatively new player in CompactFlash, claims its card, touting a 1.4-Mbyte/s sustained write speed, is fastest. The key to high speed is what SST's product marketing manager Samuel Nak-himovsky calls a "performance formula" that is based largely on the design of the ATA controller. The first part of that formula is a large dual-port SRAM buffer inside the ATA controller, "so you can write to the buffer at the same time that the buffer is writing to flash," Nakhimovsky said. Also, a direct-memory-access channel carries data from the buffer to the flash, eliminating controller overhead, while an intelligent-flash file system writes data files to flash memory "in a sequence that gives the best performance," he added. Other features of SST's cards include a power-management unit and dynamic-memory management. In its most common application, as a replacement for film, flash cards don't need a copy-protection scheme. But for downloading commercial music, copy protection is essential, at least to the music industry. To meet music-industry demands, each CompactFlash card carries its own serial identification number that works in compliance with so-called category one protection as defined by the Secure Digital Music Initiative (SDMI). That ID number is used by software to encrypt the music data as it is downloaded from a PC-and in the future from a kiosk-to the card. To hear the music, software in the player uses the card's ID to decrypt the data. Although the data can also be copied to another card or to a hard disk, it cannot be played as intended because the ID needed to decode it is missing. Ruggedness is an issue raised by some CompactFlash card vendors that say strength is on their side. They cite the consumer's need for a sturdy construction, while taking shots at the wafer-like thinness and exposed contacts of competitive SmartMedia cards or the newer bendable sticks. "In the consumer space, you need to be bulletproof," said Chuck Schouw, president and chief executive of Newark, Calif.-based M-Systems Inc., which sells CompactFlash and PCMCIA cards, although its main business is its DiskOnChip product, which packs up to 288 Mbytes in a 32-pin DIP or TSOP. For others, durability is a non-issue. "Rigidity is probably not much of a factor," said Narayan Purohit, an assistant vice president at the memory division of Mitsubishi Electronics America Inc., Sunnyvale, which sells CompactFlash cards. There's no validity to the arguments attacking sturdiness, contends Zareh Samurkashian, associate director of nonvolatile memory at Samsung Semiconductor Inc., San Jose. The contacts on the SmartMedia card, which Samsung co-invented with Japan's Toshiba Corp., can withstand up to 8,000 V of electrostatic discharge, and the package and die are flexible enough "for everyday usage," Samurkashian said. These cards spend "most of their time inside a camera or music player-not in someone's pocket." Indeed, behind CompactFlash, SmartMedia cards are the second-largest seller among consumer flash cards, having been adopted for cameras made by Fuji and Olympus. Measuring 45 x 37 mm, SmartMedia cards are slightly larger than CompactFlash but, at a height of only 0.76 mm, much thinner. Memory capacities of SmartMedia cards will reach 64 Mbytes this quarter with the emergence of 256-Mbit flash chips. In addition, their data-write speeds, at 2.5 Mbytes/s, are among the fastest. But SmartMedia cards contain two flash die and rely on the host system to supply the controller. As a result, the actual write speed depends largely on the system. At the same time, the lack of an onboard controller, though helpful in keeping down a card's cost and power consumption, has spelled problems for some SmartMedia customers. According to Jack Peterson, Lexar's vice president of consumer products, thousands of Olympus cameras that shipped in 1997 and 1998 failed to work with new 16- Mbyte cards, and customers had to ship back their cameras for upgrades. Perhaps smarting from the experience, Olympus has rolled out a camera that takes both SmartMedia and CompactFlash cards. For the sake of audio applications, SmartMedia cards, like CompactFlash cards, carry a unique ID to thwart unauthorized duplication. Also like CompactFlash, the SmartMedia specification is controlled by a forum and made available without license fees. Such fees, required for some new formats like the Memory Stick from Sony Electronics Inc., Park Ridge, N.J., and the Secure Digital card from Matsushita, SanDisk, and Toshiba, are unpalatable to customers, Samurkashian said. Still these newer formats reflect the current trend toward smaller size and a lower pin-count interface suited for emerging cellular phones, small MP3 players, and other applications. And one format, the MultiMediaCard, introduced in 1997 by Hitachi, Infineon Technologies, and SanDisk, combines a small format with license-free distribution. The MultiMediaCard is 32 x 24 x 1.4 mm-smaller than a large postage stamp but much thicker-and carries up to 64 Mbytes of flash. A 120-bit ID field meets the SDMI's first-level encryption requirements. Unlike other flash cards, the Multi-MediaCard accepts mask ROM as well as flash memory. The card was also designed to carry one-time-programmable (OTP) memory, but that option "went by the boards as prices dropped" for flash, said Jeffry Davis, senior marketing manager at Infineon, San Jose. Moreover, a fully automated manufacturing process and low-cost seven-pin serial interface (features drawn from the company's smart-card experience) keep manufacturing costs "in the dirt range," he said. ROM versions of the MultiMediaCard offer customers the choice to buy pre-recorded music, said Davis, noting that consumers who use audio tapes typically choose to spring for the convenience of a pre-recorded tape rather than record their own music. A 32-Mbyte ROM card gives 30 to 40 minutes of MP3-quality music, said Davis, and costs well below the estimated $120 retail cost of a 32-Mbyte flash version. For that reason alone, he added, the music industry should worry less about finding new and tighter ways to protect its copyrights. The small chance of that happening has given rise to the Secure Digital memory card, a format that hopefully will be compatible with the MultiMediaCard but offer levels of greater protection as yet undefined by the SDMI. Measuring 32 x 24 mm, the SD card has the same footprint as the MultiMedia-Card, but at 2.1 mm is slightly thicker, allowing added memory capacity. Also, the addition of two contacts, bringing the interface to nine pins, gives the SD card a 10-Mbyte/s parallel-write feature. SD cards have yet to appear, however, so true compatibility with the MultiMediaCard remains more of a goal than a fact. The Memory Stick from Sony, at 50 x 22 x 3 mm, has shown itself to be a viable contender for flash-card customers. In true Sony fashion, the company developed the design on its own and retains sole licensing authority. More than two dozen companies, including Audi and Volkswagen, have licensed the Memory Stick technology. Sony has incorporated the Memory Stick into several of its own consumer products, including its digital video and still cameras, photo printers, audio products, and ultraportable PCs. Flash capacities for the Memory Stick are up to 64 Mbytes (with higher capacities in development), and the maximum write speed is 1.5 Mbytes/s across a 10-pin interface that protects the pins by keeping them recessed. A switch, unique to flash cards, prevents accidental erasure, and SDMI copy protection is available with so-called Magic Gate Memory Sticks. In contrast to these handful of flash cards vying for high-capacity, high-end applications is the lone MediaStik serial flash module from NexFlash Technologies Inc., Santa Clara, Calif. While the 45- x 15-mm configuration is similar to that of Sony's Memory Stick, the MediaStik's main target is the entry-level VGA-quality camera starting at about $100. "VGA cameras are highly adequate for most Internet applications, and our capacity range is good for that," said NexFlash marketing vice president Robin Jigour. MediaStik memory capacities range from 128 Kbytes to 4 Mbytes, which is commonly the low end for the other cards. The MediaStik has a 2-in. interface and carries a single-quantity price tag beginning at only $20. But while the size, capacity, and price of the MediaStick are modest, the company's ambitions for it are not. "A large segment of applications need to store data, voice, or images for which our capacity range is highly adequate, and the hottest one right now is the VGA camera," Jigour said. -Gil Bassak is a freelance technical journalist based in Ossining, N.Y. Copyright ® 2000 CMP Media Inc. |
| Schlobald - Freitag, 25. Februar 2000 - 19:54 |
| Nachdem sich der Kurs lange nicht für eine Richtung entscheiden konnte, geht es seit einigen Tagen steil nach oben. Freue mich zwar über einen Verdoppler, nur kann ich nirgendwo Infos über die Ursache des plötzlichen Anstieges finden (im wallstreet-online-Board z.B. gibt es nicht einen Beitrag). Kaufen hier Institutionelle aufgrund der obigen Angaben zur Technologie? Vielleicht habt Ihr (Hallo Laurin + MIB) bessere Infos vom US-Markt?! Danke. Schlobald |
| Schlobald - Dienstag, 29. Februar 2000 - 18:08 |
| Habe diese Neuigkeiten von der Homepage von M-Sys, dort gibts auch noch weitere aktuelle News. Offensichtlich interessieren sich nun div. Firmen für die Chips. Habe trotzdem bei ca. 150% die Hälfte meines Bestandes verkauft, da mir der olle spruch von Kostolany nicht aus dem Kopf ging.... Die Umsätze sind lächerlich, so ca. 100 Stk. pro Tag (wenn ich das richtig erkannt habe). ------------------ M-Systems Flash DiskPioneers Ltd. (Nasdaq: FLSH), a leader in flash disk data storage products for the Internet appliance and network infrastructure markets, today announced that RAD Data .unications has selected M-Systems' DiskOnChip as the local storage device for its new ACE-2002 Multi-Service Access Concentrator/ATM(Asynchronous Transfer Multiplexing) Network Termination Unit. RAD Data Communications will use M-Systems' DiskOnChip to store the configuration files and the RTOS (Real Time Operating System) for the ACE-2002. Additionally, storage for physical layer network statistics, frame statistics and SLAs (Service Level Agreements) is provided by the DiskOnChip, thereby increasing IN (Intelligent Network) capabilities in RAD Data Communications' latest carrier class ATM Multiservice Access concentrator. Schlobald |
| Stw - Dienstag, 29. Februar 2000 - 20:19 |
| Die Entscheidung für Teilverkäufe bei den explodierten High-Techs erscheint mir goldrichtig !!! Besser den Spatz in der Hand... *g* :-) stw |
| Mib - Mittwoch, 1. März 2000 - 02:28 |
| am Wochenende gibt's die versprochene Aktualisierung. FLSH wuerde ich noch halten, die Geschichte geht gerade erst los.... die Umsaetze in Deutschland spielen keine Rolle. Verkauf notfalls an der Nasdaq (ist kein Problem! frag deine Bank). Aktuelle Infos immer direkt ueber Yahoo! am Wochenende gibt's mehr... |
| mib - Montag, 24. April 2000 - 21:01 |
| ERSTKLASSIGE ZAHLEN VON FLSH!!! Die Erwartungen von 0.00 $ pro Aktie fuer das vergangene Quartal wurden deutlich uebertroffen: Die vorgelegten 0.09 $ pro Aktie entsprechen schon fast dem fuer das gesamte 2000 erwarteten Gewinn von 0.10 $ pro Aktie!!! http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/000424/m_systems_1.html Monday April 24, 7:47 am Eastern Time Company Press Release M-Systems Reports $0.09 Per Share Profit and 204% Increase in Revenues for First Quarter TEL AVIV, Israel--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 24, 2000--M-Systems Flash Disk Pioneers Ltd. (NASDAQ: FLSH - news) today reported results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2000. For the quarter ended March 31, 2000, M-Systems reported revenues of $15,204,000, a 204 percent increase over revenues of $5,005,000 reported for the first quarter ended March 31, 1999. The Company reported net income of $1,112,000, or $0.09 (fully diluted) per share for the quarter, compared with a loss of $(705,000), or $(0.07) per share, in the first quarter of 1999. Gross margins decreased to 30 percent in the first quarter of 2000, from 35 percent in the first quarter of 1999. In announcing the results, Dov Moran, M-Systems' President and Chief Executive Officer, said, ``The first quarter of 2000 is our eighth consecutive quarter of growth, and it was the best ever. The quarter was a great quarter for M-Systems in every way. Revenues were much higher than our initial expectations and exceeded, by 37 percent, the revenues of our successful fourth quarter of 1999. This move from loss to profitability was an important milestone, and included an operating profit of $723,000. We experienced great bookings for the quarter, many important new design-wins and more emphasis on our significant position and success in the market of Internet Appliances. ``In addition,'' added Mr. Moran, ``we completed a very successful secondary offering raising more than $150 million for the Company. We hired additional great people, which will allow us to move even more aggressively forward in establishing M-Systems as the leader in the market of flash data storage for our target Internet appliance, network infrastructure and embedded systems markets. In sum, we are all very excited about the Company's future and its potential.'' About M-Systems Flash Disk Pioneers Ltd. M-Systems Flash Disk Pioneers Ltd. (NASDAQ: FLSH - news) is a leading developer, manufacturer and marketer of innovative data storage products, known as flash disks, that are primarily used in Internet appliances, network infrastructure equipment and other embedded systems. The Company's flash disks provide the functionality of a mechanical hard drive on a solid-state silicon chip. M-Systems was first to bring to market a complete flash disk in a single die, using breakthrough DiskOnChip Millennium technology. The Company's products are based on its patented TrueFFS technology, and include the DiskOnChip and Fast Flash Disk (FFD) families. Mr. Moran will discuss the Company's earnings results and other news discussed herein in a group conference call today at 11:00 a.m. US EDT. Those who wish to participate may call (303) 267-1021 or (800) 521-5499. A replay is available as a webcast on www.streetfusion.com. All company & product names mentioned may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders and are used for identification purposes only. Except for the historical information herein, the matters discussed in this news release include forward-looking statements that may involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual results may vary significantly based on a number of factors, including but not limited to risks relating to: product and technology development; market acceptance of new products and continuing product demand; the impact of competitive products and pricing on the Company's and its customers' products and markets; changing economic conditions and exchange rates worldwide; development, release and sales of new products by strategic suppliers and customers; development and growth of anticipated markets for the Company's and its customers' products; the risks that customer bookings may be delayed or cancelled, in whole or in part, and other risk factors detailed in the Company's most recent annual report, its registration statement dated March 7, 2000, and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company assumes no obligation to update the Information in this release. This release and prior releases are available on the KCSA Public Relations Worldwide website at www.kcsa.com M-SYSTEMS FLASH DISK PIONEERS LTD. CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS U.S. dollars in thousands March 31, December 31, 2000 1999 -------------- ---------------- Unaudited Audited -------------- ---------------- ASSETS Current Assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 140,749 $ 5,528 Short term bank deposits 712 702 Trade receivables 6,608 3,378 Other receivables and prepaid expenses 2,311 1,049 Inventories 25,313 13,303 -------------- ---------------- Total current assets 175,693 23,960 -------------- ---------------- Long term receivables 220 376 -------------- ---------------- Severance pay funds 725 655 -------------- ---------------- Property and equipment, net 1,806 1,800 -------------- ---------------- Total assets $ 178,444 $ 26,791 ============== ================ LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY Current Liabilities: Trade payables $ 1,976 $ 5,838 Other payables and accrued expenses 4,211 2,412 -------------- ---------------- Total current liabilities 6,187 8,250 -------------- ---------------- Accrued severance pay 1,107 1,048 -------------- ---------------- Minority interest - 19 -------------- ---------------- Shareholders' equity: Share capital 5 4 Additional paid-in capital 186,132 33,569 Accumulated deficit (14,987) (16,099) -------------- ---------------- Total shareholders' equity 171,150 17,474 -------------- ---------------- Total liabilities and shareholders' equity $ 178,444 $ 26,791 ============== ================ M-SYSTEMS FLASH DISK PIONEERS LTD. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS U.S. dollars in thousands, except per share amounts Three months ended Year ended March 31, December 31, --------------------------- 2000 1999 1999 ---------- ------------- ----------- Unaudited Audited --------------------------- ----------- Revenues $ 15,204 $ 5,005 $ 30,430 Cost of revenues 10,670 3,274 20,735 ------------- ------------- ----------- Gross profit 4,534 1,731 9,695 ------------- ------------- ----------- Operating Expenses: Research and development, net 917 574 3,137 Sales and marketing, net 2,391 1,554 6,779 General and administrative 503 440 1,772 ------------- ------------- ----------- Total operating expenses 3,811 2,568 11,688 ------------- ------------- ----------- Operating income (loss) 723 (837) (1,993) Financial income, net 370 102 217 ------------- ------------- ----------- Income (loss) before minority interest in losses of subsidiary 1,093 (735) (1,776) Minority interest in losses of subsidiary 19 30 122 ------------- ------------- ----------- Net income (loss) $ 1,112 $ (705) $ (1,654) ============= ============= =========== Basic earning (loss) per share $ 0.10 $ (0.07) $ (0.17) ============= ============= =========== Diluted earning (loss) per share $ 0.09 $ (0.07) $ (0.17) ============= ============= =========== Weighted average number of shares used in computing basic earning (loss) per share 10,987,442 9,499,827 9,940,658 ============= ============= =========== Weighted average number of shares used in computing diluted earning (loss) per share 12,060,345 9,499,827 9,940,658 ============= ============= =========== Contact: M-Systems Contact: Ronit Maor - CFO M-Systems Flash Disk Pioneers Tel +972-3-647-77776, ext. 223 ronitm@m-sys.com or Investor Relations Contacts: Joseph A. Mansi/Jeff Corbin KCSA Tel: 1-212-682-6300 jmansi@kcsa.com/jcorbin@kcsa.com |
| mib - Montag, 15. Mai 2000 - 04:11 |
| Sunday May 14, 6:11 pm Eastern Time Neil Druker names three stock picks - Barron's NEW YORK, May 14 (Reuters) - Money manager Neil Druker named Alliance Semiconductor Corp. (NasdaqNM:ALSC - news), Advanced Fibre Communications (NasdaqNM:AFCI - news) and M-Systems Flash Disk Pioneers (NasdaqNM:FLSH - news) as three stock picks, according to an article in Barron's. Druker a partner in Boston-based money management firm Pangaea, said earnings of memory products maker Alliance Semiconductor are about to mushroom in light of higher selling prices and widening gross margins, according to the article. Telecom equipment maker Advanced Fibre Communications is well-understood company with a well-followed product, Druker told Barron's. The company makes remote digital loop carriers that bundle customer lines and help phone companies better manage capacity, Barron's said. Semiconductor company M-Systems Flash Disk Pioneer has `` a big upside surprise'' in their earnings, Druker said, according to Barron's. The company faces no clear competitor for it chief product, a computer chip that emulates the characteristics of a hard drive, he said in the article. |
| mib - Donnerstag, 15. Juni 2000 - 15:40 |
| http://www.stockhouse.com/shfn/jun00/061500com_flsh.asp M-Systems Flash Disk Pioneers Inc., a little known flash chip maker from Israel with advanced technology, is in an excellent position to take advantage of the surging flash memory semiconductor market. The company's stock appears poised to double to the $140 level in coming months. Toronto, ONT, June 15 /SHfn/ -- M-Systems Flash Disk Pioneers [FLSH], a semiconductor maker based in Israel, has technology so advanced that its competitors are buying from it. With its flash memory semiconductors, the company is targeting a high demand, high growth market and appears extremely well positioned to grow rapidly and stay ahead of the competition. The stock, currently about $76, has more than doubled since the beginning of the year, and it appears, from a technical chart perspective, poised to double again to the $140 level in the next few months. Technically, as explained in more detail below, the stock looks overbought, given the stochastic readings and the stock's position at the high end of the bollinger bands. However, with so many positive fundamental developments, traders may not get a chance to buy it cheaper. At the same time, investors should be aware that for a NASDAQ stock, FLSH is relatively illiquid (only 10.5 million shares issued and a float of 6.77 million), which could work for or against shareholders depending on what is happening. On the positive side, if the stock catches fire, there will be little to stand in the way of sharp gains. M-Systems designs and makes NAND type flash memory, providing hard disk drive functionality on a silicon chip. (See below for a review of the types of flash chips and definition of terms). These chips are used in Internet appliances, like MP3 players and digital cameras, and in network infrastructure equipment, such as that being marketed by Siemens [SMAWY]. Nortel [NT] and Cisco [CSCO] are presently field testing M-Systems' chips. While the company has competitors in the flash memory sector, M-Systems' chief flash memory data storage product, DiskOnChip Millennium, is so far advanced that it basically has no clear direct competition at this time. The potential competition is instead buying from M-Systems. Samsung Electronics [L.SMSD], one of the top makers of digital TVs and semiconductors, chose M-Systems' product for its Palm PC, although it makes NAND flash itself. Toshiba Corp. [TOSBF], another NAND flash maker and a leader in point-of -sale systems in Japanese supermarkets, also chose to use M-Systems' product instead of its own. Some Competitors Are Gearing Up Companies such as Atmel Corp. [ATML], Hitachi Ltd. [HIT], Samsung Electronics, Toshiba Corp. and SanDisk Corp. [SNDK] will pose future challenges to M-Systems as they adjust some of their focus, converting from DRAM to NAND flash or reentering the NAND flash memory market to fill the excess demand situation (commonly referred to as "over-demand" in the semiconductor industry). To keep ahead of the competition and respond to the growing need for higher density, high performance flash memory, M-Systems announced on June 1 that its DiskOnChip 2000 products are being upgraded to a 0.21 micron process, offering higher capacity, smaller size and improved delivery time. Product sizes are now available in 64MB and 96MB capacities in low profile and in 160MB, 192MB and 288MB capacities in high profile. The company expects to double the capacities yet again before year-end. Competitors may also be attracted to the rising prices in the industry. According to IC Insights, the average selling price of flash chips will increase by 42% to $5.30 in 2000. It is expected that demand for the higher capacity chips such as the 16 and 32 MB will continue to exceed supply in the short term. M-Systems Reported A 204% Increase In Revenues For Q1 Over A Year Earlier Revenues for Q1 2000, ended March 31, of $15,204,000, a 204% increase, exceeded company projections. Important new design wins and great quarterly bookings propelled M-Systems' first quarter. Net income was $1,112,000, or $0.09(fully diluted) per share for the quarter. This compared to a loss of $705,000, or $0.07 per share in Q1 1999. The company noted an important milestone in reporting its first operating profit of $723,000 for Q1 2000. It was the company's eighth straight quarter of revenue growth. According to First Call, analyst consensus estimates are for M-Systems to report Q2 2000 earnings per share at $0.11, with FY 2000 earnings estimated at $0.44. First Call lists a secular earnings growth rate of 80% for M-Systems, compared to projections of between 20%-30% for the list of possible competitors. The company is well on its way to exceeding analyst projections, given that its order book is building. A significant design win of $17.5 million for set-top-box applications for delivery in the Q2-Q4 period will by itself contribute $5.8 million in revenues for each of three quarters. Due to the lack of competition, M-Systems' President and CEO Dov Moran believes that future sales of its fast flash disk (FFD) product have the potential to add significantly to earnings. The company's FFD product, suitable for the Internet infrastructure market, is customized to suit each client, resulting in higher gross margins. Companies such as Cisco and Nortel are shifting from regular hard disks with a life of 2 to 3 years to a product like M-Systems' FFD, which has a life expectancy of 30 years. An order from Seabridge, a Siemens affiliate, has opened the door to the enormous internet infrastructure market. Cisco and Nortel are currently in the midst of field testing M-Systems FFD product and Mr. Moran is confident a design win will be the end result. M-Systems is the leader in the Internet appliances market. Other announced design wins include one from eZex for use in its new Web Pad product ezOne, as well as one from Captive Network Inc., the first new media company to bring the Internet into office and hotel elevators. M-Systems' products are also being used by Samsung Electro-Mechanics (SEMCO) for its new cable set-top-boxes, Daewoo Telecom for its web phone, Cyberbank Corp. for its Multipalm hand held palm computer, and an undisclosed major Internet appliance manufacturer in an order worth $17.5 million. M-Systems' flash memory product, DiskOnChip is supported by Microsoft's [MSFT] Windows Operating System environments and most other operating systems. Its patented TrueFFS (True Flash File System) software is the only flash disk emulation software embedded in Windows CE. Moran envisions future hand-held PCs to be combined with the cell phone and Internet connectivity. He plans to be involved in supplying the huge cell phone market. Noting that to enter the cell phone market requires huge development costs, he states that it is the company's target and focus for 2001. Industry Forecasts For Semiconductor Growth Are Outdated As Soon As They Are Updated With the exploding sales of MP3 audio, cellular phones, digital cameras and set-top-boxes, there is no question that M-Systems is facing rapidly increasing demand conditions. The Semiconductor Industry Association projects revenues for semiconductor sales for 2000 to be $174 billion, a 20% growth over 1999, while Dataquest Inc., a unit of Gartner Group, expects sales of $222 billion, a 53% increase. The flash memory segment, having grown 83% in 1999 to reach sales of $4.6 billion, was projected in January to increase by 60% in 2000 to $6.8 billion. Five months later, IC Insights, a market research firm, revised its flash estimates for 2000 to $10 billion, or up 119% over 1999. Wall street analysts generally agree with this picture. Prudential Securities analyst Hans Mosesmann told CBS MarketWatch.com that, "We're at the early stages of an up cycle in semiconductors." He believes that we have currently been in the cycle for one year and expects the cycle to continue for another two to three years. Technically, M-Systems Is Temporarily Overextended The fast stochastic indicator warns of an extremely overbought condition and the stock, having rocketed $13 on Friday to the $84 level, has retraced some of its gains over the past few days. The stock has completed two "W" bottom formations, as witnessed by both the stock price and the fast stochastic, both of which are indicating major support at approximately $40. From current levels of $76, we should find minor support at $69 and intermediate support at approximately $56-63. The stock may continue to be range bound, $69- 85, until the overbought condition subsides. Measuring the "W" formation and making projections on the basis of it, the stock appears likely to be headed for the $140 level in the coming months. Computer Terminology Defined For those who's eyes glaze over when analysts talk about computer components, the following brief summary of terms may help shed some light to flash memory sector. NAND flash memory is used for data or file storage, primarily in Internet appliances (such as set-top-boxes), telecommunications, network infrastructure equipment, hand held devices, office automation, other embedded PC systems and portable applications with limited space. NAND type flash memory is typically offered in much higher densities than NOR. NAND services the bulk of flash-based data storage applications such as MP3 players and digital cameras. Storage cards, another type of NAND type flash memory, are used in palm-type devices, digital cameras, sub-notebooks and smart cellular phones, and are subject to standards imposed by the CompactFlash Association (CFA) and PCMCIA, to ensure their cards are compatible across various applications. However, the above mentioned NAND type flash memory chips are still unique in that they require a proprietary memory controller, thus allowing companies to distinguish themselves and offer complete solutions. In addition, the card vendors are able to compete on the basis of density, price and programming speeds for read/write intensive applications such as digital still cameras and digital voice recorders. A flash disk is a mass-storage system based on flash memory that enables hard disk emulation while providing all of the advantages of flash memory. A flash disk is small in size and provides reliability, durability, low power consumption, high speed and cost effectiveness for lower capacities. NOR flash is good at random-access operations such as code storage used in cell phones. NOR-based flash represents about 80% of all flash chip sales. Mobile phones are the predominant demand drive for flash today. Leading cell phone base-band chip set supplier Texas Instruments [TXN] predicts worldwide cell phone shipments will jump from 260 million units in 1999 to 400 million units in year 2000, a 54% surge over 1999, while others expect units to increase to 600 million. Due to the explosive rise in cell phone users, NOR has become a commodity or standardized product and subject to pricing pressures leading to low margins for suppliers. |
| mib - Mittwoch, 30. August 2000 - 15:50 |
| Salomon Smith Barney bekraeftigen ihre sehr positive Einschaetzung von FLSH: "strong buy mit Kursziel 120 $" http://www.briefing.com/intro/i_updown.htm |
| schlobald - Donnerstag, 31. August 2000 - 20:10 |
| Danke fuer die Info, mib. Freut mich, bin nach der juengsten Kursschwaeche erneut eingestiegen (63,-). Konnte die Info zwar nicht nachlesen (Seite ist wahrscheinlich schon updated), aber egal. Hatte schon viel Freude mit M-Sys, ist glaube ich mein dritter Kauf jetzt. Ist meine einzige Halbleiter- und auch "AmiAktie". Und einen spannenden Titel, wo es mal richtig rauf und runter geht und man etwas traden kann, brauch ich einfach in meinem Langeweile-Depot. Schlobald |
| schlobald - Donnerstag, 31. August 2000 - 20:19 |
| Berichtigung: also M-Sys sind eigentlich Israelis, mit "AmiAktie" meinte ich das sie an der Nasdaq gehandelt werden. Habe allerdings bisher immer in Berlin gehandelt, trotz geringer Umsaetze gab's noch keine Probleme. Schlobald |
| mib - Donnerstag, 31. August 2000 - 21:35 |
| ja, - ich hab FLSH schon seit Mitte letzten Jahres (zu 18 Eu :-))) und hatte selbst damals keine Probleme, in Berlin welche zu bekommen. Ansonsten kann ich die Kursfindung und den Handel bei kleinen Auslandstiteln in Berlin oftmals absolut nicht nachvollziehen. aber zu FLSH: ich wundere mich, dass niemand versucht, die zu kaufen. Die disk-on-chip ist ein exzellentes Produkt. Es wuerde mich nicht wundern, wenn FLSH demnaechst splitten wuerde. Ansonstensieht zur Zeit Atmel sehr interessant aus; vergleiche die Kursentwicklung der letzten Wochen mal mit der von SSTI... |
| mib - Donnerstag, 21. September 2000 - 15:13 |
| FLSH splittet heute nach Boersenschluss 2:1 ! |
| mib - Mittwoch, 27. September 2000 - 19:55 |
| FLSH meldet 3 neue Kunden in 2 Tagen, darunter die Verwendung des Disc-on-Chip im neuen Microsoft MSN companion! http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/000927/ca_m_syste.html http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/000926/ca_m_syste_2.html http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/000926/ca_m_syste.html |
| mib - Montag, 23. Oktober 2000 - 18:12 |
| und wieder exzellente Zahlen, obwohl zusaetzliche Aufwendungen fuer R&D im Rahmen der juengsten Aquisition den Gewinn belasten. Trotz des >12% Kursverlustes am heutigen Tag: weiterhin von mir ein very 'strong buy'. Related QuotesFLSH 30 1/16 -4 3/16 delayed 20 mins - disclaimer Monday October 23, 8:15 am Eastern Time Press Release M-Systems Reports Record Revenues for Third Quarter Revenues for the Quarter Up 226% TEL AVIV, Israel--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 23, 2000--M-Systems Flash Disk Pioneers Ltd. (NASDAQ: FLSH - news) today announced results for the third quarter of 2000 and the nine months ended September 30, 2000. All per share results for prior periods are adjusted to reflect the Company's two-for-one stock split, which was effected September 21, 2000. For the quarter ended September 30, 2000, revenues increased 226 percent to $26,284,000, compared with revenues of $8,070,000 in the corresponding period of 1999. The Company reported net income for the quarter ended September 30, 2000 (excluding a one time charge due to in-process R&D) of $3,927,000, or $0.14 per share (diluted), compared with a loss of $(317,000), or $(0.02) per share, for the same period in 1999. Including the one-time charge of $6,215,000 due to in-process R&D in connection with the Company's acquisition this quarter of Fortress U&T Ltd., the Company reported a net loss for the quarter of $(2,288,000), or $(0.09) per share. For the nine-month period ended September 30, 2000, revenues increased by 227 percent to $63,199,000, compared with $19,345,000 in the corresponding period of 1999. The Company reported net income for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2000 (excluding a one time charge due to in-process R&D) of $8,509,000, or $0.31 per share (diluted), compared with a loss of $(1,628,000), or $(0.08) per share, for the same period in 1999. Including the one-time charge of $6,215,000 due to in-process R&D in connection with the acquisition of Fortress U&T Ltd., the Company reported a net income for the period of $2,294,000, or $0.08 (diluted) per share. Dov Moran, M-Systems' president, stated, ``We are delighted with the excellent results for the quarter and year-to-date. This has been a very exciting year for our Company. Sales and profits have continued to increase, and our customer base continues to expand, all as a result of our products' reliability, performance and unique features. ``A number of major developments occurred this quarter, highlighted by our acquisition of Fortress U&T Ltd., a data security company, and by our entering into a multi-part strategic agreement with Saifun Semiconductors Ltd., the developer of a pioneering new flash component technology.'' Mr. Moran added, ``With the acquisition of Fortress, we acquired innovative and superior data security technology, a group of highly trained research and development engineers, as well as 12 patents and patent applications. Fortress, its technology and its people add significant value to M-Systems and, with data security becoming more and more of a priority in our target markets, this acquisition should greatly improve our products' added value to our customers and accelerate our time to market. ``The partnership with Saifun will allow M-Systems to release revolutionary new products with superior performance and excellent cost advantages over competing products. Saifun's leading-edge NROM(TM) technology will enhance and augment our future data storage offerings. Saifun NROM's simple manufacturing process, requiring less than half the silicon required in other competing processes, will provide us with a strong competitive edge and allow us to offer even more value at very attractive prices.'' Mr. Moran concluded: ``Integrating new technologies, such as Fortress' data security features and Saifun's NROM(TM) component technology, into our current and future products will allow us to further consolidate and build upon our position as a technology innovator and leading developer of cutting-edge data storage products. We believe we have now put together the technology, the people and the organization needed to meet both our short-term objectives, as well as our long-term goal of reaching the $1 billion revenue mark.'' Mr. Moran will discuss the Company's earnings results and the other news discussed herein in a group conference call today at 11:00 a.m. U.S. EDT. Those who wish to participate may call (703) 871-3093. A replay will also be available, starting October 23, 2000 at 2:00 p.m. U.S. EDT and ending October 26, 2000 at 7:00 p.m. U.S. EDT, by calling (703) 925-2533, replay code 4680532. About M-Systems Flash Disk Pioneers Ltd. M-Systems Flash Disk Pioneers Ltd. (NASDAQ: FLSH - news) is a leading developer, manufacturer and marketer of innovative data storage products, known as flash disks, that are primarily used in Internet appliances, network infrastructure equipment and other embedded systems. The Company's flash disks provide the functionality of a mechanical hard drive on a solid-state silicon chip. M-Systems was first to bring to market a complete flash disk in a single die using breakthrough DiskOnChip Millennium technology. The Company's products are based on its patented TrueFFS technology, and include the DiskOnChip and Fast Flash Disk (FFD) families. For more information, contact M-Systems at 8371 Central Avenue, Suite A, Newark, Calif. 94560. Telephone: 1-510-494-2090. E-mail: info@m-sys.com and, on the Internet, http://www.m-sys.com.* (Tables to follow) NOTE: This press release includes forward-looking statements as defined in the private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, as they are subject to various risks and uncertainties which may cause actual results to vary significantly. These risks include, but are not limited to, elated to: dependence on flash component suppliers to keep up with rising industry demand and the Company's growing supply requirements on a timely basis; timely product and technology development/upgrades and the ability to manage growth and ramp-up production effectively as needed; market acceptance of new products and continuing product demand; the impact of competitive products and pricing on the Company's and its customers' products and markets; development, release and sales of new products by strategic suppliers and customers; development and growth of anticipated markets for the Company's and its customers' products; changing economic conditions and exchange rates worldwide; and other risk factors detailed in the Company's most recent annual report, its prospectuses dated August 8, 1996, July 23, 1997 and March 7, 2000, respectively, and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company assumes no obligation to update the Information in this release. This release and prior releases are available on the KCSA Public Relations Worldwide website at www.kcsa.com. M-SYSTEMS FLASH DISK PIONEERS LTD. PRO-FORMA CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS EXCLUDING ACQUIRED IN-PROCESS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (The pro-forma data is related to the periods ended September 30, 2000) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- U.S. dollars in thousands, except per share amounts Nine months ended Three months ended Year ended September 30, September 30, December 31, ------- ---------- ------------------------------- 2000 1999 2000 1999 1999 ------- ------- ----- ----- ------ Unaudited Audited ----------------------------------------- -------- Revenues $ 63,199 $ 19,345 $ 26,284 $ 8,070 $ 30,430 Cost of revenues 44,048 12,929 18,228 5,481 20,735 ------- -------- -------- ------- -------- Gross profit 19,151 6,416 8,056 2,589 9,695 ------- -------- -------- ------- -------- Operating expenses: Research and development, net 4,453 2,265 2,045 835 3,137 Sales and marketing 8,351 4,737 3,118 1,692 6,779 General and administrative 2,012 1,311 783 447 1,772 ------- -------- -------- ------- -------- Total operating expenses 14,816 8,313 5,946 2,974 11,688 ------- -------- -------- ------- -------- Operating income (loss) 4,335 (1,897) 2,110 (385) (1,993) Financial and other income, net 4,155 176 1,817 34 217 ------- -------- -------- ------- -------- Income (loss) before minority interest in losses of a subsidiary 8,490 (1,721) 3,927 (351) (1,776) Minority interest in losses of a subsidiary 19 93 - 34 122 ------- -------- -------- -------- -------- Net income (loss) $ 8,509 $ (1,628) $ 3,927 $ (317) $(1,654) ======= ======== ======== ========= ======== Basic earnings (loss) per share $ 0.34 $ (0.08) $ 0.15 $ (0.02) $ (0.08) ======= ======== ======== ========= ======== Diluted earnings (loss) per share $ 0.31 $ (0.08) $ 0.14 $ (0.02) $ (0.08) ======= ======== ======== ========= ======== Weighted average number of shares used in computing basic earnings (loss) per share 24,974,914 19,509,914 26,542,069 20,512,882 19,881,316 ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== Weighted average number of shares used in computing diluted earning (loss) per share 27,737,589 19,509,914 29,088,587 20,512,882 19,881,316 ========== ========== ========== ========== ========= M-SYSTEMS FLASH DISK PIONEERS LTD. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS INCLUDING ACQUIRED IN-PROCESS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ---------------------------------------------------------------------- U.S. dollars in thousands, except per share amounts Nine months ended Three months ended Year ended September 30, September 30, December 31, -------------------- ------------------ ---------- 2000 1999 2000 1999 1999 --------- ---------- --------- -------- ---------- Unaudited Audited ----------------------------------------------------- Revenues $ 63,199 $ 19,345 $ 26,284 $ 8,070 $ 30,430 Cost of revenues 44,048 12,929 18,228 5,481 20,735 --------- ---------- ---------- -------- ---------- Gross profit 19,151 6,416 8,056 2,589 9,695 --------- ---------- ---------- -------- --------- Operating expenses: Research and development, net 4,453 2,265 2,045 835 3,137 Sales and marketing 8,351 4,737 3,118 1,692 6,779 General and administrative 2,012 1,311 783 447 1,772 Acquired in-process research and development 6,215 - 6,215 - - --------- ---------- ---------- -------- --------- Total operating expenses 21,031 8,313 12,161 2,974 11,688 --------- ---------- ---------- -------- --------- Operating loss (1,880) (1,897) (4,105) (385) (1,993) Financial and other income, net 4,155 176 1,817 34 217 --------- ---------- ---------- -------- --------- Income (loss) before minority interest in losses of a subsidiary 2,275 (1,721) (2,288) (351) (1,776) Minority interest in losses of a subsidiary 19 93 - 34 122 --------- ---------- ---------- -------- --------- Net income (loss) $ 2,294 $ (1,628) $ (2,288) $ (317) $ (1,654) ========= ========== ========== ======== ========= Basic earnings (loss) per share $ 0.09 $ (0.08) $ (0.09) $ (0.02) $ (0.08) ========= ========== ========== ======== ========= Diluted earnings (loss) per share $ 0.08 $ (0.08) $ (0.09) $ (0.02) $ (0.08) ========= ========== ========== ======== ========= Weighted average number of shares used in computing basic earnings (loss) per share 24,974,914 19,509,914 26,542,069 20,512,882 19,881,316 ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== Weighted average number of shares used in computing diluted earnings (loss) per share 27,737,589 19,509,914 26,542,069 20,512,882 19,881,316 ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== M-SYSTEMS FLASH DISK PIONEERS LTD. CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS ---------------------------------------------------------------------- U.S. dollars in thousands September 30, December 31, 2000 1999 ------------------ ----------------- Unaudited Audited ------------------ ----------------- ASSETS CURRENT ASSETS: Cash and cash equivalents $ 72,932 $ 5,528 Short-term bank deposits 46,140 702 Trade receivables 4,836 3,378 Other accounts receivable and prepaid expenses 1,872 1,049 Inventories 51,198 13,303 ------------------ ---------------- Total current assets 176,978 23,960 ------------------ ---------------- LONG-TERM INVESTMENTS: Severance pay funds 951 655 Other long-term investments 617 376 ------------------ ---------------- Total long-term investments 1,568 1,031 ------------------ ---------------- PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT, NET 3,016 1,800 ------------------ ---------------- OTHER ASSETS, NET 2,045 - ------------------ ---------------- Total assets $ 183,607 $ 26,791 ================== ================ LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY CURRENT LIABILITIES: Trade payables $ 6,949 $ 5,838 Other accounts payable and accrued expenses 6,620 2,412 ------------------ ---------------- Total current liabilities 13,569 8,250 ------------------ ---------------- ACCRUED SEVERANCE PAY 1,291 1,048 ------------------ ---------------- MINORITY INTEREST - 19 ------------------ ---------------- SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY: Share capital 8 4 Additional paid-in capital 182,544 33,569 Accumulated deficit (13,805) (16,099) ------------------ ---------------- Total shareholders' equity 168,747 17,474 ------------------ ---------------- Total liabilities and shareholders' equity $ 183,607 $ 26,791 ================== ================ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Contact: M-Systems Ronit Maor, 972-3-647-7776 CFO ronitm@m-sys.com or Investor Relations Contacts: Adam J. Rosen / Joseph A. Mansi, 212-682-6300 KCSA arosen@kcsa.com/jmansi@kcsa.com |