History (1993): JVC Stops All HDD Manufacturing

Victor Co. of Japan (JVC) will stop producing HDDs this fiscal year to concentrate on optical units only.

JVC disk drives operations were based in Yamato, near Tokyo.

It was at the end of 1989 that the Japanese company had started manufacturing HDDs, in the smallest form factor at that time, 2.5 inch.

Its first model was introduced after PrairieTek’s one, with a 21.4MB capacity. Several other 2.5-inch units came out afterwards, including the last one, a 130MB drive in September 92.

JVC even ventured into 3.5-inch drives, relying on an agreement it had signed with Rodime that disappeared since. They entered into an alliance to develop and produce 3.5-inch HDDs, first with 122MB on 2 disks, then 210MB.

JVC’s withdrawal from the Winchester segment proves, once more, how hard it is for Japanese to face Americans in this market.

This article is an abstract of news published on the former paper version of Computer Data Storage Newsletter on issue 65, published on June 1993.