Optical storage market outlook-what impact will the new technologies have?

New technologies, commercialized in 97, will have a profound impact on the optical data storage market. CD-RW drives and media is the next step in CD technology impacting currently strong CD-R sales. The other new products are DVD-ROM drives. With over seven fold increase in capacity and data rate this format is the natural successor technology for CD-ROM. The delays in product introduction allowed CD-ROM manufacturers to develop 12X and 16X, thus staying competitive with first generation DVD.